Sustainability 2.0: This tractor is powered by cow dung, belts out 180 hp

The auto industry is moving on the path of sustainability pretty aggressively now and almost every automaker around the world is in the process of adopting electrification and exploring ways to use alternative fuel in vehicles. Following this way is New Holland Agriculture which has created a tractor New Holland T6 which is powered by methane.

With a weight of 9,525 kg and the character of a diesel tractor, the T6 comes with a 185-litre tank that runs on the manure of roughly 75 cows. As per a Bloomberg report, this vehicle emits 62 per cent less nitrous oxide and 15 per cent less carbon dioxide. A dairy farm owner Kevin Hoare says, “It takes 10 minutes to refuel and we never run out of gas." Hoare with his wife has been using this tractor on their dairy farm almost on an everyday basis.

The CNH Industrial which is an equipment and service company along with a startup Bennamann Ltd developed a process through which the tractor is powered by methane. If methane is cold enough, it transforms into a liquid which can then be transported or can be used for an engine. Bennamann co-founder Chris Mann said that organic waste goes in and the gas comes out from this tractor. He also said that it doesn't produce any heat. "It’s just nature doing its thing," he said.

CNH Chief Executive Officer Scott Wine believes that though electrification has a role, it is difficult to replace diesel. “But a medium-sized farm is going to produce more methane than it can use," adds Wine. And, there comes New Holland T6 to help. The report shares that CNH is currently pushing its tractor along with a manure tent as a package with a focus primarily on dairy farms in Europe. However, the company informs that this tractor can work where there is abundant methane which can be landfills, fish markets or rice patties.

(With inputs from Bloomberg)