X

Zero emission fuel-cell tractor coming to U.S.

The world's farms may get a little greener with the introduction of hydrogen-fueled tractors that emit only heat, vapor, and water.

Liane Yvkoff
Liane Yvkoff is a freelance writer who blogs about cars for CNET Car Tech. E-mail Liane.
Liane Yvkoff

The world's farms may get a little greener with the introduction of hydrogen-fueled tractors that emit only heat, vapor, and water.

New Holland announced that its NH2 tractor prototype will appear at the 2010 Farm Progress Show in Boone, Iowa, on August 31. The NH2 uses fuel cells to convert compressed hydrogen to energy that powers the 106 hp tractor's motor.

The company manufactures a wide range of agricultural equipment and sees farms as the ideal candidate for this technology. Many have enough land to build alternative energy generators, such as wind and solar energy, that can be used to create hydrogen in an environmentally friendly manner, and it will also help farmers reduce their cost of purchasing fossil fuel, according to the company.