Quote:
Originally Posted by Malewithatail
Modern large scale farming couldn't exist without self driving tractors, indeed, the operator has so much to do that he/she doesn't have the time to drive ! This is especially so when pulling a 48 row planter that digs the furrow, plants the seed, inoculates it and then covers it up in one pass.
And this could lead onto a comment re electric vehicles, especially tractors.
A modern broad-acre machine is rated at around 500/1000 hp, some even have 2 engines. Assume 400 kw, then the biggest Tesla battery pak is around 150 kwh, so would last 150/450 hours, or about 20 minutes, then u need another and another etc, for 23 hours per day during planting/harvest. Anyone see a problem with calling for electric everything ?
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All that is needed is a central battery bank and a long lead so no problem ..this is not a new idea ..for example I think that is the way they power the machines that tow huge ships thru the Panama Canal...the only problem is folk not thinking outside the box and remain stuck in a narrow minded attitude that things can't be done...I have heard you say that you believe all things are possible so why not all electric farm machinery..or is this one thing that is just not possible? The central battery bank can be charged by solar panels and wind generators and do away with the need to do things the old way.
Plus why not have an army of smaller machines rather than one single big unit...say 20 self drive machines each following a plotted course...as one runs out of power it returns to the central charging station for a recharge...multiple small investments not one huge one..down time for repair will never be a problem as you send the units needing repair or maintenance back to a central place that can now afford to employ experts...and the rest continue doing the job...
The fact is everything must change and we need to stop wasting fossil fuels for energy and save them to make all the important products that come from coal and oil...even though there seems like there is plenty of oil and coal it is finite and when world population trebles or more as it must do we are going to need much more fertilizer and nail polish remover...we need to prepare for a world of many fold more people...say 20 billion or more.
As international law becomes more recognised there will be less wars and conflict, that plus the better management of killer pandemics like covid 19 and our new ability to produce effective vaccines much faster, will all help to ensure population grows to the sort of level that we can work on colonizing other planets...at no point in history has the future of humanity been so wonderful and clearly things are just getting better and better....poverty and crime is dropping and everyone is far better off than ever before in history.
Clearly also the huge harvesters and seeders must be shelved as it is really a thing of the past and we need to move forward and find better ways to do such a simple job... why not go back to a man walking along and throwing seed out and trusting the universe to provide a good crop.
Farmers just want tractors so they can waste fuel engaging in the mindless pursuit of tractor pulling...now that their jobs are so easy they get bored and follow such mindless pursuits.
Alex