The goal is to establish new reliable and trustworthy trading networks that can, at least in part, create a path back to stable global trade.

As an example, Europe is just about to ratify a trade deal with the Mercosur bloc, which includes several South American countries, including Brazil. Brazil is also a member of the expanding BRICS trading block.

Today’s announcement that Canada has reset its trading alliance with China is just one more trade agreement with clear intent is to bypass an increasingly erratic U.S. administration.

Speaking at a press conference following an announcement of the new agreement, Prime Minister Mark Carney said, “the way our relationship has progressed in recent months with China, it is more predictable (than with the U.S.) and you see results coming from that.”

The relationship with China, Canada’s second largest trading partner, deteriorated under the previous Liberal government, but it is now set to become an even more important partner.

The major trade irritant had been Canada’s decision to follow the U.S.’s lead and place a 100 per cent tariff on electric vehicles. In return, China targeted Canola exports.

Criticism from the auto sector

The new agreement sees China reduce canola tariffs to an effect 15 per cent in exchange for allowing up to 49,000 Chinese electric vehicles into the Canadian market at a 6.1 per cent tariff rate.

The agreement is being widely criticized by Ontario’s auto manufacturing sector.

“This is a self-inflicted wound to an already injured Canadian auto industry,” said Unifor national president Lana Payne in a press release.

“Providing a foothold to cheap Chinese EVs, backed by massive state subsidies, overproduction and designed to expand market share through exports, puts Canadian auto jobs at risk while rewarding, labour violations and unfair trade practices.”

However, not everyone completely agrees.

Speaking to the Western Producer ahead of the announcement, Barry Prentice, director of the Transport Institute at the University of Winnipeg, predicted that a quota system on EV imports would be the likely outcome of any trade negotiation.

“I would certainly approve of that for a couple of reasons,” Prentice said. “One is we don’t have the North American manufacturing volume that would displace (regular ICE vehicle production). We need to get enough electric vehicles on the road to support the charging system (network).”

The only electric vehicle production in Canada was at a GM plant, which produced the company’s Brightdrop commercial van. It ceased production last year due to low sales numbers.

However, many Canadian auto parts manufacturers produce components for a variety of vehicle models built in both Canada and the U.S.

Ontario premier Doug Ford spoke out against the deal, saying “this lopsided deal risks closing the door on Canadian automakers to the American market, our largest export destination, which would hurt our economy and lead to job losses.”

That is a threat the U.S. president has already made several times against Canadian auto production, well before today’s announcement. So, arguably, that risk isn’t new.

The growing Canadian consumer boycott of American products is also now moving toward targeting U.S.-built vehicles.

Awaiting American response

Ontario auto sector hasn’t exactly been overlooked by governments in the past. It has received more than a little government support up until now.

In 2009, the federal and Ontario governments ponied up $13.7 billion in funding to allow GM and Chrysler to keep the lights on at plants in Ontario.

However, the question remains: what, if any, response will ultimately come from the U.S.

The U.S. National Security Strategy document published in November made clear its intent to economically and militarily dominate all countries in the Western Hemisphere.

It specifically mentioned influencing trading partners’ engagement with China, saying “the United States must work with our treaty allies and partners … to help safeguard our prime position in the world economy.”

However, the administration doesn’t seem to understand the “work with” aspect of engaging with traditional trading partners.

“Trump was in Detroit (at a Ford assembly plant) saying we don’t need anything from Canada,” Prentice said. “Yeah, but you want to sell cars made in the U.S. to Canada. He doesn’t seem to understand trade is a two-way relationship.”

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In a letter to three federal ministers – Kody Blois (agriculture), Dominic LeBlanc (trade) and Francois-Phillipe Champagne (finance) — the CFIB pointed to the economic damages to Canada’s agriculture industry from the EV policies.

“Given the importance of agro-industries to Canada’s economy, we recommend government conduct a reassessment of its EV subsidies and tariff policies to mitigate unintended consequences for SME (small and medium enterprises),” the letter says.

“While Canada’s tariffs on Chinese EVs are intended to support the development of the domestic EV industry, it is worth questioning whether continuing to subsidize multinational corporations is the right path forward.”

The CFIB represents about 100,000 small and medium sized businesses, including 5,200 in the agriculture sector. It highlighted the threat of Chinese tariffs in an April 23 news release, five days before the federal election.

In March, China announced 100 per cent tariffs on canola oil, meal and pea imports from Canada, and 25 per cent tariffs on pork and some seafood products.

The move was expected because the Chinese government was frustrated with Canada’s tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles, which were announced in 2024.

Farm groups criticize tariffs

Several farm groups have criticized the federal government for sacrificing the agriculture industry by protecting Canada’s electric vehicle and battery sectors from imports.

“We can’t keep being collateral damage in a trade war we didn’t start,” said the Wheat Growers Association in March.

“We need to end EV tariffs on China and force a solution to China’s unfair tariffs on canola. Canadian farmers and businesses deserve better.”

The CFIB is now adding its voice to the conversation, saying the federal and provincial subsidies for batteries and EV manufacturing are going to large corporations.

“In fact, over $62 billion has been pledged to several major automakers,” the CFIB letter says.

“However, some of these companies are now pausing their plans, raising questions about the need for such a policy, as well as the timing and long-term benefit of this subsidy strategy.”

Chinese tariffs hurting businesses bottom line

In April, the CFIB polled its members to gauge the impact of the Chinese tariffs and possible solutions to the trade chaos of 2025.

Around 35 per cent of agricultural businesses said the Chinese tariffs are hurting their bottom line.

Resolving the trade disputes and developing other markets for agri-food products is critical, but CFIB members are also worried about the challenges of doing business in Canada.

About 80 per cent of agri-businesses want the government to reduce regulatory costs and 79 per cent want the feds to cut taxes.

“The government needs to turn its focus to supporting the agriculture industry and adopting policies to improve the business climate for Canada’s SMEs,” said Jasmin Guénette, CFIB vice-president of national affairs.

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Just over a year after launching its anti-subsidy probe, the European Commission will set out extra tariffs ranging from 7.8 per cent for Tesla to 35.3 per cent for China’s SAIC, on top of the EU’s standard 10 per cent car import duty.

A senior EU official said the extra tariffs had been formally approved on Tuesday. The new rates are set to be published in the EU’s Official Journal later in the day or on Wednesday. They will take effect the following day.

The Commission, which oversees EU trade policy, has said tariffs are required to counter what it says are unfair subsidies including preferential financing and grants as well as land, batteries and raw materials at below market prices.

It says China’s spare production capacity of three million EVs per year is twice the size of the EU market. Given 100 per cent tariffs in the United States and Canada, the most obvious outlet for those EVs is Europe.

Beijing has called the EU tariffs protectionist and damaging to EU-China relations and automotive supply chains, and has launched its own probes this year into imports of EU brandy, dairy and pork products in apparent retaliation.

It has also challenged the EU’s provisional measures at the World Trade Organization.

European automakers are grappling with an influx of lower-cost EVs from Chinese rivals. The Commission estimates Chinese brands’ share of the EU market has risen to eight per cent from below one per cent in 2019 and could reach 15 per cent in 2025. It says prices are typically 20 per cent below those of EU-made models.

The EU’s stance towards Beijing has hardened in the last five years. It views China as a potential partner in some areas, but also as a competitor and a systemic rival, but EU members are not united on EV tariffs.

Germany, the EU’s biggest economy and major car producer, opposed tariffs in a vote earlier this month in which 10 EU members backed them, five voted against and 12 abstained.

German carmakers have heavily criticized the EU measures, aware that possible higher Chinese import duties on large-engined gasoline vehicles would hit them hardest.

The measures come as thousands of German industrial workers, including at the carmakers, strike for higher wages, with Volkswagen possibly about to announce shutting plants on home soil for the first time in its 87-year history.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said the EU was headed for an “economic cold war” with China.

However, France’s PFA car association has welcomed duties, adding it backed free trade as long as it was fair.

The Commission has held eight rounds of technical negotiations with China to find an alternative to tariffs and said talks can continue after tariffs are imposed.

The two sides are looking at possible minimum price commitments for imported cars and agreed on Friday to hold a further round, although the Commission said there were “significant remaining gaps”.

It remains to be seen what impact tariffs will have on consumer prices. Some producers may be able to absorb them at least partially.

In the first nine months of 2024, China’s EV exports to the EU were down seven per cent from a year earlier, but they have surged by more than a third in August and September, ahead of the tariffs, data from the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) show.

—Additional reporting by Qiaoyi Li in Beijing

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This type of investigation usually takes three months to complete but could be extended under special circumstances, the ministry said.

Beijing also announced plans this month to probe Canadian canola imports after Ottawa joined the U.S. and the European Union in putting in place tariffs of 100 per cent on Chinese EVs and 25 per cent on Chinese aluminum and steel.

More than half of canola exported by Canada makes its way to China, the world’s biggest oilseed importer.

China said it strongly deplored and firmly opposed Canada’s “discriminatory unilateral restrictive measures” and it had requested talks with Canada at the World Trade Organization about the tariffs.

Trade friction between the countries heightened this week after Canada said it was “absolutely” considering banning Chinese-made software in EVs, among measures to counter what it calls overcapacity and a security threat.

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The potential blow of counter-tariffs on EU goods will fall mostly on states such as Spain, France and Italy that have voiced support for the EV duties, with pork, dairy and brandy exports to the world’s second-biggest economy at stake.

European Union members such as Germany, Finland and Sweden that have not pushed for the tariffs would feel less impact, with little exposure to the export items singled out by China.

China’s tactics appear to be working.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez wrapped up a China visit this week by sitting in a Chinese EV and saying it was an “honour”. He then unexpectedly urged the EU to reconsider its position.

According to a Spanish government source, Sanchez’s delegation came away feeling “Spain is more important now”, and that an agreement over tariffs on its pork products was close.

As a sweetener, a Chinese company agreed to build a $1 billion plant in Spain to make machinery used for hydrogen production, in apparent backing for Spain’s green ambitions.

With pork and dairy, China maximises the “domestic political cost” to the countries voting to impose EV tariffs, said Beijing-based economist Mei Xinyu, with the agricultural sector often playing a role in EU politics.

“These products count on China as one of their top export markets,” he said.

Pork, dairy and brandy exports from the EU to China totalled about $10 billion in 2023, although not all products in those categories would be subject to tariffs. The bloc’s exports to China last year totalled over $280 billion.

Crunch time

Still feeling the pinch of U.S. tariffs imposed during the Trump era, China does not want a trade war with the EU. But Beijing has made it clear it would fight if Brussels imposes additional EV tariffs of up to 35.3 per cent.

China-made EVs exported to Europe rose 38 per cent in 2023 to 656,000 units, including shipments non-EU countries. Europe accounted for more than 40 per cent of EVs shipped out of China last year, according to Reuters calculations based on data from the China Passenger Car Association.

Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao will visit Europe next week and hold talks with EU trade chief, Valdis Dombrovskis.

Wang will also visit Italy, which supports the EV tariffs while also seeking Chinese investment to build EV production capacity.

China needs at least 15 EU members representing 65 per cent of the EU population to oppose the tariffs at a vote in October.

But positions within the EU remain diverse. Some smaller states are keeping their heads down. Others are prioritising ties closer to home.

“Ireland’s exports to China are only a small fraction (of its exports), so Ireland will prioritise the EU market and relationship over China,” said an Irish trade representative in China, speaking on condition of anonymity.

“China is still important, but business with China is hard and not growing as well as expected.”

Ireland is the fifth most exposed EU producer in China’s dairy investigation and sixth worst off in its pork probe.

‘Shock and awe’

In contrast, China appears to allow no room for negotiations or concessions with Canada, hitting it on Monday with a retaliatory probe into its rapeseed (canola) exports after Ottawa introduced a 100 per cent tariff on Chinese EVs in August.

Unlike with Brussels, Beijing gave Ottawa no public prior warning of how it might hit back, signals often conveyed in Chinese state media such as Global Times.

He Yongqian, a Chinese commerce ministry spokesperson, said “relevant evidence shows Canada’s rapeseed exports to China have been dumped and caused substantial damage to domestic industry,” when asked to explain the difference in approach.

The Canadian embassy in Beijing did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

On the contrary, Beijing has clearly been open to negotiation with the EU, said Even Pay, an analyst at Beijing-based Trivium China who specialises in agriculture.

“With Canada, they went straight for shock and awe,” Pay said.

—Additional reporting for Reuters by Belen Carreno in Madrid and Beijing Newsroom.

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There has been growing trade tension between Beijing and the West in recent weeks after Canada, the United States and the European Union opted to impose tariffs on imports of electric vehicles from China.

The inquiry will examine imports from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2023, the commerce ministry said in a statement, adding that preliminary evidence and information showed dumping had taken place.

Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Monday in a bid to avoid a broad trade war.

China has already launched an anti-subsidy investigation into dairy imports from the European Union and an anti-dumping investigation into EU pork imports.

“A trade war would benefit no-one,” Sanchez said, adding he was seeking to create a level playing field in cooperation with Chinese companies.

The commerce ministry said there was a causal relationship between the dumping of Canadian imports and actual damage to domestic industry following significant rises in the imports and falling prices.

More than half of rapeseed, also known as canola, exported by Canada makes its way to China. The world’s biggest oilseed importer purchased 5.5 million metric tons of canola in 2023, valued at $3.72 billion (C$5.05 billion). Imports from Canada accounted for 94 per cent of the total.

The investigation is “fundamentally different” from the discriminatory measures taken by Canada in violation of WTO rules, a spokesperson from the commerce ministry said in a Q&A session on Monday.

Canada, following the lead of the United States and European Union, will on Oct 1 impose a 100 per cent tariff on imports of Chinese electric vehicles and a 25 per cent tariff on imported steel and aluminium from China.

The announcement of Beijing’s plan on an anti-dumping probe last week sent prices of domestic rapeseed oil futures to a one-month peak.

The investigation will start effectively immediately, and should be completed before Sept. 9, 2025, although it may be extended for another six months under special circumstances, the ministry said.

The probe will also examine the industrial damage from these Canadian imports covering the period from Jan. 1, 2021 to Dec. 31, 2023, it said.

Canadian Farm Minister Lawrence MacAulay had previously said China’s move was “deeply concerning”. China has also said it will initiate an anti-dumping investigation into some Canadian chemical products.

—Reporting for Reuters by Mei Mei Chu, Siyi Liu and Beijing newsroom.

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Canada has followed the lead of the United States and European Union, and announced last week a 100 per cent tariff on imports of Chinese electric vehicles and a 25 per cent tariff on imported steel and aluminium from China.

“China strongly deplores and firmly opposes the discriminatory unilateral restrictive measures taken by Canada against its imports from China despite the opposition and dissuasion of many parties,” a commerce ministry spokesperson said in a statement.

The ministry said China will also initiate an anti-dumping investigation into some Canadian chemical products.

More than half of canola produced in Canada makes its way to China, the world’s biggest oilseed importer. Canola, also called rapeseed for certain variants, is used as a cooking oil and in a wide range of products including renewable fuels.

China’s rapeseed meal futures on the Zhengzhou Commodity Exchange CRSMcv1 jumped 6 per cent to 2,375 yuan ($333.56) per metric ton following the announcement, hitting its highest since Aug. 6.

• RELATED: ICE canola drops as China announces anti-dumping investigation

The ICE canola contract for November delivery RSX4 dropped to its daily limit of $45, or 7 per cent, to $569.7 per metric ton.

“Canada’s canola exports to China have increased significantly and are suspected of dumping, reaching US$3.47 billion in 2023, with a 170 per cent year-on-year increase in volume and a continuous decline in prices,” the ministry said.

“Affected by the unfair competition of the Canadian side, China’s domestic rapeseed-related industries continued to suffer losses,” it said.

China’s rapeseed meal prices have plunged 22 per cent so far this year amid abundant oilseed supply and rising domestic production.

“The current (edible oil) domestic consumption is not strong, and there is an abundant supply of domestic stocks,” said Ma Wenfeng, senior analyst at Beijing-based agriculture consultancy Beijing Orient Agribusiness Consultancy.

China imports its canola predominantly from Canada, followed by Russia and Mongolia.

“Arrivals from Canada have been growing at a fast rate,” Ma said.

The world’s second largest economy imported 5.5 million tons of canola in 2023, valued at $3.72 billion. Imports from Canada accounted for 94 per cent of the total.

Comparatively, the bulk of China’s electric vehicle exports to Canada is from Tesla’s Shanghai factory and local Chinese firms have no big exposure to that export market yet.

Canadian imports of automobiles from China to its largest port, Vancouver, jumped 460 per cent year over year to 44,356 in 2023, when Tesla started shipping Shanghai-made EVs to Canada.

The Chinese spokesperson said it intends to resort to the World Trade Organization dispute settlement mechanism for Canada’s relevant practices.

The Canadian embassy in Beijing did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

China has also initiated trade investigations on imports of pork, brandy and dairy from the European Union in response to curbs on its electric vehicle exports.

Alternative supplies

China had targeted Canadian canola in previous trade tensions. In 2019, it suspended two Canadian canola exporters before removing the restrictions three years later.

Analysts said China could turn to Australia and Ukraine for alternative supplies, especially as Australia’s canola production is ample.

Canola production in Europe has been hit by poor weather while China’s agriculture trade with Ukraine is limited.

“We expect China to buy larger volumes from Australia if restrictions on Australian canola are eased,” said Ole Houe, director of advisory services at IKON Commodities in Sydney.

“As of now Australia’s canola exports to China are negligible, just about 500 tons since the beginning of 2024,” Houe said.

China’s imports of Australian canola have been restricted due to concerns about blackleg disease.

($1 = 7.1201 Chinese yuan renminbi)

– Reporting by Mei Mei Chu, Naveen Thukral and the Beijing newsroom.

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“Anything that could be perceived as an irritant to China obviously puts agri-food or anything else potentially in the crosshairs because we’ve seen it before,” said CAFTA president Greg Northey.

Canada is levying a 100 per cent surtax on all Chinese-made electric vehicles effective Oct. 1, 2024.

It will also be applying a 25 per cent surtax on imports of steel and aluminum products from China, effective Oct. 15, 2024.

“Actors like China have chosen to give themselves an unfair advantage in the global marketplace, compromising the security of our critical industries and displacing dedicated Canadian auto and metal workers,” said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

“So, we’re taking action to address that.”

The fear is that China may respond with retaliatory tariffs or other trade-restricting measures applied to some Canadian agri-food exports.

Canada shipped US$7.24 billion of agri-food and seafood products to China in 2022, according to a recent report published by Agriculture Canada.

Canola led the way with $1.65 billion in sales, followed by non-durum wheat at $858 million and canola meal at $696 million.

Peas, soybeans, barley, canola oil and frozen bone-in pork were the other big ag exports that year.

Northey said CAFTA is one of many organizations that were asked by Ottawa to comment on the tariff proposal prior to implementation.

“Our comment was that whenever Canada is going to do something like this, we need to be rules-based,” he said.

“We’re not in the same realm as the U.S. where we can sort of unilaterally decide tariff treatments for other countries. Our bedrock needs to be rooted in rules-based trade.”

However, China claims the exact opposite is occurring. The Chinese Commerce Ministry said in a statement that it is “strongly dissatisfied” with Canada’s actions, saying that the country “blatantly violated WTO rules.”

The ministry urged Canada to “correct its wrong practices” and said Beijing would take any necessary measures to defend the rights of Chinese companies, according to a story published by ABC News.

China vowed retribution against the United States for announcing similar measures a few months earlier, but it has yet to follow through with that threat.

China’s pork companies asked for an anti-subsidy and anti-dumping investigation into the European pork and dairy industries shortly after the European Union announced tariffs of 17.4 to 37.6 per cent on individual Chinese EV makers.

Some economists think it is inevitable that China will retaliate against Canada as well.

Dean Roberts, director of the Canadian Canola Growers Association and a farmer from Coleville, Sask., isn’t losing sleep over the possibility of Chinese retribution.

“The focus is getting the crop off right now,” he said.

“That’s really where my mind is at.”

Roberts said China’s canola restrictions of a few years ago are still fresh in his mind.

“But do past events predict the future? Well, not always,” he said.

He is referring to March 6, 2019, when China suddenly blocked shipments of Canadian canola from Richardson International and Viterra.

Canada’s canola exports to China immediately plunged to about half their normal volumes for a period of four years.

China claimed the ban was due to phytosanitary concerns, but canola industry officials contend it was retaliation for Canada detaining Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou.

The restrictions were lifted on May 18, 2022, shortly after Canada dropped its extradition proceedings against Meng.

Roberts said most of the crops he grows have faced some type of challenge in recent years.

“You can manage through things, but unpredictability in these times is the worry,” he said.

“It’s not specific issues, it’s the whole broader uncertainty.”

Roberts is already making seeding decisions about the 2025 crop. How China responds to the tariffs ranks low on his list of things to consider. He is far more concerned about the market price for canola with nearby futures “tickling” $600 per tonne.

“In the brown soil zone, that’s not a great number for me for canola for the yields I get,” he said.

In the meantime, he won’t be devoting any mental energy to monitoring Canada’s latest trade dispute with China.

“If it’s not related to reading the five different weather apps on my phone or phoning Pattison or Claas for service to get machines turning, I really haven’t looked at it,” said Roberts.

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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said a 100 per cent surtax will be levied on all Chinese-made electric vehicles effective Oct. 1, 2024.

The federal government will also be applying a 25 per cent surtax on imports of steel and aluminum products from China, effective Oct. 15, 2024.

“Actors like China have chosen to give themselves an unfair advantage in the global marketplace, compromising the security of our critical industries and displacing dedicated Canadian auto and metal workers,” said Trudeau.

“So, we’re taking action to address that.”

Ottawa says the measures will protect Canadian workers in key economic sectors from unfair Chinese trade practices.

Canada’s auto manufacturing industry supports 125,000 Canadian jobs, while its steel and aluminum sectors provide more than 130,000 positions.

The government says China’s intentional, state-directed policy of overcapacity and its lack of rigorous labour and environmental standards threaten Canadian workers and businesses in those fields.

“Recent consultations with stakeholders have confirmed that exceptional measures are required to address this extraordinary threat,” the government stated in a press release.

Canada was under pressure to copy similar measures already adopted by the United States and the European Union.
Some people on the X social media platform wonder if China will retaliate by once again targeting Canadian canola exports.

The Canola Council of Canada said China is an important and valued market.

“We will continue to remain actively engaged to support market access and competitiveness for Canadian canola in this key market,” council president Chris Davison said in an email statement.

Many people in the canola industry believe politics was behind the market restrictions that China imposed on Canadian canola on March 6, 2019, when it suddenly blocked shipments from Richardson International and Viterra.

Canada’s canola exports to China plummeted from 4.87 million tonnes in 2018 to 1.54 million tonnes the following year.

Sales finally bounced back to 4.59 million tonnes in 2023 after four straight years of reaching about half that volume.

China claimed the ban was related to a phytosanitary issues, but canola industry officials contend it was retaliation for Canada detaining Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou.

The restrictions were lifted on May 18, 2022, shortly after Canada dropped its extradition proceedings against Meng.

Canada’s pork sector is another potential target for China.

China’s pork companies asked for an anti-subsidy and anti-dumping investigation into the European pork and dairy industries shortly after the European Union announced tariffs of 17.4 to 37.6 percent on individual Chinese EV makers.

Western Producer columnist D’Arce McMillan said most observers think that investigation is a direct response to the EU’s tariffs on Chinese EVs.

China’s pork imports are way down from 2020 and 2021 levels after African swine fever devastated Chinese hog producers. But they are still large, and if EU suppliers lose market share, other exporters would benefit.

“However, if Canada and the U.S. have high EV tariffs, they would likely be in China’s bad books as well and not get extra business,” McMillan stated in a recent column.

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CNH’s New Holland Agriculture arm said Monday its T4 Electric Power model, “the first all-electric utility tractor with autonomous features,” will be launched this week at the Farm Progress Show, and commercially available in North America with “select dealers” early in 2024.

The Decatur, Illinois farm show will also host the unveiling of the Farmall 75C Electric, a utility model that CNH’s Case IH arm billed in a separate release Monday as its “smartest” electric tractor.

New Holland said the T4 “opens a new class in the market, the Utility Electric,” and will be an “ideal solution for lower-horsepower field operations” such as mixed farms, hay and forage, dairy and other livestock and greenhouse, vegetable and orchard crops.

The T4 Electric Power battery system and fully electric drivetrain provide a 110-kilowatt-hour maximum energy storage capacity in a 400-volt circuit, for 74 horsepower (55 kilowatts) rated power and 65 hp (48 kW) PTO power, CNH said.

Given the usual light-, medium- and heavy-duty applications of a utility tractor, New Holland estimates the T4 can provide four hours’ average runtime, or up to eight working hours in strictly “low-energy demand” applications.

The T4 unit also includes four-wheel drive, a 12×12 transmission, clutch-less electronic power shuttle reverser and “all the regular power outputs of a traditional diesel utility,” CNH said, such as rear electro-hydraulic PTO, drawbar, multiple rear remotes, mid-mount valves and a New Holland 725LU mechanical self-leveling front loader with third function and 84-inch bucket.

The electrified drivetrain allows for high torque and fast response, which with the electronic power shuttle transmission, means “even an inexperienced operator can run the implements during the applications without the need for precise gear selection and throttle control,” CNH said. Experienced operators will have “infinite” speed adjustments by controlling motor rpm.

The T4 can be recharged in either alternate current (AC) or direct current (DC), and would take one hour to charge to 100 per cent power using a “commercially available” DC fast-charging system, CNH said.

The T4’s “Smart Roof” houses the cameras and sensors supporting its “driver-assisted” features such as Follow Me Mode, the Invisible Bucket and 360 Degree Awareness, along with “fully digital and connected” functions such as Over the Air Updates, Live View and Map Maker — all of which New Holland said will make this tractor “the first of its kind in the world.”

Case IH, meanwhile, said it will mark the Farmall brand’s “100th year” with a sneak peek at the Farmall 75C Electric at the Farm Progress Show.

The 75C’s exact specs weren’t available in Monday’s release, in which Case IH said the unit will be available for “limited orders” in the first quarter of 2024 and released “in specific markets” during the year.

Like the T4, the Farmall 75C offers “diesel-like performance with an average four-hour run time and fast recharging, plus lower operating costs,” Case IH said, allowing “maximum ” versatility” for jobs such as maintaining vineyards or managing a small herd. — Glacier FarmMedia Network

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