Frankfurt, Germany - 22 August, 2025 - As agriculture transitions to low-emission technologies, AGRITECHNICA 2025 will spotlight tractors and machinery powered by alternative fuels and electric drives. This shift presents both challenges and opportunities for agricultural machinery dealerships, which must adapt their sales, service, and training strategies to remain competitive.
(DLG). In the future, tractors and other agricultural machines will be powered by alternative fuels or electricity. Electric drives, in particular, will have a profound impact on agricultural machinery dealerships. Dealers will need to develop new concepts for sales, service, and training. However, these changes also present opportunities to adapt and realign business models. This year’s Agritechnica trade fair, 9-15 November 2025 in Hanover, Germany, will feature numerous production models and prototypes with alternative drive solutions.
The DLG (German Agricultural Society), organizer of the world’s largest agricultural machinery trade fair, is offering a wide-ranging professional program and exclusive formats tailored to agricultural machinery dealers, all in Hall 2. In addition to established offerings such as Workshop Live showcasing live repairs and service work on real agricultural machines, registered dealers can be listed on the trade fair website and app. This makes it easier for customers and exhibitors to find them. New features include “Business Matchmaking,” which facilitates targeted connections between dealers and exhibitors, and the International Dealer Center. Dealer registration opens in early September.
The alternative drive solutions that will power tractors and other agricultural machines in the future are a key concern across the agricultural sector. The shift toward alternative fuels and electric drives will have far-reaching implications for dealerships, not only technologically, but also strategically and organizationally.
Alternative fuels for combustion engines
For decades to come, many farms will continue to operate machines with combustion engines. This is due to several factors: depending on the alternative fuel used, vehicles may require little or no modification; machines have long lifespans; and premature replacement is financially unfeasible for many farms. Additionally, there are currently few political incentives to switch.
To make machines and non-electrifiable applications more climate-friendly, alternative fuels are essential. Some can be used in existing vehicles. Biodiesel, HVO (hydrotreated vegetable oil), and e-fuels offer promising options for reducing CO₂ emissions quickly, though each comes with its own challenges regarding properties, availability, and storage.
Electrification brings major changes
The introduction of electric vehicles in agriculture demands new skills from dealers and their teams. Dealerships will increasingly sell complete systems rather than just machines, requiring greater advisory expertise. Customers expect informed guidance on drive concepts, range, and operating costs. Dealers will also need to offer charging infrastructure.
Electric machines require different maintenance and diagnostics. With fewer mechanical parts and no motor oil, dealerships must find new revenue streams. Workshops will need new equipment, including insulated tools, battery safety protocols, and training in high-voltage technology.
Lifelong learning becomes the norm
Rapid technological change raises questions about whether current training programs can keep pace. The existing agricultural machinery technician curriculum must evolve to include electric drives. Sales staff also need further qualifications to advise customers on electric tractors and charging systems. Competent salespeople not only answer questions but also instill confidence in customers exploring electric solutions.
New business opportunities
The shift to electric machinery also opens up new service opportunities. Dealerships can expand their offerings to include charging infrastructure installation, photovoltaic consulting, and billing services. By becoming one-stop shops for agricultural electromobility, dealers can strengthen customer loyalty and position themselves as future-ready partners.
Visitors are invited to explore Hall 2 at Agritechnica 2025 for a full update on trends in the agricultural machinery industry.
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About DLG
With more than 31,000 members, DLG is a politically independent and non-profit organisation. DLG draws on an international network of some 3,000 food and agricultural experts. DLG operates with subsidiaries in 10 countries and also organizes over 30 regional agricultural and livestock exhibitions worldwide. DLG’s leading international exhibitions, EuroTier for livestock farming and Agritechnica for agricultural machinery, which are held every two years in Hanover, Germany, provide international impetus for the local trade fairs. Headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany, DLG conducts practical trials and tests to keep its members informed of the latest developments. DLG’s sites include DLG's International Crop Production Centre, a 600-hectare test site in Bernburg-Strenzfeld, Germany and the DLG Test Centre, Europe's largest agricultural machinery test centre for Technology and Farm Inputs, located in Gross-Umstadt, Germany. DLG bridges the gap between theory and practice, as evidenced by more than 40 working groups of farmers, academics, agricultural equipment companies and organisations that continually compare advances in knowledge in specific areas such as irrigation and precision farming.
