Hybrid Vehicles with Exportable Power for Community-Based Agriculture Mechanization

Although farm productivity in India has grown steadily over recent decades, crop yields are still just 30–60 percent of the best crop yields in many other countries. Agricultural productivity could be significantly boosted by creating more accessible agricultural machinery, and by providing a mobile energy source that runs on inexpensive renewables to meet multiple farm needs such as harvesting, cold storage, and transportation.

Motivo is developing a 'Swiss-Army Knife' system—the Hybrid Agriculture/Road Vehicles with Electricity Storage and Transformation (HARVEST)—that solves a wide range of agricultural mechanization and power-related problems. HARVEST is a multi-purpose platform that provides power for plowing, well-drilling, cold storage, and transporting crops to market. The system utilizes power from varied energy sources such as solar panels, wind turbines, micro-hydro turbines, or the grid to enable increased productivity all along the agriculture value chain. The entire system is operated at the community level, and facilitated by mobile communication technology for scheduling, billing, and payments.

Motivo’s HARVEST prototype is functional and undergoing testing in California. The prototype is being tested in small fields and nurseries. Upgrades are in progress to enhance functionality, and deployment to Indian farmers is imminent.