Electric and Energy Efficient Farm Vehicles
Agriculture has traditionally been heavily reliant on non-renewable energy, including a dependence on diesel for heavy machinery.
Drivers for transition toward electric and/or energy efficient vehicles are multi-fold including, not only emissions reduction, but diesel price volatility and future fuel security.
Transitioning your operational fleet towards energy efficiency and electrification can be a larger capex investment. Replacement of an aged vehicle fleet with battery electric, fuel cell, or modern efficient vehicles provides a direct pathway towards enhanced fuel efficiency and emissions reduction. You may also need a change of equipment to implement other activities under your FERP.
Technologies are advancing rapidly, including improved performance and battery technologies. The Electric Vehicle Council is a national body that provides regular updates on the Australian electric vehicle industry, including availability of EVs and charging infrastructure, efficiency standards, and ownership costs.
Under the CEFC Towards Net Zero Agriculture Strategy, if accessing a CEFC co-financiers loan program, you will need to confirm eligibility for an Electric and Energy Efficient Farm Vehicles FERP .
Primary emissions benefit:
- Avoided emissions through replacement of fossil fuels.
Co-benefits:
- Reduced fossil fuel costs
- Reduced reliance on fossil fuel price volatility
Potential barriers:
- Transition costs
- Engine power/torque and performance
- Suitable maintenance and servicing knowledge/services
Considerations:
- Fleet energy audit
- Vehicle selection
- Charging infrastructure
Implementation
Activities:
Replacement of existing diesel fleet with:
- Energy efficient tractors, headers, harvesters to replace
- Heavy vehicles (battery electric or fuel cell)
- Light vehicles (battery electric or fuel cells)
Equipping new fleet for:
- GPS Auto-Steer and/or Controlled traffic
- Precision or Variable Rate technologies
Monitoring:
- Proof of decommissioning of old fleet
- Proof of eligible purchases (invoices)
- Enterprise emissions baseline reporting
Stacking compatibility:
- Variable rate fertilisers
- Solar
The magnitude of benefit depends current and future fuel and energy demands, the electrification technologies used and how they are integrated into operations.