Volkswagen Group Africa has officially started production of a modern electric tractor at its facility in Gashora, Rwanda in an effort to modernize less productive agricultural systems in Africa.
Part of Rwanda's massive GenFarm Project, the new VW tractor is part of a “total ecosystem” of electrified farming equipment for use in rural Africa – where liquid fossil fuels are often hard to come by like electricity. The goal is to provide equipment that is both sustainable and reliable.
“We are expanding our footprint in Africa and consider Rwanda an important market for growth. This project demonstrates our commitment to sustainable practices and highlights our ability to provide mobility solutions to the rural community in addition to the urban community currently served by our Volkswagen Mobility Solutions Rwanda business,” explains Martina Biene, Volkswagen Group Africa Chairman and Managing Director. “The GenFarm Project promotes technological innovation and is consistent with the Volkswagen Group's strategy to generate meaningful social and environmental benefits through sustainable mobility.”
The GenFarm project will eventually provide transportation services to transport goods and people. In June 2023, Volkswagen Group Africa signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government of Rwanda to provide land for the establishment of the GenFarm Project.
The Volkswagen tractor's electric motor produces 20 kW (about 27 hp), which puts it on par with the Solectrac product (which didn't do well in the US, it must be said). That car gets electrons from a 32 kWh replaceable battery. Batteries are exchanged/charged at the Empowerment Hub to minimize downtime. DC fast charging isn't available, but the small, replaceable batteries (hopefully) mean that's not much of an issue.
The GenFarm project hopes that VW's new electric tractor will help clean up Rwanda's agricultural sector, which currently accounts for 25% of the country's Gross Domestic Product.
Electrek's Take
We've talked a lot about the lack of young farmers in America, but the problem is global – especially as western companies, and western ideas about consumerism, continue to spread. Products like this VW electric tractor will make farming cleaner, quieter, and (hopefully) more attractive to young workers.
SOURCE | PHOTOS: VW Group Africa.
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