LINTTAS Electric is a start-up company in South Australia. They have the ambitious plan to introduce an electric combine harvester. To make this possible, LINTTAS searches for investors. If they manage to start commercial production, the company will change the industry approach to ag machinery.
Using an innovative grain separation processes, the new harvester will enable faster and more efficient grain harvesting, with lower energy consumption and lower costs, using electrification. It is a first step in implementing change in machinery design and in delivery of machinery to farm operators.
“Our aim in this initial phase is to engage with investors, government, potential partners and industry stakeholders to understand how best to maximize the future benefits for agriculture and industry and to influence future policy development” says co-founder Terry Krieg of LINTTAS. “This is a major step forward. If we don’t take that now, it will be adopted by others.”
The LINTTAS harvester is a radical new approach, with efficiency and energy savings of up to 30% and with design features that can be applied across the agricultural machinery sector, according to the company management. The new design uses electric drives, to both achieve high performance but also substantially reduce the carbon footprint.
Off-the-shelf components
Where possible, the LINTTAS harvester uses off-the-shelf components. Terry Krieg : “The goal of our company is to develop and manufacture the first fully electric combine harvester and adopt the latest technologies with performance and price that is competitive in the Australian and global market. Secondly, we want to apply this technology to other agricultural machines to re-align the agricultural machinery sector.”
The electric harvester uses the latest technologies to maximize yield with reduced operating and whole-of-life costs. The machine will be energy efficient with a minimized whole of life carbon footprint.
It uses machine learning (or Artificial Intelligence) to optimize the threshing or grain separation process in real time. The new harvester will be suitable and adaptable for a full range of crop types and conditions, easily updated, and designed to be easily repairable. It can also be adjusted for different parts of the crop to take account for moisture level changes and variable yields.
“Every shaft is controlled by an electric motor where we can vary the speed to get it to the optimal speed we want depending on crop conditions or the type of crop”, says Terry.
The LINTTAS is a conventional machine that’s using linear flow and turbulent air to help separate the grain in the threshing process. “By doing that we can save about 30 per cent of the energy typically used.”, says Terry Krieg.
LINTTAS aims to engage with potential investors and relevant stakeholders in government and industry and establish compatible strategic partnerships.
Terry Krieg: “The LINTTAS electric harvester is a radical new approach in ag machinery, with efficiency and energy savings of up to 30%.”
