First fully electric and self-driving tractor hits market

Over the years, there has been plenty of electric and autonomous concept tractors floating around, such as Case IH’s revolutionary cabless rig and Kubota’s Dream tractor, but none have gone through to the production stage, until now. And it seems a small start-up in the USA has pipped the large OEMs to the post.

California-based company, Monarch Tractor, has successfully developed and launched the world’s first production model electric tractor that is capable of a completely autonomous operation. In fact, the firm is already taking bookings for shipping to commence in Fall 2021 (in the USA).

A company spokesperson said the tractor adheres to international standards and that it will ship overseas, including Australia. Those interested only have to place a fully refundable deposit of USD$500 to reserve their units.

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Monarch Tractor was established this time last year with the aim of helping the global agriculture industry move towards a more sustainable future. The company recognises that farmers today face numerous challenges including labour shortages, effects of climate change, safety concerns, increased customer scrutiny for sustainability demands and government regulations, and therefore wanted to create a product that will address all these issues.

Its brainchild, also named the Monarch Tractor, has been in the works for six years and is now ready to see the light of day.

“Monarch Tractor is ushering in the digital transformation of farming with unprecedented intelligence, technology and safety features,” said Monarch Tractors co-founder & CEO, Praveen Penmetsa.

“We have assembled a world-class team of farmers, engineers, and scientists to meet today’s farming demands and are empowering farmers by giving them intelligent tools to collect more predictive data to implement sustainable practices, better share their story and make more money.

“Hundreds of farmers have signed on to receive a Monarch Tractor and we look forward to delivering a new level of sustainability and efficiency to their existing farm operations."

As you can imagine, the Monarch Tractor is equipped with a wide range of the latest technology to allow for a completely emissions free and unmanned operation.

It is fully battery powered with an operation time of over 10 hours at full charge, according to Monarch Tractor. As it runs on electric and not diesel, it emits no harmful emissions and is therefore environmentally friendly.

The tractor’s electric drivetrain is capable of providing 40hp of continuous power and short duration peak power up to 70hp.

It is also capable of performing as a generator in the field. And with extra storage capacity, it can also act as an ATV, Monarch added.

But what truly makes the Monarch Tractor special is its ability to drive itself. It is equipped with the latest autonomous hardware and software technology to provide driver-assist and driver-optional operations. The tractor can perform pre-programmed tasks without a driver or an operator can use Monarch’s interactive automation features including Gesture and Shadow modes to have the tractor follow a worker on the job.

Safety is perhaps one of the key concerns when it comes to a self-driving tractor, so Monarch Tractor has installed various safety technology on the unit to prevent accidents such as the tractor running someone or something over.

It has a roll and collision prevention, a vision-based Power Take Off (PTO) safety and 360 degree cameras to keep things running smoothly and employees safe.

In fact, the Monarch Tractor is not just a tractor that just does what it’s told and nothing else. It collects and analyses over 240GB of crop data every day it operates in the field. Sensors and imaging are processed to provide critical data points that can be used for real-time implement adjustments as well as long term yield estimates, current growth stages and other rop health metrics, Monarch said.

Utilising machine learning, Monarch Tractor is able to digest this data and provide long-term analysis of field health, improving accuracy the longer it runs. Additionally, the data collected is securely stored in a Monarch cloud.

Via a smartphone or personal device, farmers receive tractor alerts, updates on current micro-weather conditions, detailed operations reports, data collection, analysis, and storage for more efficient farm planning.

“As a fourth-generation farmer, I’ve seen firsthand the hazards that farming presents not just to workers, but to the environment as well,” said Monarch Tractor chief farming officer, Carlo Mondavi.

“Monarch Tractor is moving farming toward a safer and sustainable future by eliminating harmful emissions, reducing the need for herbicides and keeping workers out of harm’s way with its driver-optional capabilities.”

Aly Wente of Wente Vineyards in California is adding two new Monarch Tractors to the vineyard’s fleet in an attempt to further reduce the operation’s carbon footprint in 2021.

“Adopting sustainable farming practices is core to our family and company values,” she said.

“We look forward to learning how Monarch can continue to help us create a more sustainable future, while also providing an efficient and safe environment for our teams.”

In its earlier stages, the Monarch Tractor has received several awards for its innovation, including the “2020 Tractor of the Year” in the AgTech Breakthrough Awards, “Top 10 Best New Products” at the World Ag Expo and was recognised in Fast Company’s “Best World-Changing Ideas: North America, Energy and Food.”

“The Monarch Tractor’s autonomous features take it from just an environmental sustainability idea to a really higher productivity implement,” said Hopville Farms owner, Jim Hoffmann.

“There are a lot of ‘must do’ things on the farm that you would like to see done autonomously and not dedicating people to having them do… this tractor can do it more efficiently.”

The Monarch Tractor has a starting price of USD$50,000.