This paper presents a feasibility study for the electrification of a farming tractor. In such an application the working cycle is not that trivial and then the system design is not straightforward: power has to be supplied at both road and power take off for implements. The purpose of this paper is to prove the convenience in adopting hyrid tractor. Therefore, duty cycles and powertrains for agriculture are introduced. Then, by means of simulations, consumptions are compared between traditional and hybrid tractor, including costs analysis. As first approach, the benefit of full electric mode usability for light duty is proved, regardless innovative power management strategies [1].For this work a plug-in solution has been preferred, powered with a parallel mild hybrid electric powertrain.

The focus of this paper is the design of high efficiency electric motors adopted in power drive systems. The last efficiency standards are considered as constraint for the motor and drive design: they are introduced and described and their impact on the choice made during the design process are highlighted. As a particular case, the perspective of a motor manufacturer is adopted in order to understand which is the proper efficiency level of the motor required to fulfil the efficiency requirements of the power drive system. This is not always clear and easy to understand because different standards apply in the two contexts. A design example of an industrial motor with 3 kW power is included, showing also experimental results on a prototypes. Also the standards related to the experimental tests, in particular those prescribing instrument accuracy, are considered and commented in the paper.

The focus of this paper is the potential electrification of specialized agricultural tractors involved in vineyards and orchards. This category of machinery has not received research attention to date; however, regulations are encouraging lower emissions and higher efficiency, requiring the adoption of new technologies. Traction makes up only a limited part of this application, and the working cycle is not trivial; therefore, the design of the system is not straightforward. This study takes advantage of experimental measurements carried out under real operating conditions on a traditional specialized tractor, which was chosen as performance target. The performance requirements of the hybrid powertrain components are investigated, with particular focus placed on the electric motor. According to the dimension constraints, the design of the electric motor is carried out considering the requirements in terms of its thermal-equivalent torque and overload capability. The results are validated through a detailed thermal simulation under real duty cycles.