Autonomous Tractor Corp., the company that designeda driverless tractor named Spirit, has just released a drivetrainpackage that lets you turn your current tractor into a diesel electrichybrid, capable of autonomous control.

The product is called eDrive, a diesel-electric powertrain that replaces the traditional setup of a transmission, differential and axles. Kraig Schulz, ATC’s president and CEO, sayseDrive is the only aftermarket diesel-electric powertrain replacement package designed specifically for tractors.

So, why would you want a diesel-electric hybrid? A bigreason is savings, says ATC’s founder, Terry Anderson.

“The farm economy is down, so new, expensive tractors are often not in the budget,” Anderson says. “Conventional cabs and frames have a long life. They are sitting in fields, yards and junkyards all over the place. They can be retrofitted.”

He says farmers can overhaul their tractors with eDrive for half the price of what they’d spend on a new tractor. The kit weighs less than a traditional powertrain, which can reduce soil compaction and increase fuel economy by 15% to 20%.ATC can do the retrofit. Servicing or repairs can be done by the farmer in about 45 minutes, Schulz says. Visit autonomoustractor.com for more information.

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