Electric, self-driving capable tractors roll into California North Coast vineyards
Several farm, vineyard and dairy owners in the North Coast are among those employing driverless, all-electric-powered tractors, a development viewed by some as a game-changer, especially in an era of labor shortages and goals to reduce carbon emissions.
This zero-emissions sustainability trend also includes a variety of potential multimarket tractor customers with large lawns, turf farms, orchards and gardens. Small hobbyist and specialty-crop (fruit and vegetable) farmers, municipal landscapers, nurseries as well as vineyard and grounds management firms are also interested in these tractors. Other uses include deployment at golf courses, sports fields, and equestrian centers.
While there are no comparable forecasts to date showing growth trends for zero-emissions tractors, however, the EV share of U.S. and global auto markets doubled in 2022.
By the end of the third quarter, total new car, SUV, truck and van sales dropped 12.6%, but EV sales surged 70.7% accounting for one of every 20 new cars sold, doubling EV’s market share of total new car sales in just a year, reported by Investopedia in December 2022.
‘A lot of excitement in Napa these days’
Trefethen Family Vineyard in Napa took delivery of two Monarch MK-V all electric tractors in January.
“We are teaching ourselves how to use this automated system and benefit from its ability to improve field safety and streamline farming operations throughout our 400-acre vineyard,” said Hailey Trefethen, third-generation vineyard co-owner.
On board is a system that has a 360-degree sensing and imaging suite that stores information collected within a 9-foot radius around the tractor and provides Trefethen managers with feedback from its sensors.
According to Trefethen, using a smartphone or personal device, managers can receive tractor status alerts, detailed operations reports.
Hailey Trefethen said her family vineyard team can also plug in light towers powered by the tractor for night harvesting. The base price for the MK-V is $88,998.
“This sophisticated tractor system shows us where gaps exist in our environmental protection efforts so we can make improvements — which is a big motivator for us. These tractors will easily fit within our vineyard management program as well as through our vine rows,” Trefethen said.
The Monarch MK-V is reported to be the first zero-emissions smart tractor with an artificial intelligence (AI) automation package that includes a self-driving capability (it can be “trained” to remember and run route passes in a field) along with auto follow-on, a feature enabling the tractor to keep up with workers on foot as they move forward to perform pruning, picking and weed removal activities.
With low unemployment percentages for the U.S. (3.4%) and California (4.1%) based on recent U.S. Labor Department statistics, some ag industry firms see the driverless option as one way to offset labor shortages while freeing up available employees for other duties.
The MK-V also comes with rollover protection and a safety sensor that will stop it from moving forward if it detects a human within 5 feet. It has a hill slope-holding function, a smart four-wheel drive option, along with split braking, and a three-prong hitch, and can serve as a portable generator for welding and other powered field equipment.
She said while Trefethen produces 10 grape varietals, their MK-Vs (charged by pairing the tractor with the vineyard’s solar array), are being deployed initially in the vineyard’s employee vegetable garden. The company is also involved in a carbon dioxide capture project and sells its CO2 to brewers and could do the same to dry ice producers.
“There is also a lot of excitement in Napa these days about reducing the use of herbicides by increasing the frequency of tractor passes through local vineyards using compact tractors,” Hailey Trefethen said.
'Continuous operations are possible using a swappable battery’
Constellation Brands received the first six Monarch MK-V tractors on Dec. 1, 2022. Among Monarch’s California early customers are Wente Vineyards in Livermore Valley, Foley Family Farms LLC in Sonoma, Beckstoffer Vineyards in Napa, V. Sattui Winery in Napa and Solano counties, Gallo Vineyards in Modesto and Bobby Vineyards LLC in Lodi.
Monarch tractors have been used in California wineries since 2020. Zimeno, Inc., doing business as Monarch Tractor, is headquartered and operates what has been the company’s first pilot assembly plant in Livermore producing Monarch tractors at its 36,000 square foot facility. The first MK-V came off the assembly line on Dec. 1, 2022. Some 55 MK-V tractors have been produced to date.
