Biomethane-Run Tractor, One of the Stars at Italian Grape Harvest Festival

(CHN Industrial/NGV Journal) FPT Industrial was one of the stars at the Renaissance Grape Harvest Festival, held on September 10 & 11 in the splendid setting of the Fontanafredda estate (the historic winery founded by the first King of Italy in 1858) at Serralunga d’Alba (Cuneo, Italy). To add a special significance to an event already rich in appeal and atmosphere in its own right, this was the first zero-emissions Barolo harvest.

The grapes of the Vigna La Rosa cru, which yield a Barolo included in the Wine Spectator Top 100, were harvested with the aid of the first prototype New Holland TK Methane Power crawler vineyard tractor with biomethane-powered FPT Industrial F28 natural gas engine. Everyone attending the festival could enjoy a close-hand view of both the tractor and the engine.

“We are very proud of our partnership with Fontanafredda and to be working with them on this project, which brings together Italian products of excellence: Barolo wine, constantly rated one of the world’s best, and the leading-edge sustainable technology of our Italian-built engines,” said Carlo Moroni, Head of Communication at FPT Industrial. “While we wait for the first zero-emissions Fontanafredda Barolo to age in the wood so we can drink to this truly unique project – it will take about four years – I’d like to underline that our biomethane engines are available as of now, ready to reduce environmental impact not only in agriculture but also in short, medium and long-range transport applications.”

Recently named “Engine of the Year 2020” thanks to its modular, multi-propulsion approach, the FPT Industrial F28 engine, already at work at the Fontanafredda estate in its biomethane configuration, has a carbon footprint of zero, since the biomethane that powers the engine is not a fossil fuel, but is produced by the anaerobic digestion of agricultural waste.

Launched in February 2021, the partnership between FPT Industrial and Fontanafredda forms part of the Green Renaissance project, launched to promote best-practice grape cultivation with no environmental impact. The three-year partnership between is supported by the Piedmont Region’s Tobias Project with contributions from New Holland Agriculture, CNH Industrial and local businesses. READ MORE