Drive for the electric farm loader eHoftrac from Weidemann

A Pioneer among Utility Vehicles
The electric farm loader eHoftrac from Weidemann with drive technology from Linde

Sustainable and Multi-Talented

E-mobility is on the rise across the world. The technology is mainly used for commercial applications, where its use enables the costs, sustainability and efficiency to be reconciled. With the eHoftrac, utility vehicle manufacturer Weidemann developed a prototype of a farm loader as early as 2013 with the help of drive technology from Linde eMotion. It was the first ever fully electric utility vehicle and subsequently went into series production.

This meant that a wide range of industries now had access to this especially flexible version of the “tractor’s little brother.” From transport tasks in agriculture and forestry to earthmoving work in construction through to street and sidewalk cleaning in municipalities. For the drive, Weidemann opted for Linde components and software, in order to meet the performance requirements for these work-intensive applications.

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The eHoftrac in use in agriculture

Quiet, clean and powerful

A central concern when developing the eHoftrac was to sustainably reduce the emissions in agriculture. The noise level also needed to be kept as low as possible in order to enable more species-appropriate usage, primarily in zoos and other animal-keeping settings. But there was another challenge for the team from Linde eMotion: The electric farm loader needed to deliver the same performance as a conventional vehicle with combustion engine, while remaining in a similar price range.

These requirements have produced some technical challenges. The electric motors have to be adapted in the existing compact installation space for diesel engines while still providing the same performance.

Jan Prechel, Farm Loader Project Manager at Weidemann

Proven Forklift Truck Solution Impresses

Following a comparison of different providers, Weidemann was ultimately won over by Linde’s eMotion solution and a prototype was constructed with the help of the proven Linde forklift truck drive components: The drive motor and inverter are taken from a reach truck and the pump motor is from the standard Linde electric forklift truck series. The software is also from Linde and just needed to be adapted to the range of services required for a farm loader.

Energy as Required

A standard 48-volt lead battery from the forklift market was used. For vehicles of this kind, however, all Linde energy options are possible, from high-efficiency lithium-ion batteries through to modern fuel cells.

The eHoftrac in use in a stable

Into Production in No Time

With the proven drive and software solutions as well as the expertise of Linde eMotion, developing a prototype is just as quick as turning it into a product ready for series production. The eHoftrac is a textbook example of how Linde drive systems contribute to innovations in a wide range of applications.

Further application examples

From forklifts to the perfect electric kart

eMotion worked together with renowned racing and rental kart manufacturer CRG to develop the electric kart E-DRENALINE, starting with a prototype model.

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Futuristic Technology for Clean Cities

For the urban and business environment, you need compact cleaning vehicles with as few emissions as possible. Val'Air has opted for Linde eMotion solutions for its prototype development activities.

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21st Century Railroad Cars

Based on Zwiehoff’s specifications, Linde eMotion developed the road/rail shunters ROTRAC E2 and E4. The complete electric drive technology is from Linde Material Handling.

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The eco-hero for megacities

With the Peace, the Korean manufacturer Power Plaza has developed a compact, emission-free truck for the world’s major cities. Linde’s drive technology has created a powerful and yet affordable vehicle.

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The Green Freight Loader

The Laweco Cargo Master CML7 Green Line container loader is based on the systems expertise and an electro-hydraulic drive concept from Linde Material Handling. The result is significant cost savings and no emissions.

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Are you thinking about switching your forklift truck to an electric drive? Great, then we look forward to hearing from you!

Linde-eMotion-Wolfgang_Kluepfel-Head_of_eMotion-01_16_9
Head of Linde eMotion

Wolfgang Klüpfel

Linde-eMotion-Sandra_Hans-application_engineer-02_16_9
Applications Engineer Linde eMotion

Sandra Hans