South Australian start-up Linttas Electric has revealed ambitious plans to make an electric combine harvester. The radical new approach is claimed to result in energy savings of up to 30%.
Linttas was set up by Malcolm Lucas (farmer and inventor who developed an electric version of an East German-built Fortschritt 5160 combine in 2008) and Terry Krieg (electrical engineer).
The new harvester the two men have in mind will initially be powered by a diesel engine mated to an electric generator, with potential to convert it to hydrogen power in the future.
The prototype has not yet been built, but at its heart will be a new grain separation process (patents pending). Known as Linear Threshing, Turbulent Air Separation (LINTTAS), it is claimed to result in faster and more efficient harvesting.
Suitable and adaptable for a full range of crop types and conditions (focus on beans, peas, wheat, canola, and lentils), each shaft is controlled by an electric motor.
Off-the-shelf components will be used where possible, and the company says that the electric technologies it has developed can be applied to a wide range of other agricultural machines.
The two men are currently seeking investors, and should the new combine make it to production it will be built in Australia.
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