Electric tractors that require no driver make debut at plant. What keeps them safe?
The world’s first all-electric farm tractors with remote controls rolled out Thursday at a Livermore company.
Monarch Tractor made that boast at a gathering for about 250 industry colleagues and the media. The rigs pollute far less than diesel models and will protect farmworkers from hazards, co-founder Carlo Mondavi said.
“Today, we’re launching a revolutionary technology that is going to change the way we farm, make farming more profitable, make us farmers more independent, all the while protecting our planet’s biodiversity ...,” he told the crowd.
Several states allow tractors to operate without drivers. California could have joined them at a June meeting of the Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board, but it opted for more research.
Autonomous tractors can till soil, spray pesticides, pull weeds and do other tasks. Monarch leaders say they will reduce repetitive tasks for workers and the risk of injuries, heat stress and poisoning. The tractors have sensors that detect obstacles and an emergency shutoff switch within reach of people nearby.
Worker advocates told the state board that more study would ensure that self-driving tractors truly are safe. They also were concerned the technology would put people out of work. The board has not announced when it might make a decision.
Monarch has had a state permit allowing experimental use of the tractors at one vineyard in the Livermore Valley and another in the Napa Valley.
$78,000 minus subsidies
The new tractors have a sticker price of about $78,000, more than diesel, but state subsidies make them cheaper for farmers, Mondavi told The Modesto Bee. He added that the maintenance cost is much less than diesel.
Mondavi is part of the fourth generation of one of California’s leading wine families. The other co-founders have Silicon Valley tech backgrounds.
The first six tractors will be used in the To Kalon Vineyard in the Napa Valley. It is owned by Constellation Brands, one of the largest players in the wine industry.
The tractors have climate-friendly features that make them worthwhile even without the self-driving feature being allowed yet, said Robert Hanson, president of Constellation wine and spirits. He received six sets of keys while on stage with Monarch leaders.
Hanson told The Bee the electric fleet eventually will expand to the company’s vineyards in the San Joaquin Valley and elsewhere. Constellation still has Valley holdings even after the sale of numerous brands to E.&J. Gallo Winery of Modesto last year.
Manufacturing will move east
Monarch employs about 300 people at the plant, which is off Las Positas Road in northeast Livermore. It will produce 60 of the tractors before manufacturing shifts to Mahoning Valley, Ohio. Research and development will remain in Livermore.
Monarch did not invent the self-driving tractor, but it does claim to have the first with all-electric power rather than a hybrid with diesel. The unveiling took place in a tent just outside the factory building, letting the audience escape the rain.
Electric tractors are part of state and federal goals to shift vehicles away from the carbon emissions that are harming the planet. The effort involves cars, trucks, locomotives, aircraft and more.
The Monarch brand reflects its interest in the endangered butterflies by that name. Mondavi talked of aiding them by reducing pesticide use and providing diverse plants amid a changing climate.
The speakers also included Alice Waters, founder of the renowned Chez Panisse restaurant in Berkeley. She has long advocated for local, organic food at restaurants, school cafeterias and other places.
“Thank you for inventing this wonderful tractor that will help our farmers and our butterflies,” Waters said.
