MAKE Podcast
MAKE Podcast
Electric Tractor 2
Welcome to the University of Manitoba Resources for Agricultural Engineering podcast! Your gateway to discovering the latest innovations, research, and practical solutions in agricultural engineering.
In this second part of the episode on electric tractors, Justice Zhanda, Operations Manager at Ian N. Morrison Research Farm in Carman, Manitoba, shared further insights into his experiences with the technology in relation to crop production and plans for the upcoming season.
Hello, and welcome to the University of Manitoba Resources for Agricultural Engineering Podcast. I am your host, Uduak Edet, an agricultural research extension engineer in the Department of Biosystem Engineering. This podcast is your gateway to discovering the latest innovation, research and practical solution in agricultural engineering. Our mission is to forge meaningful connections with the agricultural community and help farmers address their engineering needs and aspiration. Today I am joined by Justice Zander , who is the operations manager at Leanne Morrison's Research Farm , Carman, Manitoba . Before we discuss about electric tractors, please tell us about yourself.
Justice Zander:Thanks for having me on this podcast. I'm a graduate of the University of Manitoba where I focused on corn phenology across the prairie. So I did my masters in 2015 to 2018, coming from Zimbabwe, where I have a background in crop science. I have a bachelor's degree in crop science from the University of Zimbabwe. And prior to that I also did my diploma in agriculture from an associate college of the University of Zimbabwe. So I do have lots of agriculture related experience, not only in crops, but also livestock ranging from , dairy beef , sheep, goats and some irrigation as well. So I came to Canada to do my master's , and then I got a job in Melita , which is one of the diversification centres run by Manitoba Agriculture. I worked there for three years from 2018 up until 2021. Then I got this opportunity to join the University of Manitoba, replacing a research station manager who was retiring. So I provide oversight for this research firm. We conduct research in various aspects and various objectives. So I'm the one, I'm the go-to person in terms of providing oversight, making sure that all the researchers have all that they need in order to conduct their research. So be it the land , resource, equipment and the training related to safety as well.
Uduak Edet:Okay. Thank you. Good to know you have global experience in farming. What type of electric tractors do you have when you are on the farm?
Justice Zander:Alright , so we recently acquired M5 Electric tractors. We just got it in December, this winter. And it is a really nice small compact tractor. It is 40 horsepower, that's the PTO power. That's 40 horsepower. It can be tuned up to 70 horsepower. And it comes with 360 view . It has cameras all over. So you can see the front, the sides and the rear of the tractor . It also is... it is a 100% electric, which means there's zero emissions, right? So we are trying to be involved or makes significant contributions to climate change, reducing emissions. And it also has an autonomous option. It can be operated without a driver manually steering it to do the farm operations. Then one of feature that I find really important is the safety features. So you cannot drive it without wearing your seatbelt, right? You have to wear your seatbelt , you have to be seated on the seat. You cannot drive it while you are , while you're standing. Other tractors may not have that feature. So it is really nice that it comes with that safety feature. Then it also, it is also equipped with a smart screen. So all the operations and settings are done on your screen, and then you can operate the trigger . So for instance , this farm has got many operators, right ? We do have 9 or 10 technicians that will be using that equipment. So each operator will have to log in their credentials in order to operate, and we will be providing training before they can operate that piece of equipment. Then it is sort of a computer on its own. So you can also analyze your data. So it'll be working in the field. You'll have inputted of course the job that it'll be do doing, whether it is tillage or spraying or mowing a specific field. It can provide or generate some data that you will be able to use to compare, to make comparisons in terms of if you were to use a diesel tractor , how much savings have you made using the electric tractor, right? Then one other thing that it is, is versatile, right? It is a versatile piece of equipment. It can be used as a vehicle. It is also equipped with a generator. So let's say you're out in the field working, and then you need to fix something. You can carry your mobile welding machine. You can use that tractor as a source of power to do those repairs out in the field. You don't necessarily need to drive it back to get power in your workshop. Then it is also a utility tractor. I think I've mentioned that before. So, apart from it being a vehicle, it can be used for a number of tasks. You can use it for mowing, you can use it for spraying. You can use it for, for tilling. It is a smaller tractor of course, but for our purposes, I think it'll do a great job.
Uduak Edet:Okay. Thank you. What were your initial thoughts about the electric tractors when you saw it?
Justice Zander:So when I saw it initially, I thought it is a fancy looking piece of equipment and one wouldn't really think that it can be utilized in the field, right? But looking at the specs and some reviews that I've seen online , I think it'll be a useful piece of equipment that we'll see how it performs right during the season, because this is our first time to acquire or to have that type of tractor . So we'll see, because we have a same 40 horsepower tractor that we can be able to make comparison with in terms of how they both work.
Uduak Edet:Have you had opportunity to drive the tractor though ?
Justice Zander:Yes, I did. But it was just driving it on the yard, not in the field because there was lots of snow out in the field. So it was just driving it from, from the truck to the shop and then to another building that, so that's pretty much a simple , to operate machine, similar to other tractors with the only difference that it is electric.
Uduak Edet:Okay. So what advantage do you think, like having seen the tractor, what advantage do you think it would have on your farm compared to that of a diesel tractor ?
Justice Zander:Alright , so I've mentioned before that it is an electric tractor, like 100% electric. So comparing it with a diesel tractor we are not worried about emissions, right? So that's a plus for it compared to diesel tractor . Then in terms of maintenance we haven't experienced it yet because we have not done any maintenance on it , since it is new and we have not used it to do any jobs out in the field. But just looking at the manual, it is fairly low maintenance cost tractor, compared to diesel tractor . Then one other thing that I would want to highlight, it is instant torque. So diesel tractors tend to take a little bit of time to like to power up in terms of if you're pulling a piece of equipment , they tend to take... it tends to take longer than an electric tractors . Then maybe one other advantage I would say, in terms of operation , of course it is more or less similar to diesel tractors, but it, it is much easier to operate, much simpler to operate, I would say.
Uduak Edet:Okay, thank you. What infrastructure did you have to set up to be able to have, have the electric tractor on your farm?
Justice Zander:Alright , so when this research facility was established already, we had a heated shop that is for repairs and maintenance of equipment around this time of the year, but for storage that sector is part of the larger funds that were applied for by the university to improve our research operations. So we have a new equipment , building that is meant to store the pieces of equipment that we are purchasing in this phase, and that includes the electric tractor . But , we had to install a specific charging spot for it. It came with an 80 amp charger, which required installation, like separate installation. It's not a normal plug in to an outlet. You have to connect that directly to the to the electrical panel. So that alone was an additional $1,000.00, just the labor to install the electric costs for it. So apart from that additional cost from our local electrician, everything else was according to plan, in terms of storage.
Uduak Edet:Okay, so for the coming planting season, what do you intend to use the electric tractor for?
Justice Zander:Right , so my plan this coming season, because it is the first time looking at its specs and its capabilities , I'm going to start using it on a 3 point hitch sprayer. The tank is 120 gallons, and this sector is capable of , I think it is, it is capable of 1,550 gallons of spray mix. So we'll try it on that one, and then we'll see how many hours it will take to recharge after spraying for a certain number of hours. And then there's also a rotor till that we will be trying on, on it. It's a 5 foot rotor tail , which is less than 2,200 pounds in weight. And that tractor is capable of lifting that and pulling it as well. Then just the general maintenance in the plots , we will be using a mower. It's a 5 foot deck mower that we will be using it. And the main idea for this season is just to see which implement we can use with this electric tractor and then we can have it fixed on one piece of implement in 2027.
Uduak Edet:Okay. So how have other staff members, your colleagues, how have they... what's their opinion about the electric tractor ?
Justice Zander:So right now I've read feedback from a few technicians. We have seen it, right? And we were part of the training in December when we received it. It is hard to say right now because we have not used it or they have not seen it working, but just looking at it , I think it has some limitations or maybe it's because when these tractors were manufactured, they were mainly meant for orchards, right? But because we are a research firm , they will still do the job. They'll still meet our needs because we do small plot research. One challenge that they figure out especially my technician who does the repairs and maintenance, is that it is a very low clearance right from the from the ground to the bottom of the tractor. So in order to get underneath to change the hydraulic filters, it is quite tough, but we'll work with that device, it means to make it easy for us to do those services maintenance. Apart from that, we will see how it performs and then we'll get more feedback hopefully get back this spring.
Uduak Edet:Okay. So you said something about limitations, and one of it that you mentioned was the maintenance aspect of trying to change the hydraulic. What other limitations do you foresee when using the electric tractor?
Justice Zander:Alright , so for that tractor because of its size, in terms of power, it is a little bit on the lower side. If I am comparing to diesel tractors , that's the major limitation. That is, if it were to be used under commercial production, like large scale production , it is meant for maybe small jobs and small pieces of equipment. So it cannot pull those large pieces of equipment, even if we're using the same horse , comparing it to the same horsepower is maybe a 40 horsepower diesel tractor or in the 40 horsepower electric tractor. Then one other limitation is that since it is an electric tractor , it'll need to be charged in between jobs, right? Depending on what kind of job you are going to do. Theoretically it says it can work for 14 hours. That is what it says, but we're yet to see that when we use it in the field. Most of our jobs here, we do maybe five to seven hours per day running a tractor. That also depends on what kind of job you are doing. If it is tillage, for example, that may take a while , to finish, but if it is just a small plot, probably be one to two hours, that's per technician, and we have 9 technicians. If they're going to be using that tractor for that same day, then it means it will need to be checked . Because I was looking at the... if you look at the manual, the manual says if you are doing some tillage, it probably the batch will last five to seven hours. So , which means you... you'll need to charge it before the end of the day so that the next day somebody else will be able to use it. But if they want to, if people want to use it at night they are able to do that as well because its lights, just the same as other diesel tractors that we have here. So you can recharge it and then go back to work and all that.
Uduak Edet:Okay. So the big question here is that , do you think electric tractor at the future of farming, and what's your reason if you are for or against it?
Justice Zander:Right. So I would say yes. The reason being , in terms of the power and the charging that you need to do in between, unless there are some improvements, right, in terms of the battery capacity and all that they can be the future of farming. Because here, I think we have here at task is about emissions, right? And these electric tractors address some of those issues of emissions, which is a problem with diesel operated tractors. But to say that they will replace diesel tractors, I think it is a little bit early for that. But at the moment, I think it's about taking it , one day at a time or step by step or improvement by improvement. If there are issues they're built upon corrected and maybe if something that is more efficient for large scale farmers. So I think at this stage it's about complementing , maybe you leave a part of your fleet being diesel operated and then part of your fleet being electric tractor and then in future, yes, maybe they can be 100% replacement, but I think that would take a while.
Uduak Edet:Okay. How is the manufacturer support in terms of the, the tractors, like boats , if you're having issues, repair, availability of parts, or , um, just reaching out to them?
Justice Zander:Alright , so in terms of reaching out, I would say so far , since we've acquired it , we haven't had any issues in terms of support. They're always available. So that tractor also comes in with a sort of job request platform or query relaunch platform. So if there are any issues, you just log in , send your issues on that app, and then a technician will reach out to you as soon as possible, right? So we'll see how that goes , when we will be using it in the spring. The only challenge that I see right now is if we have a need for replacement parts in Canada, the closest dealership is in British Columbia , right? There's only one at the moment. Every other, like all other dealers are in the United States. All other dealers that are closer to us are in the United States, but in Canada it is just in British Columbia. I think they might be looking for some dealerships or some already established companies to have contracts with in terms of parts supply or something like that. But I am hoping that we won't have any issues since it's a new chapter . I think we should be okay at least for the next several years.
Uduak Edet:Okay. You said something about safety , that if you're not on the seats, the equipment is not going to move or something. Sometimes you listen to farmers and they have some concerns about too many safety features hindering their operation. Can you comment about the safety features in the electric tractors and the work operation that their selected to do?
Justice Zander:Alright , I know if I say I am biased towards more safety or not, but I it is a good thing actually to have more safety features on any piece of equipment. So what the main thing is that , we not only want to save the life of the operator, but also that piece of equipment. So those safety features are there for a reason. So one of the safety feature that I had not mentioned is the roll of a protection that is there. So if you don't have those rollbars for protection, for example, on your tractor, if you are involved in an accident, like a rollocer accident, then it means your whole tractor is a write off , like it is completely damaged and destroyed, but with the rollbar for protection, for example, it is a safety feature that saves the whole of your tractor. Maybe the damage can only be on those ropes that are higher up there, but the rest of your equipment can still be operational or functional. So I would say maybe those safety features are really important and should be on each piece of equipment.
Uduak Edet:Okay. So do you have any final message for our listeners with regards to electric tractors?
Justice Zander:All right . So what I would say to all listeners , in particular farmers, they should try acquiring one or two pieces of equipment like these electric tractors, they are efficient , they save the environment , they do the job, they're equipped with a GPS unit, so you don't have to worry about operating it manually when you're seeding , for example, right? We are in a precision agriculture era . So this tractor is what they want to go to. So I would say they should try it out and see how it works. Above all , you can operate it as a fleet, right? You can do your operations in the office, send it to the field, do its work, and then you just be monitor monitoring it, right? Maybe you don't need 7 operators on 7 tractors. Maybe one person can operate that , as long as you have that autonomous feature, right? And you are well trained to operate that fleet.
Uduak Edet:Okay. Thank you so much Justice Zander, it's been a pleasure meeting you and learning more about your experience with the electric tractor , at the Leanne Morrison's Research Farm. We're certainly looking forward to hearing more about your experience after this summer. And thank you all for listening, and please stay tuned for more upcoming podcast on University of Manitoba resources for agricultural engineering, your gateway to discovering the latest innovation research practical solution in agricultural engineering.
Justice Zander:Thank you very much .