(Though actually, why not have tram-style overhead lines for the tractors ?)
http://cleantechnica.com/2018/12/17/john-deere-unveils-an-autonomous-electric-tractor-with-a-really-long-extension-cord/
Tuesday 18 December 2018
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It could use a variation on the center pivots used for irrigation. Or run trolley poles on two sides of a field and use a cable variant of the steam tractors.
ReplyDeleteyoutube.com - Steam Ploughing at Bedfordshire Steam Rally and Country Fayre 2011 (Old Warden)
The hacking potential is mind-blowing...
ReplyDeleteWireless communication, GPS, hardened steel attachments...
Extra points for a towable diesel generator.
"Though actually, why not have tram-style overhead lines for the tractors ?"
ReplyDeleteIt's not necessary, and it adds extra expense. I've gone from battery lawn mower to corded. I'm not going back - corded is cheaper, more powerful, has no recharge times, lighter. It took me only a few days to get used to cord handling. Dealing with the cord just isn't a big deal.
"Next up, electric cars with really long cords trams."
Well...maybe? Current systems have some issues with exposed wires being potential hazards and suffering various weather related issues. And friction does cause issues also.
An insulated cord running down a median between two lanes might not be such a silly idea. A vehicle going one way plugs in and pulls the cord along until it is stretched out the other way. A vehicle going the other way plugs in and pulls the cord along to reset its position. This would work best with relatively slow vehicles, of course, such as human powered vehicles with electric assist or slow buses traveling along canned routes.
You could even repurpose the term "cable car" for them (yet again).
We never had a cordless lawn mower, corded works fine. I was thinking it might be more of an issue for autonomous tractors though. A simpler option might be a tall central pole to keep the cable elevated, but maybe it's not even necessary at all.
ReplyDeleteIn my experience trams have basically no problems with weather. The one exception is freezing rain, which sticks to the cables and cannot be easily removed. Fully autonomous electric vehicles would be great, of course, but most of the problems they're touted to solve could already be done with a decent mass transit system.
Rhys Taylor Farms are big, dirty, and messy. Especially in rain or snow. And they have minimal capital investment. The most significant of these is turned dirt, and increasingly that is being done away with as it leads to soil erosion and depletion. No-till methods are increasing virtually everywhere.
ReplyDeleteBarbed-wire fence -- twisted steel cable -- was adopted because it was cheaper than wood. It is largely being done away with, as that is too expensive for most farms and serves no purpose. Multiple copper lines are far more expensive than steel.
Running leads between fields, temporarily, and cabling out to a single tractor (or a ganged set of combines on large farms) is far more viable. Even then, rural electric grids may not be up to the loads imposed by heavy equipment. Municipal grids often require independent distribution for, e.g., electric municipal heavy and light-rail systems, and a reason electrified freight rail is uncommon in the US is the problem of providing power to extremely rural (and frequently mountainous) routes.
Expect to see electrified tractors first on smaller farms, nearer cities and substantial infrastructure. And reports of electrocutions in the news.