Silicon Valley start-up debuts electric tractor

In December last year, agriculture technology start-up company Monarch Tractor, which has been referred to as the ‘Tesla of the agriculture world’, introduced the world’s first single unit, fully electric, driver-optional smart tractor.

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Based in California’s Silicon Valley and run by a team that includes big names such as former Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg, Monarch Tractor aims to start delivering its fully electric, autonomous tractor at a price tag of US$50 000 (about R730 000), by the end of this year.

The company said in a statement released to announce the launch of the tractor that the machine would “usher in the digital transformation of farming with unprecedented intelligence, technology and safety features”.

According to the company, some of the many challenges the tractor would address include labour shortages, the effects of climate change, worker safety, increased customer scrutiny for sustainability and government regulations on issues such as carbon emissions.

Monarch Tractor, the statement said, tackled these challenges by combining electrification, automation, machine learning and data analysis to enhance farmers’ existing operations, increase labour productivity and safety, cut overhead costs and emissions, and maximise yield.

The company said it had already secured several hundred working farms as preliminary customers.

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