USAID Selects Motivo Engineering's HARVEST Concept for Powering Agriculture Grant

Torrance, CA, January 10, 2014 --(PR.com)-- Motivo Engineering's Hybrid Agriculture/Road Vehicle with Electrical Storage and Transformation (HARVEST) concept was selected from over 400 international competitors in response to the USAID Powering Agriculture: An Energy Grand Challenge for Development announcement. The mission of this Grand Challenge is to foster the development of technologies that can solve problems found at the intersection of clean energy and modern agriculture. Motivo's tractor solution enables farmers in developing nations to effectively and efficiently perform a wide variety of duties with minimal use of fossil fuels. Motivo is engineering the HARVEST system to be the "Swiss Army Knife" for rural communities by offering a sustainable and financially viable solution for on-demand electricity, agriculture mechanization, and mobility.

Motivo's HARVEST comes in the form of a small tractor with a fully-electric powertrain and features power electronics coupled to a battery system similar to those found in today's commercial electric vehicles. The battery system can be charged via grid power, renewable energy (such as solar, wind, etcetera), a diesel generator, or another HARVEST unit. HARVEST doubles as a mobile power source that can power the farmer's house, electrical implements in the field, or can be coupled to other HARVEST units to form a micro-grid for the community. HARVEST also features a Power Take Off (PTO) and 3-point hitch to allow use of field implements already commonly available on the market. This solution allows farmers to utilize plows, drills, pumps, or a number of other tools that are enabled by the versatile sources of mechanical and electrical power onboard. Packaged together, these solutions for mechanization and enabling of clean power will transform agriculture in developing countries.

About Motivo Engineering: Motivo is a Los Angeles-based product engineering company that transforms innovators' ideas and concepts into market-ready products. Motivo provides clever engineering solutions by leveraging its breadth of mechanical, electrical, controls, and software capabilities. Motivo develops products and prototypes for a broad spectrum of markets ranging from next-generation fitness equipment to large battery systems for electrical utilities. Past projects include electric vehicle drivetrains, wearable smartphone-powered devices, renewable energy capture and transformation systems, biomedical devices, aerospace solutions, theme park rides, and complex electro-mechanical control systems.