In August, Michigan farmers got to test drive an electric tractor. They gave input to Michigan State University researchers who have been working on a prototype.
Some believe it could be a fit for small-scale farming.
Chad Swindoll is a commercial row crop farmer and agricultural consultant in northwestern Mississippi in an area known as the Delta.
"I'm just not convinced we are not just better off just staying with conventional fuels. The advantage of electric motors is pretty apparent. You have instantaneous power. That part of it appeals to me. I think there's definitely heavy use applications for it. I think that's probably the one that I would favor is where the equipment has an onboard diesel generator and then uses electric motors."
He said the more remote the farm is, the less likely you are to have charging equipment handy or power requirements.
Swindoll said if electric tractors are eventually better, the market will adopt them.
He said right now he is skeptical about a plug-in tractor as the battery would add weight.
"To me it's not a matter of can it produce the power? I think the answer is 'yes.' It can produce the power, but when it's put under a load for a sustained period of time it just consumes, it depletes the batteries quickly. Just like a truck, hauling something when it's under a load, it's going to burn more fuel. There are downsides to that. The heavier a tractor is, the more compaction it's going to make in the field."
