John Deere, at the forefront of the electric

At the forefront of the development of electric drive tractors, back in 2016 John Deere presented the first full electric prototype called SESAM. Now the American giant has developed a new electric model powered by cable, GridCON, able to develop a power of 400 Hp, without a cab and without housing for the battery pack under the bonnet.
GridCON uses an electrical connection to the tractor by cable from the edge of the field, which continuously transfers electricity with a power of over 300 kW. A drum installed on the machine can house up to 1000 metres of cable, whose length can be further increased. Once in the field, the cable is unrolled and rewound by a robotic arm, so as to ensure operation without friction and with limited mechanical stress. Interference between the tractor and the cable is prevented by the smart steering system. Once at work, the tractor follows a predefined grid autonomously up to a speed of 20 km/h. The vehicle can also be driven manually, using a remote control. The system requires a 2.5 Kv AC power source with alternating current, while the GridCON tractor uses a 700 V DC bus to power the on-board systems and any equipment. The empty weight of the prototype, including the cable drum and robot arm, is about 8.5 tonnes, roughly equivalent to a conventional John Deere 6195R tractor, but with twice the power. GridCON offers the advantage of quiet operation and total absence of emissions.