The self-driving farm vehicle is a good deal for farmers and the planet, here's the tractor that will make agriculture greener.
In his latest book, Bill Gates argues that saving the world from the climate crisis requires not only creating new, greener technologies, but also making them affordable enough for widespread adoption. That's why electric tractors that can drive themselves could really be a game-changing innovation, making agriculture more sustainable.
What the self-driving tractor that uses green energy can do
The developer of the amazing agricultural machine is a Californian start-up called Monarch Tractor, which has already received orders for the next two months, to be delivered in California, Washington state and Oregon, at a price of $50,000 per unit (the equivalent of about €41,000). The futuristic Monarch's devices have an autonomy of 10 hours with an electric recharge of 5 hours and are able to perform, in almost complete independence, plowing, mowing and harvesting in the countryside.
The "almost" depends on the American legislation, which for this type of technology always requires the presence of an operator with the task of remotely monitoring any alarm signals sent by the self-driven vehicle. Of course, working in the fields is full of potential pitfalls, so Monarch had to equip agricultural vehicles with sensors capable of detecting crops, livestock and workers, obstacles that absolutely must be circumvented to avoid serious accidents.
Another big advantage of eco-friendly tractors is their ability to collect useful data for grower evaluations, not only about the field, crop health and some long-term yield projections, but also capable of signaling unforeseen events: for example, leaks in the irrigation system or worrisome abnormalities in crop coloring.
How much do eco-friendly tractors reduce emissions
In addition to efficiency, there is of course the green chapter. According to Praveen Penmetsa, managing director of Monarch Tractor, when one of these tractors replaces a diesel-powered vehicle, the carbon dioxide reduction is an average of 53 tons per year. In practical terms, that's like taking 14 cars off the road.
To this is added thousands of dollars saved in fuel and labor costs. It's a bargain for farmers and the planet, and a product that other companies have also offered and could team up with drones and robot farmers in the future.
Giuseppe Giordano