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Bosch technology brings ethanol to sugarcane harvesters already in operation and aims to reduce diesel in the field, without requiring an immediate fleet replacement. System being tested in Brazilian plants combines retrofit, heavy engines, and the strength of the sugar-energy sector.
Bosch has started field tests of a technology that allows sugarcane harvesters to operate with diesel and ethanol simultaneously, in an attempt to reduce the use of fossil fuel in agricultural machines already active in Brazil.
The solution, called Dual Fuel by the company, can replace part of the diesel with ethanol without altering the original engine and without loss of power, according to the company.
The system is under evaluation during the current harvest in six sugarcane plants in the country, according to Matheus Pintor, commercial head of Bosch’s innovation and new business division.
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The replacement can reach 60% of diesel consumption under certain conditions, while the average expected by the company for vehicles and heavy equipment is up to 35%, varying according to application, engine, and operation.
Diesel-ethanol retrofit maintains original engine
Bosch’s proposal is to adapt machines already in the field, without requiring the immediate purchase of a new fleet.
To achieve this, the company developed a complementary kit, attached to the original equipment, which injects ethanol independently and preserves the native systems of the diesel engine.
In practice, the harvester does not start to operate solely on ethanol.
The engine remains diesel, but receives the biofuel together, according to operational demand, work regime, and calibration made for each application.
According to Bosch, the operator can activate or deactivate the Dual Fuel mode during operation, which provides flexibility in the use of the system.
The technology was also designed to maintain autonomy, power, and operational safety, points considered critical in machines that work long hours in the field.
Pintor told AgFeed that the limitation of the replacement is linked to performance preservation.
“Our goal was to ensure exactly the same engine performance. For this, we reached replacement rates of up to 60%. If we weren’t concerned with power, a greater replacement could be made,” he said.
Ethanol produced in the plants themselves gains space in the field
The investment in the sugar-energy sector is based on a practical combination: the plants consume diesel in large volumes and, at the same time, produce ethanol that can supply part of their own agricultural operations.
A sugarcane harvester can consume between 100,000 and 120,000 liters of diesel per year, according to an estimate cited by Pintor to AgFeed.
In operations with a large number of machines, the partial replacement of fossil fuel with ethanol can represent a significant change in the energy matrix used in the field.
“They are producing the fuel they will use in the system,” said the executive.
In another statement, Pintor summarized the company’s strategy by saying that “ethanol is the future, but it is also the present.”
The logic of retrofit also aims to shorten the time for technology adoption.
Since the lifespan of a harvester can vary from five to ten years, waiting for the complete renewal of the fleet would delay the reduction of diesel consumption in already installed operations.
Bosch tests began with mining engines
Although the current application is concentrated on sugarcane harvesters, the project’s origin was not the agricultural sector.
Bosch began developing the solution for heavy vehicles used in mining, especially off-road trucks employed in transporting large loads in industrial areas.
In the initial trials, the company worked with large engines on test benches.
According to Pintor, the engine used in the mining tests had 85 liters, while the harvesters evaluated in the field have about 9 liters.
“The mining engine we used had 85 liters. The harvester’s is 9 liters. These are completely different proportions, but with the technology know-how, we can make adaptations,” the executive told AgFeed.
The migration to agricultural machines occurred after the initial technical validation. Now, tests in plants of different sizes aim to measure performance in real conditions, with variations in terrain, climate, harvest pace, and power demand.
Tractors and grain harvesters are on the radar
Bosch sees potential to apply the same concept in other agricultural and industrial equipment, provided that each machine undergoes technical evaluation.
Tractors, grain harvesters, locomotives, and heavy trucks are among the examples cited by the company in its presentation of the Dual Fuel technology.
“The concept is highly replicable,” said Pintor.
“When we look at the technology as a whole, it is highly replicable in grain harvesting, in other types of equipment, including larger or even smaller engines.”
Even so, the expansion is not automatic.
The executive himself states that adoption depends on a case-by-case analysis, as engines, work cycles, calibration, and ethanol availability vary according to each operation.
In the case of sugarcane harvesters, the availability of biofuel within the plants themselves favors the model.
In other crops, economic viability also tends to depend on supply logistics and the price difference between diesel and ethanol.
Investment in Decarbonization Strengthens Project in Brazil
The development of the solution occurs amid Bosch’s investments in Brazil in research, development, and innovation.
The company signed contracts to raise R$ 521 million in funding from Finep and BNDES, with gradual application in projects of sustainable mobility, industry 4.0, intelligent agriculture systems, remanufacturing, and diesel-ethanol technology.
Separately, BNDES reported in May 2026 the approval of R$ 29.7 million to support projects by Bosch Soluções Integradas Brasil, including a decarbonization initiative based on the combined use of diesel and ethanol in heavy vehicles.
According to the bank, the technology anticipates an average reduction of 35% in diesel oil consumption through the use of ethanol, with peaks of up to 60%.
The projects are conducted by Bosch’s unit based in Campinas, in the interior of São Paulo.
The pressure to reduce emissions is also advancing among companies in the sugar-energy sector.
Tereos, for example, announced a global path to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions across the entire value chain by 2050, a goal that includes agricultural, industrial, and commercial activities.
In this scenario, retrofitting emerges as an alternative to reduce diesel consumption before the end of the machines’ useful life.
The technology is still in the validation phase at the plants, and Bosch has not disclosed the names of the companies participating in the tests.
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