Skip to content
  • Happy Health
  • Happy Mindset
  • Animal Wonders
  • About Us
    • Team
  • Subscribe
Menu
  • Happy Health
  • Happy Mindset
  • Animal Wonders
  • About Us
    • Team
  • Subscribe
Happy News

This Family Created The First Mass Produced Electric Tractor

A Swiss family business that started as a one man operation in the 1970s has just achieved something no other company in Europe has accomplished, building the continent’s first mass produced fully electric tractor. The Knüsel family worked together for years to develop the SKE 40, an innovative electric tractor that runs on solar power collected from barn roofs. Managing director Theres Beutler Knüsel, who took over leadership of Rigitrac AG ten years ago, says the journey had plenty of setbacks, especially since many of the necessary parts didn’t even exist on the market when they started. The family got the idea after seeing solar panels covering large barn roofs and thinking how fantastic it would be if farms could use that electricity directly to power their equipment.

Working alongside the University of Dresden, the family developed their first test vehicle in 2018, creating some parts from scratch with their suppliers when nothing suitable was available. Now the company, which employs about 45 people with all four daughters working in different roles from purchasing to accounting, is successfully mass producing these groundbreaking tractors. The Swiss Federal Office of Energy recently honored the family with the prestigious Watt d’Or award, recognizing their innovation as proof they’re on the right track. The battery powered tractors, which run for six hours on a single charge, are already being used across Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Denmark, and Norway for everything from vineyard cultivation to snow removal in cities, and the ambitious family is already planning their next project: a larger, more powerful version set to launch in just two years.

PrevPreviousMom Pulls Over For EVERY Stray Dog & Saves 5,000
NextCalifornia’s Plastic Bag Ban Finally Shows Major ResultsNext

Recent Articles

Happy News

A Boy Who Hasnt Cut His Hair Since The Pandemic Just Donated Six Years Of Growth To Kids With Cancer

April 21, 2026

When the pandemic closed barbershops and salons in 2020, a three-year-old boy in Suffolk, England, simply never went back, letting his blond hair grow quietly through every year of school until it reached all the way down to his hips. Six years later, nine-year-old Noah finally sat down in a

Read More
Happy News

The Principal Who Took A Bullet For His Students Just Got Crowned Prom King

April 21, 2026

When a gunman entered the lobby of Pauls Valley High School in Oklahoma and pointed a weapon at students, 60-year-old Principal Kirk Moore did not hesitate for a single second. He charged directly at the attacker, tackled him to the ground, and held him there until police arrived, taking a

Read More
Happy News

Roman Reigns Broke A Guinness World Record At WrestleMania And Walked Out As Champion

April 20, 2026

Roman Reigns headlined WrestleMania for the sixth consecutive time on Saturday night in Las Vegas, cementing a record that may never be broken in professional wrestling and capping the achievement with one of the most celebrated victories of his career. Reigns defeated CM Punk in the main event of WrestleMania

Read More
« Previous Next »
  • Privacy Notice
  • Accessibility Notice
  • Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information
  • Unsubscribe
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Privacy Notice
  • Accessibility Notice
  • Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information
  • Unsubscribe
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
Copyright © 2026 HappyNews.