UK-headquartered engineering consultancy Ricardo has signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Chinese commercial vehicle manufacturer Wuzheng to research and develop powertrains for electric tractors and agricultural machinery.

The companies will work together to investigate new technologies and more efficient powertrains for Wuzheng’s agricultural machinery equipment product range.

Ricardo’s global network of automotive engineers and energy transition specialists will support Wuzheng’s development of intelligent tractors and hybrid extended-range tractors. They will also provide technical consultancy on the integration of intelligent power shift transmissions and the development of hybrid extended-range transmission systems and power take-off mechanisms. The two companies will also look at the feasibility of cooperating on the development of automatic transmission products for agricultural machinery.

“Wuzheng has been an early pioneer of large-horsepower tractors in China and also in new energy commercial vehicle technology. We are excited about collaborating with Ricardo to provide products that consume less fuel and make operations faster and easier for our agricultural customers,” said Jiang Wenjuan, Wuzheng’s General Manager.

Source: Ricardo