In the world of tractors, the debate between diesel vs. electric is as lively as ever. Tractors are among a farm’s most important pieces of equipment and play a pivotal role in everything from growing crops to land management to dairy feed pushing. And they aren’t just limited to agricultural farms. Solar farms, municipalities, and even airports are weighing the pros and cons between a diesel tractor vs. electric tractor. Choosing the right tractor can make a difference in a farm’s growth and stability.
The number of variables in tractor selection has grown over the decades encompassing not just a tractor’s mechanical specifications and a farm’s work needs, but consumer demands as well. Increasingly, these demands reveal a consumer base that has become more discerning and engaged with how a farm runs its operations. It’s a lot to juggle and a simplified breakdown and comparison of different aspects of a diesel vs. electric tractor can help.
What Are the Key Features of Diesel-Powered Tractors?
With their high horsepower (HP), diesel tractors have been the de facto choice in the ag industry for nearly a century. They’re powerful and provide high torque, which is especially important with heavy-duty operations. Whether it’s plowing, tilling, or pulling heavy loads, diesel tractors have it covered. Their versatility makes them suitable for a wide range of agricultural tasks.
Another key factor of diesel-powered tractors is their longevity — with the right maintenance they can remain in service for a long time. That maintenance, however, is relatively involved and necessary on a regular basis, which can be an inconvenience. Replacement parts and filter changes add up, particularly over the lifetime of ownership. In fact, when it comes to total operating costs (TOC), the Iowa State University Extension’s Ag Cost Estimator, puts the TOC of a two-wheel drive diesel tractor averaging 400 hours per year over a 15-year estimated average lifespan at $50,000, not including fuel and lubrication costs. That’s a considerable chunk out of a budget.
Pros and Cons of Diesel Tractors
When it comes to choosing a tractor, understanding what you’re signing up for is key. Diesel tractors have their share of advantages and drawbacks.
Some of the main advantages of diesel-powered tractors include:
- Power Output. Diesel tractors are known for their power output, making them ideal for demanding agricultural tasks.
- Fuel Efficiency. Diesel tractors can be fuel efficient if they are operated and maintained properly.
- Durability. With attention to maintenance, a diesel tractor can be a long-term investment.
Conversely, diesel tractors have downsides that are important to keep in mind:
- Louder Operation and Higher Emissions. Diesel tractors are noisier during operation and emit toxic pollutants compared to electric models.
- Maintenance. A diesel-powered tractor’s durability hinges on its upkeep, which can be both expensive and time-consuming, particularly as the tractor ages. Farmers typically must wait for certified service providers to make on-site visits for repairs.
- Depreciating Asset with Ongoing Costs. It’s important to consider that aside from the work it performs, a diesel tractor does not provide any additional mechanism for saving money, and contributions to labor efficiencies and productivity are limited. Over time, not only do maintenance costs tend to increase, but there is also the ongoing expense of diesel fuel, which encompasses more than the price per gallon. Storage and delivery costs as well as regulatory compliance requirements add up. The latter is felt especially hard for those who must grapple with the Tier 4 emissions standards.
How Do Electric Tractors Differ from Diesel Tractors?
Electric tractors represent a significant shift in agricultural machinery, offering a different set of features and advantages compared to their diesel counterparts. There are several highlights that make electric tractors stand out in the diesel vs. electric tractor debate.
Electric Power Source
Unlike diesel tractors, electric tractors are powered by electricity. This fundamental difference in the power source leads to several other distinctive features.
Quieter & Cleaner
Electric tractors operate much more quietly and produce zero exhaust emissions. Not only are they safer for operators who don’t have to breathe in toxic pollutants, but zero emissions also translate into a higher quality crop. By not releasing emissions, EV tractors are playing a role in supporting cleaner air overall and decreased ground-level ozone. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) high-levels of ground-level ozone is linked to serious human health issues, acid rain, and damage to crops, trees, and other vegetation. For produce growers, especially vintners, an electric tractor does not coat grapes in a residue of carbon emissions, thus making for a more pure, higher quality wine.
Technological Edge
Electric tractor manufacturer, Monarch Tractor, has armed its MK-V, a 100% electric, driver-optional, and smart tractor, with advanced ag technology engineered to bring more value to a farmer’s equipment investment. Wingspan Ag Intelligence (WingspanAI), Monarch’s technology platform brings increased real-time and historic visibility to operations along with performance metrics for easy reporting, all of which collectively boost productivity while netting a farm valuable savings in time and money.
Maintenance
With fewer moving parts than diesel engines, electric tractors generally require less maintenance. This not only saves time but also reduces long-term upkeep costs. Monarch is the only EV tractor on the market whose software-enabled hardware makes over-the-air updates possible. Not only can issues be addressed remotely, but as new features and capabilities are developed, they are pushed into the tractor, essentially upgrading and improving it over time.
Instant Torque
Although diesel tractors have powerful torque, they require a “gearing up” period. Whereas electric motors can deliver the maximum torque instantly, which is advantageous in situations that require quick reactions.
That said, concerns with electric tractors do exist. These mainly center on:
- Battery Life. The battery life of electric tractors varies, so it’s important to know the details of the tractor you choose. Some manufacturers list 3-5 hours of run time. Monarch has paid particular attention to the MK-V’s battery power and it can last up to 14 hours under ideal conditions. However, battery life for electric tractors on any given day on any model is impacted by operational demands, farm type, and the implement used.
- Charging Time. While it’s often cited as a disadvantage, the refill time for batteries for electric tractors, especially those lasting a full workday like the MK-V, is not necessarily a setback. Farmers are charging these tractors overnight, ensuring they’re ready for a full day’s work with no lost time. Dairy farmers’ needs are a little different as they use a tractor to push feed 12-18 times per day. Dairy farmers who own an MK-V Dairy tractor report that they simply park the electric tractor next to its charger in between feed pushing and its ready to go each time, even for near round-the-clock hourly feeding schedules.
- Higher Upfront Costs. Electric tractors can have higher initial costs, partly due to the research and development involved in electric vehicle technology. Those outfitted with additional money-saving technological features will command a higher price. However, while the initial price is higher in an EV tractor, the ongoing and compounding ROI can provide full payback for the tractor in just a handful of years. When paired with financial incentives, the payback period is shortened even more.
How Do Diesel vs. Electric Tractors Compare in Terms of Efficiency and Productivity?
When it comes to efficiency and productivity, both diesel and electric tractors have their strong suits, but shine in different aspects.
Power & Energy
Diesel tractors are known for their power, particularly in heavy-duty tasks. They offer high energy density, which translates to long work periods — essential for large-scale farming operations with massive tractors that you see in row crops like corn, wheat, and soy.
Electric tractors, in comparison, convert energy into motion more efficiently and generate less heat. The by-wire system (a system controlled electronically rather than mechanically) in an EV tractor also allows it to more quickly switch the power distribution between the drivetrain, hydraulic, and PTO for better responsiveness than a diesel. The MK-V provides an example of furthering efficiency by using an engine that keeps the tractor’s PTO running continuously at 40 HP with an additional 30 HP available for the drive and hydraulic system for when the tractor needs it, making the MK-V a 40-70 HP tractor.
Upskilling Labor
Efficiency and productivity are elevated in another way – improving an operator’s skill and precision with self-driving operations. Specifically, with autosteer. Autosteer is a type of self-driving technology that has been available in the massive diesel-powered tractors used in row crops since 1996. Monarch is the first and as of 2024, the only EV manufacturer to successfully put autosteer functionality into a compact electric tractor with its Row Follow feature, which was released in 2023. The significance of this cannot be overemphasized.
With autosteer, a tractor takes over the driving and follows a precise path leaving the operator free to manage the implement while sitting in the driver’s seat. Typically, at the end of each row, the operator manually deactivates the autosteer, makes a U-turn, then reactivates the feature upon entering a new row. Improved precision and making the job easier for an operator who must navigate hundreds of acres of fields has helped large industrial farms save both time and money.
Until Monarch’s Row Follow, specialty farms growing nutrient-rich foods like grapes, fruits, and berries lacked access to the advantages that autosteer afforded large industrial farms. The high cost and impracticality of deploying large machinery in smaller rows excluded them from this technology. Without the advantage of autosteer in a specialty farm, tractor operators must navigate tight rows with heightened awareness, especially because the value of an individual tree or vine can be worth thousands of dollars. It’s stressful work and requires skilled operators. A tight labor market for experienced operators compounds the challenge.
By bringing autosteer to a technologically advanced, electric, compact tractor that works in a specialty farm’s narrow spaces, farmers can layer the benefits of diesel savings with additional, valuable gains:
- Reduced Collision Rates. Combining advanced camera technology with AI and machine learning, the MK-V automatically keeps the tractor perfectly centered as it moves down the row, helping keep high-value crops and infrastructure safe from expensive collision damage.
- Lower Stress and Fatigue. Outsourcing accurate driving to the MK-V lets a tractor operator focus entirely on the task at hand, reducing the need to multi-task and lowering the chronic stress of potentially damaging an expensive plant or farm infrastructure.
- Enhanced Labor. Supplementing operations with a self-driving feature like autosteer sharpens precision and enhances the skill set of even an entry-level operator.
Mobile Power Wall
Home and farm power walls have become increasingly popular as a way to provide backup power. Because an electric tractor is a battery-powered tractor, it can be designed as an energy storage device, which is exactly what Monarch’s engineers have accomplished. The MK-V works at the edge of the grid, acting as a mobile power wall, bringing convenient energy to tools and machinery located in remote places on a farm or property. It’s a refreshing alternative to cumbersome diesel generator which is notorious for its noise and fumes. If a farm or land manager’s utility provider practices tiered power pricing, the MK-V can be charged during the window in which the lowest rates are offered, typically overnight, then use that lower cost energy to power other tools or work the fields. In fact, Monarch is part of an alliance deploying EV charging technology to respond to dynamic grid signals in California.
Sustainability for Profitability with Regenerative Ag & Regenerative Dairy
Diesel tractors have long been the backbone of farming operations. However, their environmental footprint is significant — diesel engines emit a range of toxic pollutants, including nitrogen oxides, particulate matter, and carbon dioxide, which contribute to air pollution, acid rain, and ground-level ozone.
In contrast, electric tractors represent a paradigm shift. Today’s consumers want to be included in solving some of the world’s biggest environmental issues — a broken food network, vulnerability to extreme weather, water insecurity, toxic algae blooms, pollinator population crashes, declining topsoil, and the list goes on. Consequently, they are increasingly more vocal and discerning about their preference for food sourced from farms practicing organic and regenerative agriculture and regenerative dairy methods.
Organic certifications are one way farmers and buyers are communicating the quality and transparency consumers seek. Compliance with organic certification means a farm cannot use herbicides to manage weeds and is faced with making more passes with a mower. This, in turn, translates into purchasing and burning through more diesel. An electric tractor eliminates this dilemma. And without herbicides, a farm’s soil has an opportunity to restore itself and slowly build up its organic matter content and micro biodiversity, giving it the ability to hold more moisture and nutrients. In dairies, farmers can push more feed to their cows, which studies have shown increases milk production, all without additional cost of diesel fuel and the resulting emissions.
Sustainability also carries a financial element. Can a farm stay in business for the next generation? Being empowered to take care of the soil and water, farmers can make their farms more resilient in the face of extreme weather and wildfires. Relying less on external inputs like diesel and agricultural petrochemicals also strengthens a farm’s independence and resilience to outside market pressures that impact the cost of fuel, fertilizers, and herbicides.
The Future of Farming with Electric Tractors
Despite being a relative newcomer to the ag industry, the electric tractor market is expected to reach $234 million by 2028, more than doubling its value of $98.7 million in 2022. As of September 2024, Monarch’s customers have put more than 50,000 hours of usage on their MK-V tractors. The demand for electric tractors represents a fundamental shift toward more profitable and smart farming practices. Electric tractors are in the fields now, nurturing a future where farms can be both productive and environmentally friendly, ensuring the health of the land and its inhabitants for generations to come.
References:
“Diesel Exhaust/Diesel Particulate Matter.” Occupation Safety and Health Administration: https://www.osha.gov/sites/default/files/publications/OSHA-3590.pdf
“Electricity - Fuel Economy.” Fuel Economy.gov. Retrieved from: https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/electricity.shtml
