Electric Tractor vs Diesel Tractor vs CNG Tractor- Know The Differences That Matter

15 Dec, 2023

With the help of this blog, we’re going to explain the Electric Tractor vs. Diesel Tractor vs CNG tractors so that farmers can decide which type of tractor is best for them. 

Electric Tractors - What Are They and How They Work?

Let’s start with knowing what electric tractors are. These tractors are powered by electricity. Instead of a diesel engine, they use a lithium-operated battery. These batteries are rechargeable and vary in capacity and size.

Farmers have to charge the batteries once they’re exhausted completely. These tractors are charged using power sources on any standard electric outlets. 

Electric Tractors Advantages:

Currently, the sales and demand for electric tractors have significantly increased because these tractors offer a wide range of benefits over traditional tractors. 

1. They help us save the environment 

With no diesel combustion and emission of harmful gasses, electric tractors cause no air pollution. 
The battery-operated tractors also generate less noise during their operations. Hence, noise pollution is also controlled.

2. They are pocket-friendly 

The initial electric tractor price in India may not be less than that of the CNG tractor price in India or diesel tractor price in India but they become pocket-friendly in the long run.

Charging the batteries of an electric tractor is cheaper than using CNG and diesel.

3. They are easy to use 

An electric tractor doesn't require heavy equipment set-up and can be charged from your home. For example, Sonalika’s Tiger Electric tractor hardly takes 10 hours to be fully charged using a regular charging socket and only 4 hours if you’re using a fast charging system.

4. They reduce the fossil fuel resources dependency 

With growing consumption, we’re anticipating the complete exhaustion of fossil fuel resources like coal, diesel, and petrol. But, with an electric tractor in India, we can tap into renewable energy sources like solar or wind power. This is a more sustainable and cost-effective approach to farming.

Electric Tractors Challenges:

While electric tractors come with so many benefits, they do have some evident challenges. For instance: 

• Not many options are currently available in India. 

• The availability of charging infrastructure is not as strong as it should be. 

• The upfront electric tractor price in India, including the cost of batteries, can be higher than traditional tractors.

• Over time, the performance of batteries can degrade, leading to reduced range and efficiency. 

Diesel Tractor- What Are They and How They Work? 

Diesel tractors are traditional tractors. They have a diesel engine that uses diesel for internal combustion. These engines operate on the principle of compression ignition, where air is compressed in the combustion chamber, and fuel is injected, leading to spontaneous ignition.

Diesel Tractors Advantages:

Here is why a diesel tractor in India is the first choice of many farmers. 

• Diesel engines provide high torque and a high HP range. We have tractors with an HP range between 10-120 HP. Hence, farmers have many options to choose from. Whether they are small-scale farmers or commercial farmers. 

• A diesel tractor for sale is strong, can do the heavy lifting, and can last for years.  

• It can work with heavy implements like ploughs, mowers, harvesters, mulchers, and so on. 

• A diesel tractor in India is easily available and doesn't require any infrastructure for continual usage. 

Diesel Tractors Challenges:

Despite these benefits, a diesel tractor for sale has certain challenges: 

• It emits harmful pollutants like nitrogen oxides and particulate matter that lead to air pollution. 

• A diesel tractor in India is more noisy and vibrating. 

• It is dependent on fossil fuels that are available in limited quantities. 

• Diesel tractor price in India is high and they demand high maintenance costs. 

CNG Tractor- What Are They And How They Work?

A CNG tractor is powered by compressed natural gas (CNG) engines. It uses natural gas for combustion. The gas is stored in high-pressure tanks and a spark ignition is used to ignite the gas. Recently, India's first CNG tractor was launched by Nitin Gadkari. 

CNG Tractors Advantages:

• A CNG tractor produces lower levels of greenhouse gasses (CO2) and pollutants like nitrogen oxides (NOx) compared to diesel engines. 

• CNG tractor price in India is less as compared to diesel tractor price in India. 

• As CNG gas is often domestically abundant, it reduces the dependency on imported fuels. 

• CNG engines are quieter than diesel engines. Hence, noise pollution is less as compared to diesel engines. 

• CNG can be derived from renewable sources like biomethane or biogas. 

CNG Tractors Challenges:

Using CNG tractors is not a challenge-free task because: 

• India doesn't have many CNG tractor models to offer. There is not enough advancement available in the country for this type of tractor. 

• CNG tractors may have a shorter range compared to diesel counterparts, and the storage of compressed gas requires high-pressure tanks. This way, CNG tractors will have more weight. 

• Natural gas has a lower energy density than diesel. Hence, the CNG tractors will have low efficiency and performance as compared to diesel engines.  

Electric Tractor vs Diesel Tractor vs CNG Tractor:- Comparative Analysis

Now that the basic meaning, advantages, and challenges of electric, diesel, and CNG tractors are clear, let’s do a head–to–head comparison.

 Future Trends 

• The use of precision agriculture technology in diesel tractors is on the rise as it helps farmers manage crops and resources effectively. 

• Farmers can experience the introduction of high-tech GPS-enabled tractors for boosting crop yields in a diesel tractor. 

• An electric tractor in India will have more transmission, low-noise powertrain, and up to 90% more efficiency in the future. 

• In the future, we can see electric tractors with AI and ML technologies. With the help of these technologies, electric tractors will be able to collect real-time data that farmers can use to identify performance issues. 

• The first CNG tractor in India will reduce emissions by 70% as compared to diesel tractors in India. 

• The CNG tractor will have up to 3.5db lower noise levels as compared to the diesel tractor. This will decrease the noise pollution in the future. 

Conclusion

For farmers, buying a tractor is an investment. This is why they have to make a wise decision on this front. They have to consider the purchase expenses, usage expenses, and capabilities of the tractor before taking a call.

With this post, we clarified the key differences between CNG, electric, and diesel tractors. To learn about the leading models from this category, you can check out the listing at TractorGyan. Here, you will get detailed information related to tractor, tractor prices, tractor warranty, and other aspects so that you make a wise move.