 | |
| Solectrac, Inc. | |
| Industry | Agricultural |
| Founded | 2012 |
| Founder | Stephen Heckeroth |
| Headquarters | Santa Rosa, California |
| Website | solectrac.com |
Solectrac is an American tractor manufacturer based in Santa Rosa, California. It manufactures electric tractors for agricultural uses. The tractors are made as a zero-emission alternative to diesel tractors and can be charged by renewable energy, like wind and solar, and provide all the power of a comparable diesel tractor. [1]
The company was established in 2012 by Stephen Heckeroth. On the first Earth Day in 1970, Steve began his journey toward addressing the negative effects of burning fossil fuels. [2] Then in 1990, encouraged by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) Zero Emissions Mandate, he turned his attention to transportation. [3] He then began designing and building various types of electric vehicles and in 1992 founded MendoMotive and Electrac. [4] [5]
In 1995, he was commissioned to build an experimental electric tractor for Ford and New Holland. [6] [7] The following year, Heckeroth was commissioned by a Japanese company (EFRIG) to build an electric tractor to be used in the critical processes of removing land mines left behind after wars. [8]
In 2012 he founded Solectrac LLC to take small farm electric tractors into commercial production. In 2013 Solectrac received a $500,000 grant from the Indian US Science and Technology Fund (IUSSTF) to develop four all-electric tractor prototypes. [9]
Ideanomics has a 100% stake in the company following an investment in 2020. [10]
As of June 2024, Solectrac has been shut down internally and is no longer functioning leaving customers with no support for their machines.[ citation needed ]
A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport freight, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame construction, with a cabin that is independent of the payload portion of the vehicle. Smaller varieties may be mechanically similar to some automobiles. Commercial trucks can be very large and powerful and may be configured to be mounted with specialized equipment, such as in the case of refuse trucks, fire trucks, concrete mixers, and suction excavators. In American English, a commercial vehicle without a trailer or other articulation is formally a "straight truck" while one designed specifically to pull a trailer is not a truck but a "tractor".
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