Abstract
Purpose The use of diesel fuel in global agriculture causes over 40 megatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents every year, highlighting the need for more sustainable alternatives. While electrification and automation of agricultural machinery represent promising pathways for sustainable farming, their environmental performance remains underrepresented. This study investigates whether electrification and automation of large agricultural machinery, both individually and in combination, can reduce the environmental footprint of agriculture. Method A cradle-to-grave life cycle assessment evaluates four tractor configurations: diesel and electric tractors, each with manual and autonomous operation. The analysis covers the manufacturing, maintenance, use, and end-of-life (EoL) phases over a 15-year lifetime and applies the Environmental Footprint 3.1. method, assessing 16 impact categories. In the use phase, different farm sizes and operating speed scenarios are analysed across the field activities of ploughing, sowing, and spraying. The analysis focuses on the 100-year global warming potential (GWP) to assess the effects on climate change. Results Electric tractors can reduce GWP by 56–57% over the entire lifetime, despite substantially higher manufacturing burden. Autonomous operation can provide a further 4–7% reduction in GWP across all scenarios. For operations with high draft force, a reduction in operating speed from 7 km/h to 3 km/h can decrease GWP by 11% per hectare, while extending the cultivated area per battery charge by 18%. The environmental benefits of electrification and automation become most apparent when operated with electricity generated from renewable energy sources at high utilisation rates, to offset the environmental burden from manufacturing and EoL treatment. Conclusion The electrification and automation of large agricultural machinery offer high potential to transform the environmental profile of agriculture, particularly for contractors and large landowners. Ongoing decarbonisation of electricity supply and advances in battery technology will further reduce GWP in the future. Taken together, electrification and automation can become complementary enablers for a more sustainable agricultural sector.