Key Technology Analysis and Research Review of Electric Tractors

Abstract

With agriculture moving toward green and intelligent development, electric tractors offer reduced emissions, lower noise, and decreased energy consumption, along with high energy efficiency, flexible power control, and compatibility with autonomous technologies. Existing studies often focus on isolated subsystems, lacking a holistic view of interactions among drive configurations, control strategies, energy storage, and operating conditions. This paper systematically reviews key technologies of electric tractors, including drive system configurations, control strategies, energy storage devices and management, and autonomous driving. Comparative analyses of single-motor, dual-motor, and distributed-motor drives, torque and disturbance control strategies, and energy systems such as lithium batteries, supercapacitors, and fuel cells are presented. Advances in perception, positioning, path planning, and steering for autonomous operation are discussed. Finally, technical challenges and future trends, such as system-level integration, adaptability to complex environments, and trade-offs among endurance, cost, and reliability, are highlighted, providing insights for design, optimization, and large-scale deployment.