Case IH has successfully tested a two-row Autostoft 9000 sugar cane harvester in Brazil equipped with a modified FPT Cursor 13 that runs on ethanol.
Previewed as a prototype at the Agrishow 2024, the harvester was then subjected to the first field tests. By all accounts the results were positive. The performance and efficiency were comparable to those of the standard diesel version. CNH wants to test the machine in the field again this season and is also keen to develop other engines running on ethanol.
Brazil is one of the major producers of ethanol and the sugarcane harvester is the start of a project to develop a portfolio of ethanol-powered machines. “We believe that we will also have a high demand from the grain sector and our goal is to offer other options for ethanol-powered machines such as tractors, harvesters and sprayers,” explains Christian Gonzalez, vice president of Case IH for Latin America.
“Case IH has been investing for years in alternative propellants, and we have seen that ethanol is the best solution, especially for Brazil. It is a fuel produced by our customers and widely used in the country, and does not require new investments in infrastructure and logistics by producers.”
Ethanol as a fuel in agricultural machinery is not new in Brazil. Manufacturers including Valmet, Ford and Massey Ferguson developed tractors that ran on ethanol in the 1980s and 1990s.
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