The New Holland T7 Methane Power LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) tractor is fully powered by cow dung, which is very convenient if you live on a cattle farm and also need to use a tractor.
The tractor, which was created by the Cornish company Bennamann, was just unveiled at an event in the U.S.
I'll let the guys over at Study Finds explain how the tractor works:
The pioneering 270bhp tractor runs on fuel captured from farmyard manure and is said to match the performance of standard diesel-powered versions. It works by collecting waste by-products from a herd as small as 100 cows into a biomethane storage units based on the farm.
The gas – known as fugitive methane – is then treated, compressed and turned into the low emission fuel. A cryogenic tank fitted on the tractor keeps the methane in liquid form at -162 degrees giving the vehicle as much power as a diesel but with significant emission savings.
In recent years we've seen cows get a lot of flack for their bodily functions and methane emissions, some countries even taxing food producers for it.
But when this tractor was tested on a farm in Cornwall, in the year the tractor was used, the farm's carbon dioxide emissions were cut to a fifth of what they were the previous year.
All those climate activists out there have been blaming cows for their emission problems when they could have been working with the cows to find a solution. Shame on them.
Mark Duddridge, Chair of the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership, said of the innovation,
Biomethane has huge potential. If we can make our agriculture industry energy-independent in the face of soaring input costs and volatile energy prices, while reducing emissions, then we can provide a huge economic boost for rural communities, greater food security, and move towards net zero. These applications are not limited to agriculture or Cornwall. They are global.
Say what you will about climate change and all the hysteria that goes with it, but innovation is a great thing. Who doesn't like greater food security and a more cost-effective industry?
Not to mention less hating on cows. Cows are awesome.
