Importer Hissink of Oeken, Gelderland, is introducing the Rigitrac SKE 40 Electric to the Dutch market. Announced in 2020, the Swiss tractor was designed as an electric machine from the start rather than converted from a diesel model, which the manufacturer says cuts energy losses in the driveline and lengthens working time per battery charge.

The difference, according to Hissink, lies mainly in the driveline. Tractors converted from diesel keep their transmission parts and hydraulic components; Rigitrac began with a completely new design for the SKE 40. It did keep mechanical axles: one electric motor drives the front and rear axles through a distribution mechanism, with two speed ranges, one up to 25 km/h and one up to 40 km/h.

The hydraulics have their own electric motor, so the pump runs only when hydraulic power is needed, and the PTOs are driven separately by electric motors as well. Limiting those losses, Hissink says, is what makes the stated operating time of four to six hours possible, including with a mower or another implement attached.

The SKE 40 Electric is now in series production, and one unit is already working in the Netherlands. The tractor can be ordered without attachments from a starting price of €190,000, and the importer is offering demonstrations. It will also be on show at the ATH mechanisation fair in Biddinghuizen from 16 to 19 September.

Source: Future Farming