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EP-4739520-A1 - ELECTRIC AGRICULTURAL TRACTOR

EP4739520A1EP 4739520 A1EP4739520 A1EP 4739520A1EP-4739520-A1

Abstract

The invention relates to an electric agricultural tractor (1) comprising a front axle (10) and a rear axle (20), a chassis (30) connected to said axles, at least one power auxiliary (40, 42), means for electrically driving the axles and the power auxiliary, said means being powered by an electric power supply battery (60), said tractor comprising electric drive means comprising respective independent electric drives (2a, 2b, 2c) of the front axle (10), the rear axle (20) and at least one power auxiliary (40, 42); a chassis (30) comprising a hollow body (31), said chassis (30) extending in a longitudinal direction; a structural electric power supply battery (60) extending in the hollow body of said chassis, the hollow body (31) defining a mechanical casing of said battery.

Inventors

  • RIVOAL, Arthur
  • CHAUVEAU, Jérôme
  • SHARPE, ANTHONY

Assignees

  • Seederal Technologies

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20240705

Claims (11)

  1. 1. Electric agricultural tractor (1) comprising a front axle (10) and a rear axle (20), a chassis (30) mechanically connected to said axles (10, 20), at least one power auxiliary (40, 42), means for electrically driving the axles (10, 20) and at least one power auxiliary (40, 42), said means being powered by an electrical power supply battery (60), said tractor (1) being characterized in that: said electric drive means comprise independent electric motors (2a, 2b, 2c) respectively of the front axle (10), of the rear axle (20) and of at least one power auxiliary (40, 42); said chassis (30) forms a hollow body (31) defining a space (33) having transverse walls (32a, 32b) including at least one perforated wall, said chassis (30) extending in a longitudinal direction; said power supply battery (60) is a structural battery forming an integral part of said chassis, said battery extending in said hollow body (31) of said chassis (30) and filling the space (33) defined by said hollow body (31), said hollow body (31) defining a mechanical envelope of said structural battery (60) so that the mechanical stresses applied to said chassis are partly supported by said battery (60).
  2. 2. Tractor according to claim 1, characterized in that the hollow body (31) further comprises a lower wall defining a base (31a) and an upper wall defining a ceiling (31b), said base (31a) and ceiling (31b) extending parallel opposite one another and being respectively formed by longitudinal angles (35a, 35b) connected by crosspieces (36).
  3. 3. Tractor according to claim 2, characterized in that the hollow body (31) is of parallelepiped shape and in that said longitudinal angles (35a, 35b) have ends integral with the transverse walls (32a, 32b).
  4. 4. Tractor according to claim 3, characterized in that the chassis (30) further comprises side plates (34a, 34b) integral with said base (31a).
  5. 5. Tractor according to claim 4, characterized in that said base (31a) of the hollow body (31) and said side plates (34a, 34b) further comprise a floor (70) having profiled crosspieces (71) on which said battery (60) is mounted.
  6. 6. Tractor according to one of claims 4 to 5, characterized in that the supply battery (60) further extends over the side plates (34a, 34b), said battery being in one piece.
  7. 7. Tractor according to one of claims 4 to 5, characterized in that the battery (60) further extends over the side plates (34a, 34b), said battery (60) being formed of a plurality of blocks, including a central block extending in the hollow body (31) and two side blocks arranged on the side plates (34a, 34b).
  8. 8. Tractor according to one of claims 6 or 7, characterized in that each side plate (34a, 34b) comprises vertical posts (37) arranged laterally against the hollow body (31) of the chassis (30), said posts (37) respectively comprising two ends (37a, 37b), with a first end, called the lower end (37a), connected to a corner (35a) of the base (31a), and a second end, called the upper end (37b), connected to a corner (35b) of the ceiling (31b).
  9. 9. Tractor according to claim 8, characterized in that the vertical posts (37) further comprise a strut (39) resting on at least a portion of the surface of a side plate (34a, 34b).
  10. 10. Tractor according to claim 9 characterized in that the chassis comprises removable mechanical connections connecting the upper end (37b) of a post (37) with a corner iron (35b) of the ceiling (31b).
  11. 11. Tractor according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the axles (10,20) are directional axles.

Description

DESCRIPTION TITLE OF THE INVENTION: ELECTRIC AGRICULTURAL TRACTOR Technical field of the invention The invention relates to an electric agricultural tractor. More particularly, the invention relates to a fully electric electric agricultural tractor whose energy needs are supplied by an electric power supply battery. Technological background In an agricultural context where work in the field has been greatly facilitated by the development of agricultural machinery, the use of thermal agricultural tractors, widely acclaimed by farmers, will now have to face the challenge of ecological transition. More environmentally friendly approaches tend to move away from the use of fossil fuels as the sole source of fuel, with more and more agricultural machinery being fitted with hybrid technology combining fossil fuel and electrical power. Most of these machines use a chassis with a classic load-bearing frame incorporating the “thermal engine - transmission shaft - gearbox” triad which has proven itself for over a century. Some agricultural concepts have been developed around fully electric operation. The vehicle is then powered by a battery attached to the tractor or by an additional structure installed on the latter. The thermal engine is thus replaced by an electric motor and a battery, but these concepts retain the classic transmission architecture which does not allow the integration of a sufficient battery volume. In addition, the retention of a traditional agricultural gearbox, designed for the operating speed of the diesel engine with numerous ranges and ratios, does not allow the wide operating range of the electric motor to be exploited by compared to a diesel engine, the latter having a much more restricted operating range. The energy demand of a fully electric agricultural tractor remains a limiting factor and the batteries offered do not allow it to compete with thermal tractors. Most of the proposed electrifications include additional structures added to the classic architecture of a tractor. These structures have the disadvantage of making the vehicle heavier, but they can also complicate the arrangement of the mechanical or hydraulic elements of the tractor. The electrification of agricultural tractors does not make it possible to significantly break with the traditional structure of thermal tractors while allowing the arrangement of a battery offering the best compromise between operating autonomy and tractor size. An electric agricultural machine must be able to have a large capacity and large volume battery in order to benefit from satisfactory autonomy, however adjustments in terms of weight and equipment must be necessary to compensate for the installation of this large battery because the classic layout of the tractor elements does not allow the space required to be optimized for the arrangement of a large volume battery. In addition, the agricultural tractor must meet specific and strict regulatory constraints that do not allow the chassis to be extended at will, to which are added constraints on maneuverability and vehicle height. The large volume layout must therefore not be to the detriment of the compactness of the agricultural vehicle. The prior art is known to document CN113752814 which describes a fully electric tractor with a battery arranged on the chassis and occupying the central space of the vehicle. However, this document describes a battery arranged and fixed on a support surmounting the chassis, which has the disadvantage of making the vehicle heavier. In addition, previous solutions in most cases retain the drive shafts between the gearbox, the power take-off (PTO), the front axle, the rear axle and the gearbox housings which are load-bearing and bulky elements of the central space of the tractor. There is therefore a need to provide a fully electric agricultural tractor capable of overcoming the above issues. Objectives of the invention The invention aims to provide an electric agricultural tractor with an architecture optimized for the integration of a large capacity battery. The invention also aims to provide, in at least one embodiment, an electric agricultural tractor capable of competing with a thermal agricultural tractor. The invention also aims to provide, in at least one embodiment, an electric agricultural tractor with a structure allowing simplified mounting of a long-range electric battery. The invention also aims to provide, in at least one embodiment, a compact electric agricultural tractor, freeing itself from the classic architecture of thermal tractors while being capable of withstanding the mechanical constraints inherent in its use. The invention also aims to provide, in at least one embodiment, an electric agricultural tractor offering a better compromise between size and battery life. The invention also aims to provide, in at least one embodiment, an electric agricultural tractor benefiting from better energy efficiency. The invention also aims to provide,