Massey Ferguson hydrogen ICE tractor due in 2026, says AGCO
A hydrogen combustion Massey Ferguson tractor is in development and scheduled to arrive by 2026, according to AGCO, which is leading a new French consortium tasked with building the hydrogen tank to go with it.
The group, rather grandly named ARHYSTOTE, has received €4.4 million in public funding through France 2030, with support from ADEME, the country’s ecological transition agency.
AGCO’s engineering team in Beauvais is coordinating the project, alongside technical partners Cetim, IPC, RAIGI, IFTH, and smart materials firm OliKrom.
It’s a distinctly French affair – with most of the research and development being handled by national technical institutes and innovation centres, aligned with France’s wider ambitions to build domestic hydrogen capability through the France 2030 programme.
AGCO says the tank under development is a “smart” high-pressure hydrogen storage system built from thermoplastic composites, designed specifically for off-road vehicles – tractors, to you and me.
It’s being developed to fit within the tight packaging constraints of a Massey Ferguson tractor chassis, with the goal of making it both safe and viable for use in the field.
A hydrogen combustion engine, not a fuel cell
Unlike many other hydrogen vehicle projects, this one isn’t about fuel cells. AGCO is going the combustion route, developing a hydrogen-capable engine through its AGCO Power division in Nokia, Finland (the spiritual home of long-lasting and tough-to-break items).
The demonstrator tractor will be based on a conventional mid-horsepower Fergie platform, with the new hydrogen tanks tucked beneath the cab and most of the rest left alone.
Frédéric Cavoleau, Vice President of Engineering at AGCO’s Beauvais site, said the approach keeps costs down and shortens the path to production.
“The cooling, transmission and hydraulic systems are similar to those used in diesel engines” he said, adding that the new hydrogen tanks will integrate into existing architecture with minimal fuss.
The project will move through eight stages, including tank analysis, design, manufacture and early testing, with the aim of proving feasibility and setting ‘a clear route to industrialisation’.
What’s in the tank?
The full lineup of contributors includes several French research and industry bodies with very specific areas of expertise.
Cetim is working on materials and tank design. IPC is responsible for developing sustainable thermoplastic liners – possibly using recycled materials – and RAIGI is providing the internal hydrogen liners.
IFTH is spinning functional threads with integrated sensors and pigments – clever little thermoplastic fibres that can act as hydrogen detectors or structural monitors. The sort of smart textile more often seen in technical clothing is now finding a home in pressure vessels.
OliKrom is developing colour-shifting materials that react to hydrogen or shock – designed to give operators a visible warning if the tank’s been compromised.
The firm’s coatings are already used in aerospace and construction, but its job here is for the tank to tell you if something’s gone really rather wrong.
Straightforward and dependable hydrogen
Thierry Lhotte, Vice-President and Managing Director at Massey Ferguson Europe & Middle East, said the tractor is part of AGCO’s wider commitment to “reducing our operations’ as well as our farmers’ environmental footprint”.
He added that hydrogen is particularly well suited to off-road applications like mid-horsepower tractors, which often need long runtimes, reliable power, and minimal infrastructure to keep working.
That point, at least, is hard to argue with. Battery-electric tractors might make sense for smallholdings or vineyards, but for longer shifts and heavier loads, a combustion engine with a fast-refuelling hydrogen tank is a much easier sell.
No word yet on precise specs, production timing or where the tank will be built, but the intent is clear. AGCO is planning to put a hydrogen combustion tractor in farmers’ hands – and fields – by 2026.
Whether it’ll still be red remains to be seen. But it should make a very satisfying noise.
