Bullwork Mobility Unveils BEAST 9696E at EXCON – 96 kW, 96 kWh LFP Battery, and India's Most Powerful Ground-Up Electric Tractor

Bengaluru-based Bullwork Mobility has launched the BEAST 9696E at EXCON 2025, claiming it to be India's most powerful electric tractor built from scratch on a dedicated EV platform. The machine delivers 96 kW (~130 HP equivalent) of power from a 96 kWh liquid-cooled LFP (Lithium Iron Phosphate) battery, supports fast charging, and comes ready for backhoe and front loader attachments. It is designed for farming, construction and material handling applications. The company claims annual diesel savings of up to ₹1.5 lakh per year at standard usage.

Full Verified Specifications

The naming convention explains the specs: 96 refers to the 96 kW power output, 96 to the 96 kWh battery capacity, and E to electric. At 96 kW, the BEAST produces approximately 130 HP – putting it squarely in the medium-heavy tractor class, not the entry-level segment.

Key Technology Features

Drive-by-Wire System

The BEAST 9696E replaces conventional mechanical levers with a digital drive-by-wire system operated through touch controls. Bullwork describes this as their "best-in-class" system that makes complex machinery operation accessible to a wider range of operators. The company specifically highlights that the system "levels the playing field and empowers women and men alike to operate with ease" – a relevant point in Indian agriculture where operator demographics are shifting.

e-ADDC Technology

Bullwork's proprietary e-ADDC (electronic Automatic Draft and Depth Control) system maintains consistent performance during soil work. It provides:

1. Precise depth control – maintains implement depth automatically, reducing operator workload
2. Optimised pulling force – adjusts power delivery based on soil resistance
3. Consistent performance – eliminates the variability that comes with manual lever-based controls on diesel tractors

For ploughing, tilling and harrowing operations, e-ADDC is a meaningful upgrade over the manual depth adjustment found on most Indian tractors in this class.

Bullwork e-Drive Technology

The company's software-defined e-drive system with advanced traction control manages power delivery to the wheels. Unlike a diesel drivetrain where power curves are fixed by engine characteristics, the e-drive system can be tuned and updated via software – adjusting torque delivery, traction control sensitivity, and throttle mapping for different applications.

Autonomous Capability

The BEAST comes equipped with a vision-based navigation system for autonomous operation. While fully autonomous field work is the long-term goal, the current system provides navigation assistance and enhanced safety features. All vehicles on the Bh.ai platform are described as "smart from day one" with a telematics device that collects over 200 data points per second for predictive maintenance and operational analytics.

Liquid-Cooled LFP Battery

The battery chemistry choice matters. LFP (Lithium Iron Phosphate) cells are known for:

1. Higher cycle life – LFP batteries typically last 3,000-5,000 charge cycles vs 1,000-2,000 for NMC cells
2. Better thermal stability – less prone to thermal runaway, critical for outdoor heavy machinery in Indian heat
3. Lower cost per kWh – more economical at scale
4. Safer chemistry – no cobalt, no nickel, lower fire risk

Liquid cooling maintains consistent battery temperature during heavy operation. A tractor pulling a plough through wet soil for 6-8 hours generates sustained high-current draw – liquid cooling prevents thermal throttling and extends battery life.

PTO and Implements – The Farming Reality Check

For any tractor to be taken seriously by Indian farmers, it needs to run standard implements. The BEAST 9696E addresses this with:

1. PTO (Power Take-Off): 540 and 1,000 RPM – standard speeds that are compatible with existing Indian agricultural implements
2. Implement Category: CAT 2 – compatible with medium-duty implements used across India
3. Hydraulic Lifting Capacity: 2,500 kg – sufficient for most ploughs, cultivators, seeders and rotavators in its class
4. Backhoe attachment – for digging, trenching and construction work
5. Front Loader attachment – for material handling, loading and construction site work

The backhoe and front loader options push the BEAST beyond pure farming into construction and industrial applications. A single machine that can plough a field in the morning and load material at a construction site in the afternoon has a utilisation advantage that dedicated machines cannot match.

The Cost Savings – Bullwork's Own Calculator

Bullwork's website features a TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) calculator that compares diesel vs electric operating costs. At 1,000 operating hours per year (a moderate usage scenario):

Those are Bullwork's claimed figures, and they need to be treated as estimates. Actual savings will vary based on:

1. Local electricity tariff vs diesel price
2. Number of operating hours per year
3. Type of work (heavy ploughing draws more power than transport)
4. Maintenance costs over time

Even if real-world savings are 60-70 per cent of Bullwork's claims, the economic case is strong. At 1,000 hours per year, a diesel tractor consuming 5 litres per hour at ₹90/litre spends ₹4,50,000 on fuel alone over 7 years. The BEAST's electricity cost for the same work is a fraction of that.

The Bh.ai Platform

The BEAST 9696E runs on Bullwork's Bh.ai – a modular electric and autonomous platform that powers all Bullwork products.

CEO Hemanth Kumar told YourStory: "We built our platform Bh.ai that had the entire electrical architecture stack and autonomous stack, where we can make different vehicles out of it."

Bh.ai includes:

1. Complete electrical architecture (battery management, motor control, power distribution)
2. Autonomous driving stack (sensors, AI, path planning)
3. Telematics collecting 200+ data points per second per vehicle
4. Predictive maintenance algorithms
5. OTA (over-the-air) software update capability

The platform approach allows Bullwork to deploy the same core technology across tractors, sprayers, loaders and utility vehicles – reducing development time and cost for each new product.

Bullwork's Full Product Lineup

All five products run on the Bh.ai platform. The GLX Skid Steer Loader is particularly interesting – skid steer loaders are workhorses on construction sites, and an electric version with the torque characteristics of an electric motor (instant, from zero RPM) could outperform diesel equivalents in many loading and grading tasks.

Company Background

Four years from founding to unveiling a 96 kW electric tractor on $2 million in funding is notable capital efficiency for a hardware startup. Scaling production will require a larger funding round.

Competitive Position

Bullwork's advantage is the platform-first approach. Competitors are primarily converting existing diesel designs or building single products. Bullwork built the architecture first and is deploying multiple vehicle types from it. The risk is scale – a startup with 80 people and $2 million competing against Escorts and TAFE requires either rapid fundraising or a strategic partnership.

What to Watch

1. Ex-showroom pricing – not yet announced; this will determine commercial viability
2. Real-world battery endurance – how many hours of heavy ploughing does 96 kWh deliver on a single charge?
3. Charging infrastructure for rural India – 2-hour fast charging is useful only if power supply is reliable at the farm
4. Government subsidy inclusion – electric tractors under FAME or state EV schemes would change the purchase price equation
5. Next funding round – scaling from EXCON showcase to commercial production volumes requires significantly more capital

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