The Advent of Self-Driving EVs for the Agriculture
The US and other countries are actively promoting vehicle electrification as a "decarbonization strategy" for the transportation sector. There has also been a lot of discussion and experimentation with self-driving automobiles. Agriculture is poised to be the first sector to combine those two technologies in the form of self-driving EV tractors.?
A company called Monarch Tractors has begun selling electric-powered, "driver optional" tractors designed for use in vineyards, orchards, and dairy farms. After years of technological development, the first units rolled off the line at its Livermore, CA manufacturing facility. The first customer purchased 6 of these MK-V tractors. Monarch raises US$ 110M in investment including a US$ 61M Series B round and strategic partnership with CNH Industrial CNHaI 0.8% and V.S.T. Tiller tractor. They have also signed a contract manufacturing agreement with Foxconn to manufacture the MK-V and its battery pack at the Ohio facility. Astute Analytica estimates that the growth graph of global agriculture tractors will register a tremendous CAGR of 5.8% during the forecast period.?
The 3Ds?
There are many reasons why this technology is useful for farms. First, it is becoming increasingly difficult to hire tractor operators. That job has been described as the three "D's" – "dirty, dull, and dangerous".?
Growing Technological Advancement in self-driving EVs?
Even at $30/hour, there aren't many farmers interested in driving long hours up and down the rows to mow, dust, sprinkle, and perform other essential gardening tasks. This can be hot and dusty work, and since these relatively small tractors do not have the enclosed cabs that are typical of larger equipment used for row crops, drivers may be required to wear protective gear that is inconvenient on hot days. With this new tractor technology, an operator sitting in a comfortable room can supervise 4 or 8 tractors with a user-friendly interface.?
What is the NVIDIA Jetson edge AI Platform??
Each unit is programmed, and GPS-guided to navigate the layout of the specific property it is being deployed on. They are also equipped with 360-degree cameras to report any issues in their tender. The tractors use advanced autonomous and robotic hardware and the NVIDIA Jetson edge AI platform that allows for driver-assisted or driver-optional operations. The tractors also have data ports for various sensors to collect location-specific data to support the farmer's need for compliance with traceability and sustainability information for various certifications or ESG goals. It should be pretty easy to find people willing to take on the roles of overseeing these units.?
Use of MK-V in the agriculture sector?
The MK-V addresses several environmental issues. They're not burning diesel fuel and thus avoid those tailpipe emissions. They have a lower overall carbon footprint and this is an even more dramatic advantage for farms that have solar installations. Tractors have significant horsepower (40 continuous, 70 peaks) and so they can pull a variety of implements and/or navigate sloped land. They are narrow enough to negotiate even 6-foot rows and otherwise minimize soil compaction near the roots in the tree/vine row. They can be used in the dark. The battery can be recharged in 5-6 hours with a level-2 charger, and those batteries can also be used to power other operations at a winery or can act as a microgrid in the case of power outages.?
领英推荐
Upgrading Monarch Chief Farming by Agricultural Tractors?
Monarch's Chief Agricultural Officer, Carlo Mondavi (see image above), comes from a well-known wine grape industry family, and it was this approach that led him to recognize the grower's need for such a solution. The viticulture industry has historically been the starting point for the introduction of new technologies. There is also a good synergy with many tree-fruit crops that are moving to higher plant densities. Berry, vegetable, and tree nut growers are also showing interest in the technology. It has also been found that these tractors are an excellent fit for the task of "feed pushing" in dairy operations as it is a 24/7 task.?
So, with this innovation from Monarch, specialty crop agriculture is starting to move forward with electrification and "smart tractors" and will upgrade an important but previously less desirable job.?
Get in touch with us:
Phone number: +18884296757
Email:[email protected]
Visit our website:https://www.astuteanalytica.com/