Kulan is an all-electric beast of burden (BBC)

[eppur_se_muova]

Ken Wysocky

Researchers in Germany want to commercialise an award-winning prototype of a small, electric-powered agricultural vehicle that, like the common ant, is capable of carrying much more than its own body weight.

Nicknamed the Kulan, the futuristic four-wheeled vehicle weighs about 660lbs – a quarter the weight of a small pickup truck. Yet the svelte, ATV-like vehicle can carry up to a tonne of cargo, says Marcus Knobloch, network manager for Poly-lab.net, a consortium of 14 German research, design and production companies and two research organisations, and the Kulan’s developer.

“Our aim is to show what agriculture might look like in 20 years,” Knobloch says of the Kulan, whose namesake is a donkey-like animal native to Asia, also known as the Asian wild ass.

“We decided to call our vehicle the Kulan because like the animal for which it’s named, it can carry large loads and is reliable,” he explains. “It’s not a car and not a tractor. It’s something in between – a little helper that can transport things a farmer needs on a small or medium-size farm, such as animal feed or harvested fruit. And since there is no noise or exhaust fumes, the Kulan doesn’t disturb farm animals.”

The Kulan is powered by a pair of 2kW electric motors, one in each rear-wheel hub. The motors receive power from 16 lithium-ion batteries, producing 48 volts total, located beneath the vehicle’s cargo platform; the batteries are rechargeable via any 220-volt electrical outlet. Because the vehicle is relatively light, it can travel up to 185 miles or operate for six hours, depending on variables such as cargo weight and temperature. Top speed? About 31mph.
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more: http://www.bbc.com/autos/story/20140819-farm-tractor-of-the-future

[OnlinePoker]

1. I wonder how it will work in muddy conditions?

When I lived in Germany in the 90's in the Rhine valley, there were roads running through the farm land that were primarily to be used for agriculture vehicles (bikes could use them as well). During the spring, the fields could get quite muddy. These would be good for hauling bedding plants or produce to and from the edge of the fields, but I don't know about actually into them. I'd have to see it in action.