This Electric Tractor Might Change the Future of Farming and Food!
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- Опубликовано: 9 июл 2024
- The Monarch self-driving Electric Tractor will help change how our food is produced with connected data to assist farmers with maintaining crops.
For more on the future of farming check out our story on robots doing the farming for you:
• Iron Ox Is Thinking Wa...
00:00 - Monarch Electric Tractor
00:49 - Tractor Attachments
02:56 - How a Tractor EV Sees People and Crops
03:46 - Counter Balance Electric Battery
04:17 - Electric Tractor Specs, Charge Time, Horsepower, EV Transmission, Cost
04:59 - Utility Space
05:18 - How an Electric Tractor Communicates
06:32 - Controls
07:56 - Why Autonomy for a Tractor
10:07 - Why Buy an Electric Self-Driving Tractor?
12:27 - Other Electric Tractor Companies, Solectrac, John Deere, Ztractor
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My son works for a local John Deere dealership as a tech. His specialty is working on the large tractors 8-9 series which range from 300 to 600hp. These tractors when in tillage, planting or harvest modes are running 12 to 24 hours per day. VERY hard to believe that there is an electric solution that would fit that need. Everything fills a niche and this may work for a small tractor need or limited usage. Still need to see how long they last and what happens in the case where a tractor malfunctions and as a result someone is injured or killed. A good farmer in a tractor is monitoring the tractor and implements and also the soil conditions as well as the harvest products. Each application is different, in our area I don’t see the advantage yet.
The short term solution, buy more than one (expensive sure) or build a station that can help swap batteries. (Or just wait for the tech to improve) But I think their goal is to reach full autonomy. If it reaches full autonomy, you need less ranch hands needed to finish the task in the same amount of time. They would probably still need human assistance in case of malfunctions but for larger farms, one person could watch over multiple machines and just fix the malfunctions.
Electric can scale to this size but they have to start with broader markets in order to build into the more niche/expensive markets.
I think tractors that ran on hydrogen would work pretty well (not a farmer lol)
Good point Mr Lutzke, but here is my thought. Since the tractor is moving in a controlled space (farm) why not have the option to plug and use. Yes overhead lines which will keep supplying power and the tractor can work eternally (Or till there is power outage ! :) ) For any other unplanned use you can always have the battery option.
@@rishishenoy at one time the average farms in my area consumed 85 to 150 acres of land. Modern farms now consume thousands of acres with fields anywhere from 20 to 150 acres each normally with residential homes mixed in on the edges as well as wooded areas, lakes etc. There are many challenges to make this conversion. I grew up at a time when my grandpa milked 18 cattle on average and farmed 85 acres with 2 tractors. He never sprayed a field, when weeds were present in the fields we walked the fields and pulled them out by the roots. Nobody had cleaner looking fields than he had. If we are going to change our future it would be wise to understand ( all ) of the impacts that these changes will require and have tested these plans before we make major changes. If not we could end up with a solution is no better or worse than we have now. Need to keep in mind there are two main objectives here. To hopefully help improve our world ( and ) those that support these changes with their main objective is getting rich. That is where a lot of politicians come in. Push these needs to save the earth then hop on their private jets to fly 5o a meeting or take a vacation. When you start thinking big picture you really have to wonder who is telling the truth about anything. Have a Great day! Steve…
What about right to repair. One aspect of farm equipment is that the farmer was able to work on it himself. Critical at times when you have a very narrow window for some sorts of work. But in the last few years John Deere and other tractor companies have come close to sealing their machines so that only an authorized dealer can service them.
On another topic. One things farms have, is lots of space. More than enough to instal a designated solar system to charge the equipment. Either with a large storage battery you can charge your tractor from, or a modular battery system like industrial forklifts where you swap out batteries so you can charge one while still running the machine.
while farms have a lot of space.
they dont have a lot of unused space. the only practical spot to put solar panels are roofs.
roofs on farm buildings... so for most american farms you have barns and sheds and thats it.
as for out in the field good luck with that.
as for battery swapping youre stupid if you think swapping out a battery with a forklift is a good idea (because fun fact MOST FORKLIFTS HAVE AN ISSUE WITH TIPPING FORWARD.)
as for spots to put batteries you have about 3 spots. where the engine is if you use hub motors for small tractors (Which wont give you a lot of battery space in the first place because small engines can be very powerful to keep the small form factor.
and where gas tanks are kept. which are generally in two different spots on each side. larger tractors this ill be more useful but again small tractors are kinda screwed.
as for large tractor the problem is inversed. now you dont have the massive engine spot space for batteries but the fuel tanks are much larger to fit batteries. just that they wont be hot swappable. because most of the time they fill in spaces where there isnt something important taking up most of the space in the first place.
Lots of space…we know, some farmers doesn’t give space for good performance, only for big production, no trees, it’s take too much room…. and then, less and less water, less quality, less everything and you reach a stupid goal => a desert !
@@MYGM350 no.
what youre talking about is poor dirt management which is caused by planting the same crop year after year.
which causes issues because those plants only eat select stuff from the dirt however that leaves an excess of the stuff said plant didnt eat and leaves very little of what it does, and by the time the next year crop gets put in, the dirt didnt have time to recover from the loss meaning over time the dirt itself breaks down by dying, more or less
@@MYGM350 Smart farmers devid fields with strips of forest to serve as windbreaks. But there seems to be a shortage of smart farmers, or farmers in general, these days.
roof's provide enough power to to run the entire farm, you can extend it to the needed capacity. all the technology is there already. it just needs to be done.
A 30 minute commercial for Monarch Tractors.
Plus, a few throw away comments about a few other ev autonomous tractor companies.
Great.
Wonderful.
itll be interesting how they approach right to repair... i have a feeling that these will all be locked down, repairs only at dealer, and plannned obsolecense
This is one of the most important concerns
It’s electric so maintenance won’t be a concern so much
They already are. John Deere has been called out on its right-to-repair practices, particularly when it comes to the automation systems. IIRC, they have sued farmers under the DMCA and for patent infringement for using aftermarket parts and making repairs.
@@ramin123a I don't think u own an EV .
I don’t know about planned obsolescence, in fact the IOT does just the opposite. A new feature or improved operation is just a download away. That being said I hope they do have some network for physical repairs as all the drive by wire could make DIYs more challenging.
Skeptical that this is going to revolutionize farming. I love electric an this thing might be super handy on a orchard or hobby farm but the majority of farming in the US is done by that other third of tractors that are 500 horsepower. They work 12 hour days under heavy load certain times of the year. I wish I could say that I think electrification of those tasks were just around the corner but I don’t think so. We don’t have the energy storage.
Yes, but the other common tractor application is as a chore tractor on livestock farms & anywhere from 60-160 hp used to feed hay etc and typically only for a few hours once or twice a day. I can see some possibility of chore machines being electric powered, but probably some resistance to overcome, farmers like diesel power!
@@davidkottman3440 I agree. I don’t think farmers are as resistant to technology as a lot of people think. If it adds value and is economical enough farmers will use it. It’s a steep price for a tractor of its size though. I think every farm would have one if they were a third the price. At any price, I don’t think a little tractor that is handy for chores is going to “change the future of farming and food” as the video suggests.
@@judelarkin2883 It's a proof of concept. Electric tractors have 2 major advantages: torque, electric motors are awesome at cranking out torque, and fuel costs which is 1/3 that of diesel. THAT will sell the electric tractors. The killer disadvantage is the 20 hour days at 80-100% power load. ATM, you would need a forklift to refuel the big boys. And that would also mean a number of expensive battery packs lying around in the off season.
I'm really happy someone is actually working on this tech.
Imagine how much of a hole has to be dug for just one battery pack for one tractor.
The old lead-acid batteries for a forklift were powerful enough for an entire shift, but then had to be charged for the next shift.
Extra battery? Check.
A thousand pounds of battery, should be no problem, right?
That’s in a warehouse, on level floor, and all muscle to move them.
You aren’t changing out one of those in a field even one mile away.
@@dangeary2134 exactly. thus the problem.
The real question is: Can the farmers get parts and manuals to FIX the tractors? Or are they going to get the John Deere treatment?
John Deere Treatment.
In planting season the tractor needs to run 24 hours. Can't wait for 4-5 hours to charge. A change out battery cartridge would be a great option.
EVs already supercharging in 15 min
I think the "killer feature" for electric tractors is going to be how repairable/open it is. Farmers are a crafty bunch and anything you do to let them repair/customize their equipment will probably be well received.
I'd bet these are locked down maybe even attached to a cloud. Pay some license fee to allow access into some parts. Be great for a company to start with a bare bones electric vehicle like the antique tractors for more of a mass adoption item rather than a tech toy. Tech toys are great and some farmers could use it, but a cheap viable alternative is even better.
It will be no different
"How repairable".. they are not. You have to replace major components far more often. Especially the expensive battery
@@readypetequalmers7360 My take too. You'll have to pay a subscription to get autonomous farming. They probably won't have repair manuals available either. Like modern cars.
They'll be tied down by the DMCA. Farmers will have to crack the DRM and violate the law to use the tractors the way they want. Like what's happening with John Deere.
I totally agree with the comment about the "killer feature" being farmers' right to repair. Maybe if the tractors are designed with affordable replacement modules would be a good compromise. Especially if the modules could be built and sold by 3rd parties.
I think they are a long way off from having something to replace a JD 9RX , Fendt 1167 or the Quadtrack 620 which can pull an 80 ft digger for 12 straight hours , refuel in 15 min and go for 12 more hours
smwring 8 time oth batreé 32 ghoreß
Great idea, just strange that they built a tractor with a massive fixed roof and didn't put a solar panel on it. Even if the panel can't charge the battery as fast as it gets used, it'll be a great range extender and the farmer can dump this thing in a bay in a far off or awkward field and it'll manage the field all by itsself.
That size panel might take about two years to charge the tractor. But I get your point. Maybe a huge panel could work a little.
Solar is shockingly inefficient when it comes to powering vehicles.
@@selectbrands But it can continue to charge the batteries even when the machine is not in use.
A modern farm tractor has to be used for hours on end during times of planting, harvesting and general use of any given day. A farmer can't be stopping to charge a tractor all the time when the pressure is on to get work done. Many tractors require 100 hp or more on large farms.
Even small farms are running at least 200hp tractors for primary farming tasks (the 100hp units are used for incidental tasks like mowing, light loader work, picking rocks, feeding cattle). Large farms that provide the bulk of our food supply are using 500-700hp tractors and combines (oftentimes running 24 hrs a day).
@@jeffc6832 I worked on my uncle's dairy farm years ago and the largest tractor he had was about 80 hp.
@@commonsenserules7995 I'm talking about ~1000 acre crop farmers (like my Dad). Years ago they were using maybe 150-180 hp tractors, but most farms that size won't run anything less than 250 and up now. Big farmers (look up a Mike Mitchell on RUclips) that farm thousands of acres run fleets of 600hp tractors with giant air drills.
During the spring and fall when you are under pressure to get a crop in or out, you can’t be sitting around for 4 hrs waiting to charge a tractor so you can get 6 hrs of run time. In big farming operations they may be running 16 hrs a day. This tractor could be good in some operations, but not when you are farming thousands of acres. I have solar panels and even a battery powered 42 inch zero turn mower. I’m not against the technology, but charging time can be a serious drawback when production has to be done in a limited time.
Not to mention the heat. Electric zero turns seem ok (mine was nickel cadmium though) but a bigger battery like this in the heat idk.
@@devinpol4258 The heat and the cold. I run my tractor every month of the year, and running 1000 lb bales to pasture when it's less than 10⁰ out will kill the battery life.
yeah, tractors often need to run for a good 32 hours nonstop during harvest or seeding, electric just isn't viable
Double battery pack, like in big farms, double tractors, more and more tractors, biggers, etc… think about a solar station recharging some batteries packs while another packs are in use.
Does it come with a front end loader? Can it move round bales of hay? Can it move square bales of hay? Does it come with a spare battery and is changing the battery even a viable option for the farmer? Lots of questions here.
The battery will weigh no less than 1000 pounds. The spare battery will come in the form of a spare tractor.
@@selectbrands The run time is 10 minutes after the first year.
Its not really for that. Yes the small acre compact tractor market is large but this is aimed at the orchard, berry and vineyard industry. Ability to spray autonomously is huge. The tight row cultivation and other easily automated task work is what this technology is useful for
Hiring people to do other chores and leaving the higher paying, higher stress jobs to the tractors, is pretty compelling.
With it nearly impossible to find labor for outdoor, manual work and the possibility to remove me or other workers from exposure to chemical and other field hazards makes the possibilities of a tractor like this a very attractive option. Yes, the range is a little short, but we are talking small power tractors here - not the 200 - 300 hp behemoths that are often used for much longer work days. I can definitely see the possibilities here.
I'm not a farmer and I don't have land, but I need one of them :D
Thoug 6-10 hours working time is not enough in peak season. I hope the batteries can be swapped so the farmer can use the tractor day and night. I like the idea that while I sleep at home my equipment makes me money.
My grandfather bought a tractor in 1951 that he used for 40yrs until he died...now my uncle uses it. It's gas powered, 71yrs old, and still works. I guarantee this electric tractor won't be working 20yrs from now. The avg. EV battery pack lasts 17yrs and costs $132/kwh of capacity. Also, electronics break down much more than mechanical systems...and the average farmer isn't going to make field repairs to his electronic controllers or EV battery systems.
you change the bateries, are you kidding me? now, dont say that your grandfather didnt do any repair on his tractor in 40 years :P. Btw its a known fact that any electric car have alot less maintainance and repairs then any gas cars by a huge distance.
@@sentra6661 You are clueless..
@@sentra6661 Absolutely clueless.
@@sentra6661 Yeah, but he didn't have to take it to a dealer and have it hooked up to their laptop, pay their labor rate and their prices.
oh common man, there is no car these days on gas or electric to not go to computer with it, this is not an argument
The size of those tractors is perfect for fitting in the corridors, in between the lines of plants, in Agrivoltaics.
you can chose the corridor distance in agrovoltaics. the only probem that it is cheaper to use the land only for PV or for AG.
the biggest usage of sub thirty horse tractors is mowing grass and snow removal, most ag tractors are 50 HP or greater. also needs a front in loader to be versatile in the 30HP size. the next question is how are these things going to deal with the corrosive enviroment that is a farm
I’d love to see one with no automation but with a front end loader
My sentiment exactly. Farm produced solar electricity fuels my car one day it may fuel my truck and tractor.
What an excellent exploration for a much needed application of the technology. It is so interesting to envision the farm as a place about renewable energy, robotics and cloud utilization for a majority of all of the tasking to plant, grow and harvest crops! Really intense idea. My father worked farms that were served with horse drawn plows and heshers. Wild to see and think of this!!!
Teenage me would have loved the automation. I looked forward to school starting in the fall so I could get a break from the farm work - dairy farm and I was assigned all of the field work for hay once I could reach the tractor controls.
In the meantime, farming machinery currently runs on diesel fuel. If we are to avoid massive food shortages, we had better focus on getting fuel to the farmers at an affordable price.
I'd love to know that my own job will never be automated - but that's probably what farm workers were thinking not too long ago. What's the price of food going to be when every farm is working at maximum efficiency and there's never going to be a worker shortage? What happens to migrant labor when they're no longer needed? Can these tractors be used in conjunction with LED lights/solar panels to grow food in caves on Mars or the Moon? Can they do aquaculture so that we can eat sustainably farmed fish? I have a million questions, and I hope to live long enough to find out the answers.
The Monarch Tractor will " run for over 10 hours on a single charge (3-4 hours of PTO use) and takes 4-5 hours to charge on ... 230V with a standard 80 amp charger..." (quote from their reseller website). Given that the PTO may be working 10 hours plus in a day, this is not feasible. It is notable too that it uses hydraulic fluids (fossil), which I thought this was supposed to be a move away from. [Yes, I know many implements use hydraulics, that is part of the irony in this machine.]
This was really fascinating Brian, actually makes me kind of excited about the future.
It's all about energy density. Lithium batteries have very poor energy density compared to diesel fuel or gasoline, which have extremely high energy density.
But the energy efficiency is far higher than a diesel engine.
@@Simon-dm8zv Oh no it not! Lithium exists in very limited amounts on this planet. When it's gone, it's gone! And it's extremely expensive.
We now know that oil is not made by decaying dinosaurs. The earth naturally produces oil as a byproduct of microorganisms that live deep beneath the earth.
@@spartaeus Not really. The Earth’s crust contains many orders of magnitude more lithium atoms than we will ever need to extract. And the funny thing is: it will never be gone. It still exists even when the battery is completely worn out.
Also: we are using petroleum produces much faster than the earth is ever capable of producing. But apart from that we all know that we should reduce CO2 emissions as fast as possible.
50 years from now farmers will be using diesel tractors
@@Simon-dm8zv tractors weight 20 thousand pounds plus they pull massive machines and run for maybe a day non stop. Thats not feasible with electric any time soon. Not even close. Farm tractors are 500 hp. Not 40 . I have a 40 horse and that good for up to 20 acres.
Follow me was brilliant. I had suggested the local Garbage service have something like that back in the early 2000, when I watched one worker get in and out to move the truck (this was a time when they went onto you property to get the cans) down the road to stay even with the 2 workers.
wriñg
I owned several high end smart robot vacuum cleaners over the years.
From my experience, when it works, it works, when it fails, it fails big time.
I am waiting to see if they can come up to the levels of tractors they had in the movie Interstellar.
That dumb movie INTERSTELLAR had diesel tractors.
I could see this being utilized in a very small percentage of farms. Mainly like they showed here, just spraying in well designated orchards and similar fields. The other 90% of farms I don't see it being practical.
Repairability, access to data, and portability of data are the biggest concerns.
Farmers have gas tender trailers for a reason called efficiency. This is sooooo . Someone owning 5 or 10 acres might like one of those, that is about it.
This is another pie- in -the -sky article about the potential of electric vehicles. The title even says “might” not “will”.
A 5 acre hobby farm in California perhaps but I farm almost 2 hundred acres of hay and grain. The massive amount of horsepower required to break ground and pull implements will never be met by a battery powered vehicle.
lmao, this will not age well
wríng dusé 200 açerß éàßy
I think that a locomotive-style hybrid makes more sense for equipment like tractors. A locomotive powertrain consists of a small battery, possibly an older and cheaper type of battery. That uses a generator to charge the battery as needed, which is much more efficient than a physical transmission and drive shaft powering the wheels. I.C.E. engines operate best at specific RPM ranges. Because of this they typically aren't very efficient at low speeds and require a lot more energy in the form of liquid chemical fuel to achieve the same amount of power output as an electric motor does but the liquid fuel itself can store a lot more energy in the same amount of space and wait as a battery can. This could be done with any kind of generator and can be fueled in the same amount of time as an I.C.E. tractor. Personally, I want to experiment with a Stirling engine AKA a Hot air engine. It is an external combustion engine like a steam engine but It uses air instead of water. It produces very little torque but spins at incredibly fast RPMs which is what you would want from a generator. Also since there is no contact between the moving parts of the engine and the combustion process it will suffer less wear and need less maintenance.
no, combustion processes are just terrible inneficient by their nature. enough battery capacity is the real solution and way cheaper
I would like to buy an electric tractor, without the autonomous tech part, just electric. That's enough.
Nice video. 🙏🏼👍🏼👍🏼
"Rigitrac" from Switzerland has been building non-autonomous electric tractors for quite a few years now
biyvit
Perfect use case for autonomy. Great story.
Something not addressed here is the battery. Is it removable? Until the battery can be swapped out like a Dewalt tool, it's not going anywhere. This tractor lasts 6-10 hours. Put this under real work with a FEL and you'll probably be lucky to get 4 hours - not bad for just beginning but during the spring and fall farm equipment is running 22 hours per day. This might work in California but no farmer in the midwest is going to go for this.
The biggest problem with the EV industry right now is not having standardized swappable batteries. This will have to happen for electric vehicles to truly take off without taxing the grid. I have at least 9 batteries for my dewalt tools. I use every one of them. Some are charging while others are in equipment. I don't have time for the tools to be plugged in waiting for them charge 24 hours - or much longer on solar.
The width of the tractor is too narrow for the height. The center of gravity is too high - it will tip over very easy! Can this use ANY non-chipped equipment such as standard Cat 1 3-point or does it need to be specifically approved by the company?
Electric farm equipment is where electric vehicles were 15 years ago, very early stages. Someday you'll see these in a field near you or some type of electric tractor but probably not anytime soon.
I really like this tractor. Being electric and fly by wire is excellent. But it appears to not have a front loader. Todays tractors are moving toward the work functions of the tractor being off the front of the tractor rather than the the rear. However there is still a need to support legacy rear implements. A front loader is a fundamental feature these days. Almost no tractor is bought without a front loader. This tractor may sell well to orchards and vineyards but not to the larger market. I would buy a Monarch if if it had a front loader and front hydraulics sop I could use buckets, grapple, snow pusher, snow blade, and snow blower.
I’ve read it will be difficult to connect a loader to this tractor as a loader will block many sensors on it. They might have to completely redesign it to accomodate a loader.
You are expecting a computer to operate a loader?
@@deere7227 this tractor does have an operator station and looks like a traditional tractor. So it’s not inconceivable a loader could be mounted and controls fitted to the operator platform. If we are looking at an autonomous tractor without an operator station then fitting and operating a loader would be at the very least be expensive, complex and difficult to operate.
@@deere7227 The autonomy concept is great but will not handle every chore. That is why there is still manual controls. This is a nice expensive specialty tractor.
Most tractors in that size have loaders and hydrostatic transmissions. Lets not forget about no noise and not needing to handle diesel fuel.
There have been large farm tractors that have been autonomous for years and provide feedback on crops. The one thing this is missing is a loader. Most under 70 hp tractors sold have loaders.
I read this tractor may not be able to have a loader because the loader will block too many sensors.
I grew up on a farm. Driving a tractor can be, at times, monotonous. Your exposed to hazardous chemicals and harmful overexposure to the sun. Also over time bouncing around for hours on end is hard on your body as well. As this technology gets refined, it should be a phenomenal boon to this industry that is often plagued with not finding enough good help . To me, this holds much more benefit than electric cars.
We actually wanna use people and old ways of farming to maintain local population employed instead of driving crime and drug addiction or small town becoming gosht towns because all the young people move into cities plus substainable eco systems look at all the food being thrown away or the levels of obesity hypertention cancer because food is so cheap and is cheap because of toxic farming methods..
People where i live still used oxes and small farms run by famillies with part of the land having native forest to again keep healthy eco system using birds bats and other wild life to maintain pest under control instead of so many toxic agro chemicals.....
This is going to be a very expensive novelty with no practical use. In theory it is a great idea. This would work under absolutely perfect conditions. Farming is a very harsh environment. Break downs happen all the time and unexpectedly. A person needs to have a constant eye on the implements that are running.
Just another way to phase out human workers just like automated checkout at stores first the farmer will become a tool of the tractor instead of the other way around then he will be phased out altogether and farming will be done by corporate monopolies like Microsoft
Farmers get called backward a lot.. but we really embrace that technology..
This is an orchard tractor. I guess it might make sense. Those 2/3 small tractors mentioned are sold to small farmers, land owners and contractors. You aren't going to sell this to any of them. You need a front end loader which I'm guessing this thing couldn't handle. A lot of people also purchase a backhoe attachment which this thing really won't handle. Furthermore light weight plastic and aluminum isn't going to cut it. They really want the other 1/3 but most of that consists of very large tractors.
Thank you for chapters
I love this. Seems like a way easier problem to solve than moving people around
will need to bring a recharge to the field for some applications. a tank of diesel is way cheaper to take to the tractor.
It's about time that someone is making electric tractors; they're such a fantastic opportunity to reduce fuel consumption (and noise), while improving the tractor. I'd like to see a version with batteries that can be swapped to extend the tractor's run time.
What about the coal plants that have to generate electricity to charge this thing. And the windmills they throw into the desert. Diesel and gasoline is much more "cleaner" compared to making power plants ramp up.
And almost zero actual farmers will buy one. This is too small to be practical on anything larger than a hobby farm or orchard operation. Maybe some large property maintenance tasks.
This is a niche device, and as such its impact will be negligible.
@@lb969
Uhm, did you hear the statistic? A huge chunk of all purchased tractors are in the small HP range, and, moreover, the concept is incredibly easy to scale up to any size. Lastly, I'm a farmer working 500 acres, and I would buy it. This should be the perfect size to pull my 6-row no-till planter, as well as any odd jobs around the farm. I especially like the follow function, since it's ideal for maintaining fences - that's another function I've always wanted.
@@davidshipulski4532 diesel and gasoline is much more polluting than electric, you know, diesel doesnt grow on trees?
till the point you have diesel in your car it already consumed more electricity to make that happen than an electric car needs to drive the same range you can drive with the diesel. thats a fact, on top of the million other downsides of ice.
hydrogen is stupi technology that will never work anywhere and e-fuels are even worse than that.
there is no alternative to battery electric, it is so insanely better its not even worth comparing.
I like the concept, but I want to see an interviewer that shuts up and lets the dude that knows how it works talk without interrupting him every 2 seconds.
Wow. I really like him. Great interview and reporting, as per usual.
Pretty sure we are a long way's off from a battery tractor being able to tow and power 60ft wide cultivators and seeders. This is what is being used on the large farms out there. 40ft wide swathers! Half million dollar combines! HUGE! This toy is going back to the size of implements that were used in the 50's. Farms are way way bigger now. Also a big concern for farming is soil compaction. So if a large battery tractor was developed it would likely weigh as much as an M1 Abrams tank. The efficiency of modern farming is quite high. Different, sustainable fuels will be the more likely solution than this. During planting and harvest season NO FARMER would risk the entire year on a key piece of equipment that could not run 24hrs a day. I am sure some rich dude running a hobby farm will buy this for the deduction though.
can replace one gigantic tractor with several smaller ones
@@sluvington For almost the same price. Yeah, sure.
@@sluvington and then you need 4x the people to run them, you know that autonomous tech isn't going to be reliable.
Agrivoltaics: combining solar collection panels suspended above crops... harvests energy, saves water use, shades plants ... use generated power on farm and/or sell to grid, reduce water needs by shading plants from overheating, increase crop production ...
most major farms already have tractors that drive themselves so this is nothing new to a farmer. But it would be interesting to see the comparison between smaller electric tractors that work all night and day compared to large diesel tractors. So could 3 self driving small tractors replace 1 giant tractor production? Also the golf course and landscape business is where this technology should be applied before large farms IMO.
They also already use lots of data in farming. this made it sound like data would be available for the first time.
How does a small electric tractor work night and day? Wouldn’t the batteries die?
Will 3 electric mopeds replace a full sized car? HAHAHAHAHAHAA
three small tractors still wont be able to pull a plow that requires 500HP for 12 hours. The tractors here will maybe be useful in vineyards so rich people can feel better about their wine being produced by electric tractors which still get their energy from coal power..... this electric push is nice and I agree its something we need to look into but we are far from just replacing combustion engines.
Just check out the Millennial Farmer. The All Electric would b new. Also, Case IH is prototyping an autonomous tractor that i self driving, that doesn't have a cab. Its directed by remote.
Transparency...Brilliant!
For some crops we need the labour for harvest to direct seasonal workers, we can’t make labour obsolete during the year.
There are quite a few very large tractors for mowing grass(silage and hay) and feeding out 70hp will not do much also for contractors there is a need for large tractors.
For my own small operation I would like to get one of these electric tractors although don’t have the money. A 30-40 year old tractor 45hp does the job ok.
Good story. Thanks CNET
Awesome, thanks!
I’m concerned about bureaucrats some day requiring equipment that does not work as well as diesel. Harvesting is time sensitive requiring equipment to run nearly 24 hours without down time, maybe 6 hours at most. Plus, a lot of operations include spraying or turning up a lot of dust, these tractors do not have cabs with climate control. That alone uses a lot of energy
Easy change out battery is the only way this'll work. With the load that tractors have you'll need three sets of batteries. It'll be great when this comes to fruition. Love electric... 💯
no, you just need enough capacity.
simply amazing
Looking good so far. Interesting.
Great video 👍
John Deere has an all electric combine currently in field testing.
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4 too 5 hire fore ther bew iñe ñextvyear 6 too 7,5 hiúreß
I like the tractor that follows you while you work you are not getting off and on all the time
Half the autonomy they mention already exists to a degree in existing tractors and implements. Just ask the Millennial Farmer. His tractors drive themselves in strait lines across hi fields all the time. Though he is still sitting in the tractor babysitting when everything is working correctly. And as farm tractors go, that's a tiny one.
Adopting this tech in the USA will lead to severe food shortages once the tractors begin breaking down and components aren't available to repair them.
A lot of times farmers leave tractors in fields miles from their home. How are they going to charge them overnight?
The best things of a tactor are
1, Break is not so important
2, You don’t need air conditioner.
Worldwide production of grain in 2021/22, by type (in million metric tons). Corn- 1,207, Wheat - 778.6, Rice- 509.87, Barley- 157.05. And since data is the new oil, imagine having data from the farms on sowing, growing, harvesting...will this change food prices and make it more affordable for end customer or there is different proposition ...
I would sure like to know where all this electricity is going to come from. Especially when we are being warned to cut back on electricity usage because of power shortages.
Same place we charge our two cars from. Solar, or the grid on a controlled load.
The socialist elite are invested in electric because they will have complete control on the citizenry.
🤣🤣🤣
exactly right. Where will the power come from. with trillions of dollars spent making the US "green" and we are now between 2-3% of energy from "green" sources. "Green" is a huge joke when you consider how much land is being torn up per battery/car to harvest the rare earth minerals.
@@PeaceIntheValley could it be that going electric is a different form of power grab. Basically, a flick of a switch and the world of prolitariate deplorables is stopped. Just sayin'
I could see two versions of this. The one we see here and one without the human controls. Like a farm would have several that have no controls that do work already learned. And the one the farmer can use to train the system.
There is already a tractor out there with nowhere for the operator to sit. It’s called a Land Care Robot and they are selling now.
Even a tractor that's never intended to have an operator should still have an operator's platform. A non-enclosed platform is really cheap to add to a tractor, and would allow an operator on-board during delicate maneuvers(attaching implements, etc). The controls could be as simple as game-console controls plugged into a USB port.
If a tractor slides into a muddy ditch on the side of a field, I don't want to depend on a computer to get it back out without flipping over in the process. I would want to in some way be able to take the controls and finesse it out of the predicament. It's similar to kicking the idiot minimum-wage guy out of the cab so you can straighten out his mistakes. You don't simply tell him what steps to take to get the tractor unstuck, when he was the one who put it there in the first place.
@@jonathankipps9061 the trend is to make robotic and remote control vehicles that do not have an operator platform. If the tractor was bogged in mud or was stuck against a tree or down down a gully I don't know what advantage there would be by sitting on the machine with a controller for it or standing next to the machine with the same controller.
It might be better to be off the machine as it might be dangerous to be sitting on the tractor getting it out of trouble.
Sounds good for business and tech people, however seems very disconnected from practical farming. Should have first talked to users before designing.
These are big help on farms already it is amazing technology.
wouldn't you love an interviewer *not* interrupting the guy he's interviewing all the time and actually let's him talk.. yeah, me too..
Lithium is not a renewable energy. Fuels used for internal combustion engines are renewable.
Interesting use case. Will be interesting to see how quickly farmers adapt to both electric and autonomous. Driving a tractor is fun and most farmers are hands on people. Will be interesting to see what the adoption curve of this will look like.
It's easy, young people and big farms will adapt early, the others can give up or stay low profile if they don't have loans.
Won't catch up because a massive battery pack will increase costs of purchase and lower working shifts. For a reason companies as JCB are investing into Hydrogen ICE.
@@tomo1168 many that think battery powered tractors are a great idea, probably never put foot in a field ever. Or are aware of the energy required to plow a field.
@@RogerM88 we will see. tractors don't have to fly in the air, so i'm pretty sure in 10-25 y when battery-technology is enough good it will happen also with bigger tractors. electricity is just way cheaper than diesel and not just the engine but also the whole system with hydraulics etc. is way more efficient. an autonomus smaller truck will swap the tractors batteries while driving. hydrogen cell is not working bc of the vibration and the dust, that is why jcb is using ice h2. but don't forget, they also need a second specialised truck which is delivering the h2 to the site. it is only better in city-construction-environment where the city is regulation the exhaust gases. on the field there is no incentive to use h2 ice when you can use plain old diesel.
@@tomo1168 you can't reinvent Thermodynamics. Hydrogen ICE is far superior to any battery system for farming and heavy equipment, due to it quick refueling, more roughed powertrain, less need for complex electronics, decades of ICE Know How, cheaper to afford, more easily scaled in production. This Climate alarmism just focused in ICE powertrains, while excluding other industries and the impact of Human activities in the Natural Ecosystems, needs to be debated.
Those tractor arms seem to not have a float option, so ploughing with it isn't optimal.
Very interesting. I would like to have seen a comparison of the price for the Monarch and that of a similarly capable ordinary tractor.
The closest horse power comparison I could find from John Deere was the 3046R. I did not see a factory installed anatomist option for this tractor. However, if you add a canopy and light kit it comes out to about $38,200. This is also considered a compact tractor, used for light duty tasks. This is not a tractor that you will see out in a field in the midwest planting corn, soy beans, etc. That would be what john deere calls their row crop tractor that are 145 to 410hp. Deere's smallest row crop tractor with Deere "auto track" is about $190,000, and auto track has a $3000 yearly licensing fee.
@@WaukeePaintballer Thank you for your very thorough reply. 😀
Lol. Nah. Lots of problems with this:
Adding electronics/sensors to a mechanical system does nothing to address weaknesses in the mechanical system. The roof is liable to get ripped off driving under tree branches or roofs, the 3-point cylinder is upside down, electronics are ok at diagnosing problems with non-electronic systems but terrible at diagnosing electrical problems. And that's just how this one is worse mechanically than current tractors, as observed by a random dairy farmer in a few minutes of video.
As a glorified lawn tractor 6-10 hours run time and 4-5 hours charge time is fine, but for serious ag tractors during planting or harvest 90-95% continuous uptime (on a scale of weeks) including refueling is a minimum.
Others have mentioned the repairability issue, which is huge.
The only rational interest in this company or concept is as a long-term stock short. If you can't draw the entire electrical schematic of a tractor by hand on a single 8.5x11 sheet of paper you're doing it wrong.
Electrical schematics haven't been that simple since the 1990's. Anything with a cab/heat/AC automatically exceeds your 'sheet of paper' requirement, and that doesn't count powershift transmissions or common-rail fuel injection.
@@jonathankipps9061 There are as many tractors from the '90s in the field as tractors from the '70s, even though the tractors from the '90s are 20 years newer. Complicated can do fancy tricks, but simpler is better.
@@christopherbaird4952 I've got several 90's SAME tractors that weren't too complicated to begin with. And still, once I got to the point where electrical problems were becoming nuisance, I pulled the entire wiring harness and rewired everything with a far simpler design that I can fix and trouble shoot in a matter of minutes. I'm sure I'm not the only one who has become annoyed at how overly complicated the wiring on modern tractors has become.
Amazing 👍
The movement towards digitization of farming. Electrification of tractors isn’t by itself bad. Reductionism to ultimately remove the farmer and allow monopoly take-over by large corporations of the production of food adds to our loss of control, loss of freedom. We can see this by the large tracts of farmland being purchased by certain billionaires and the alliances between poison companies and farm equipment mfrs to track human farmer behavior. Food as our connection to the earth/nature, is systematically being removed for profit & control.
so excellent
No loader? I spent 30 years on a farm and I know most farmers need multi functional tractors. A loader is essential.
Yeah how would you move dirt and rocks
@@hollyssimplelife1634 For rocks you just get a rock picker which this might be to small the handle. This isn't a field tractor.
I miss all the old CNET crew. I'm really glad Brian is still rolling. His stories and delivery never fail to disappoint.
farming globally will be revolutionised over the coming decade or two.
excellent
I think this will become a useful tool and can possibly be labor saving but I feel this will be a slow change unless subsidized by the government farmers are the front line of economic pain meaning that the get hurt the most. When we look back at the development of our country we can see our roots are firmly planted in a agrarian society agrarianism is responsible for the development of a great many things throughout the nation but agrarianism today is treated as all it is less than other employable opportunities we need to change that mindset food is the most important thing we can produce and by assisting the agrarian culture to develop safe economic working practices is important
They should make batteries swappable
There are times in a year where we will in 12 hour shifts 24 hours a day. Planting, harvest and irrigation. I don't see anything running on a permanently mounted battery keeping up with that. The automation tech had brilliant potential.
Modern tractors already have the automation, they just use safety drivers.
@@bowez9 you correct but the programing of modern tractor is limited by the manufacturer to changing parameters, bot writing your own programs
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There's a reason why they show this tractor in light-duty applications. The issue is not the power, it is the ability to apply that power. under high load, over the course of a very long day. Frankly, I do not believe claims of "6 to 8 hours at high load", unless their definition of "high load" in vastly different from mine. Combine this with the 4-5 hour recharge time and you will have a tough sell to many farmers. I have no doubt that there will be successful electric farm tractors, but I doubt that the battery tech currently exists to make them a true diesel replacement with equivalent utility.
When farmers using ICE tractors see how much more productive and profitable the farms using electrics are, they'll switch.
@@TommyJonesProductions I agree...WHEN they see that. The questions is whether that is any time soon. I doubt that given current battery technology.
A typical row crop tractor would require a 20,000 lb battery and would only run for 4 hours. During planting and harvest the tractors will be working at least 12 hours a day. There is no time for recharging a battery. In addition every square mile of farm ground in the US would need to be rewired for high capacity 3 phase supply lines for recharging. It would probably cost a $ trillion to upgrade the power system and it would only be used at full capacity a few months out of the year.
A row tractor in any of the 3 main categories small, medium and large, would likely need some kind of energy storage system that is swap-able in order to have the kind of endurance needed. Yank out the drained pack, thrown in a fresh one and take the drained one back to the shed to plug-in. Or something that can last 18 hours under high load.
I said that to John Deere engineering 20 years ago when I worked at dealer
India welcome to India This type of technology
When it can pull 60 foot of tool bar 16 hours a day get back to me.
From what I see these units are for smaller jobs .
@@kingtut5923 And that is why electric tractors are a foolish idea..
cost and time to charge the tractor?
This is so Star Wars. I love it. "Get those droids working on those evaporators."
That tractor is so dope
built an electric tractor out of an old 8n last fall. works fine, easy to use, quiet and pulls more then a gas powered 8N ever could . it either spins out or goes that the only two choices . under my current configuration i am good for about 4 hours of working it, per a charge
REALLY
no way
Can you document/video/publish your achievement? According to wiki the 8N weighed about a ton; is your modified tractor the same weight? What size (kWhrs and technology) is the battery pack?
góod firvyiu
Regular tractor prices have gotten out of hand, no way am I interested in spending 68k for a 40hp tractor that doesn't even include a loader, no dealer network, and who aside of the dealer knows how to work on it? What a deal right?...
The people at monarch are smarter than me. But the environment in which a tractor works is dirt and dust.
The cockpit and the control systems in there must be protected by glass or any lighter alternatives. Otherwise it will cause problems in the long run.
Other than that heavy duty models should also be explored also custom made attachments and tools should also be made. Custom settings gps
co ordinates for restricting work space and other venues and features should also be explored. I am sure it will be a wonderful addition to the farming industry.
Oh there are plenty of tractors out there without full enclosures, Deere has them. Their called tiny or toy tractors and not intended for long days in a field. Some don't even have a cover over the top at all
It will take a long time to be accepted, but over-the-road trucks would be a good place for this technology. Lone grueling hours behind the wheel, having to pay two drivers or park the truck for over half the day. It would pay the owners big money, but would also knock out one of the biggest employers of middle-class income personnel.
There are no “real” farmers or even ranchers using tractors of this size. This is a 5-10 acre hobby farm size.
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