Electrification of a Compact Agricultural Tractor: A Successful Case Study

The present work proposes a case study about the design and benchmarking of an off-road hybrid vehicle. A preexisting ICE-based platform is converted to a parallel hybrid by replacing the original engine with a downsized unit and by adding an electric motor. This investigation strives to demonstrate the benefits of the hybridization through simulations and factual realization of a prototype. Fuel consumption is assessed both in hybrid and full-electric modes. Moreover, realistic working scenarios are exploited to determine the advantages of the additional functionalities provided by this architecture, namely low speed motion, fine hydraulic pump control and prolonged indoor operation.