Electrifying Agriculture: A Sub-National Roadmap for the Adoption of Electric Tractors

Mechanization has played a crucial role in increasing agricultural productivity, with tractors forming the backbone of farm mechanization. The transition to Electric Tractors presents a sustainable alternative to diesel powered machinery, reducing emissions and operational costs in the agriculture sector. With agriculture contributing 18.4% to India’s emissions and tractors consuming 7.4% of annual diesel, electrification offers economic and environmental benefits.

India Smart Grid Forum (ISGF) conducted a Feasibility Study on Electrifying Agriculture: A

Sub-National Roadmap for the Adoption of Electric Tractors in the State of Maharashtra. This study focused on Maharashtra state in India, analyzing its agricultural landscape, tractor usage, and mechanization trends. This paper presents a roadmap for the adoption of electric tractors (E-Tractors) to decarbonize agricultural operations in Maharashtra, aligning with national sustainability goals. The study also aims to identify feasible districts for E-Tractor deployment in Maharashtra, develop strategies to overcome financial, technical, and awareness barriers to adoption, build ecosystem readiness by engaging stakeholders such as governments, manufacturers, energy providers, and financial institutions, and evaluate environmental and economic impacts, including reductions in emissions and operational costs.

A cost-benefit analysis indicated that E-Tractors have a lower total cost of ownership than diesel tractors over their lifecycle. To accelerate E-Tractor deployment, several measures are recommended, including enhancing state and central government incentives, providing lowinterest financing options for farmers, expanding EV charging networks in rural areas, conducting feasibility pilots to demonstrate E-Tractor benefits, and exploring leasing and payper-use business models for affordability.

A robust infrastructure ecosystem is crucial for large-scale E-Tractor adoption. Key enablers include the expansion of EV charging infrastructure in rural Maharashtra, solarization of agricultural feeders to utilize solar power for charging E-Tractors, integration of cold chain facilities to enhance post-harvest logistics, and the adoption of Vehicle to Home (V2H) and

Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) technologies to utilize tractor batteries for energy storage and grid stabilization.

Policy recommendations include government incentives, financing models, and scalable pilot projects. Addressing policy, infrastructure, and financial barriers, this paper provides a strategic framework to support India's sustainable agriculture transition and rural economic growth.