There's a new autonomous tractor giant in town! The Monarch MK-V tractor is a revolutionary machine and has won numerous awards since it was first unveiled in December 2020, including being named to the 2022 CNBC Disruptor 50 list, recognized as a CES 2022 Innovation Award Honoree, and awarded “Overall AgTech Solution of the Year” in the 2021 AgTech Breakthrough Awards.
According to their website, farmers can "Reduce your annual operational expenditure, with cost savings of up to $18K per tractor" and "save an average of 2,100 gallons of diesel when you switch to one MK-V electric tractor", with a base starting price at $74,998.
“This is a momentous day for Monarch Tractor that has been years in the making,” said Praveen Penmetsa, co-founder and CEO of Monarch Tractor, which was founded in 2018. “Our team has worked tirelessly and relentlessly with a mission to make farming more profitable and sustainable. We’re proud to see our commitment to technological innovation and sustainable solutions culminate in celebrating our first tractor off the production line, which, I might add, is powered by renewable energy.”
Constellation Brands, based out of Oakville, California, received the first MK-V tractors back in December 2022. Since then, Harinder Dhaliwal, General Manager of Constellation Brands claims that "We’ve used the Monarch tractors pretty much to do any operation we would do with a conventional tractor — under vine cultivation, mowing, discing, chopping. We used it during harvest and we’re using it during our cover crop operations."
According to the company, key features of the MK-V include:
Renewable technology: The MK-V is 100 percent electric and has zero tailpipe emissions. It also serves as a 3-in-1 electrification tool, operating as a tractor or utility vehicle during operation, as well as a powerful electric generator in the field.
Driver optional: Monarch utilizes the latest autonomous hardware and software technology, including the NVIDIA Jetson edge AI platform, to provide driver-assist and driver-optional operations. The Monarch MK-V can perform pre-programmed tasks without a driver, or an operator can use the Monarch interactive automation features including Shadow mode to have the Monarch Tractor follow a worker on the job.
Unprecedented safety: The MK-V is packed with safety features including rollover and collision prevention, vision-based Power Take Off (PTO) safety, and 360-degree cameras to keep operations running smoothly and employees safe, day or night.
Deep learning and sensing suite: The MK-V collects and analyzes crop data daily and can process data from current and next-generation implements equipped with sensors and imaging. This data can be used for real-time implement adjustments, long-term yield estimates, current growth stages and other plant/crop health metrics.
Smart Device Operation: Through a smartphone or personal device, MK-V users receive tractor status alerts, detailed operations reports, and data collection, analysis, and storage for more efficient farm planning.
Powerful: The Monarch electric drivetrain is capable of providing 40 hp of continuous power and short duration peak power up to 75 hp in a small footprint for multi-purpose usage.
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