John Deere is taking a bold step that could reshape the future of biofuels.
The company has unveiled a prototype 8R tractor powered by E98 ethanol instead of diesel, giving farmers the opportunity to fuel their equipment with a product made largely from the crops they grow.
Buddy Kavalier, Ethanol Awareness Champion for John Deere says, “We’ve been working with corn growers associations, growth energy and some other folks to be able to get these vehicles or tractors out running in the field. We’ve got a couple field trailers we’re using right now getting ethanol source from the ethanol producers. I will say the ethanol producers have definitely stepped up to the plate anytime we’ve needed fuel. Folks have pretty much jumped through hoops. And what I would say is we’ve got some things that we need to work out for customers to be able to get fuel to the farm and fuel to the field, but our ethanol industry is up to the task.
He says the 350-horsepower prototype delivers performance similar to its diesel counterpart while eliminating the need for diesel exhaust fluid, or DEF. Early field testing has produced positive results.
Kavalier continues, “We’ve had the two that we currently have in the field here this spring and we put quite a few hours on them, trying to get some of that early customer feedback and insight. Trying to gain a little perspective on the markets thoughts on trying to advance ethanol in large Ag.”
If the tractor eventually reaches commercial production, it could create an entirely new market for ethanol beyond highway vehicles. That means additional demand for corn, new opportunities for ethanol plants, and another way for agriculture to reduce its reliance on petroleum-based fuels.
“I think there’s a bright future for ethanol into heavy duty powered equipment,” Kavalier added.
The 8R prototype is just another example of innovation creating value from the farm gate to the fuel tank.
Check out the 8R Tractor here:
