World’s first ammonia-powered zero-emissions tractor starts testing

Enlarge / This John Deere tractor uses Amogy's "ammonia to power" zero-emissions system. (credit: Bryan Banducci)

The world's first ammonia-powered zero-emissions tractor successfully completed its first demonstration run at the Advanced Energy Center at Stony Brook University in New York last week. The midsized John Deere tractor had its diesel engine replaced with an "ammonia to power" system developed by a startup called Amogy. The system converts the energy-dense chemical into hydrogen, which then powers a 100 kW hydrogen fuel cell.

Although most EV coverage is devoted to consumer-oriented passenger cars and light trucks, medium- and heavy-duty vehicles represent more than a quarter of US vehicle emissions and are important targets for decarbonization. The low-energy density of batteries and their long charging times make fuel cells an attractive zero-emissions solution, and we've looked at the potential uses for hydrogen fuel cells in trains, trucking, and mining in the past.

But even the greenest hydrogen still isn't very energy-dense, and outside of California, there's little hydrogen infrastructure to rely upon.

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