New Zealand's first electric tractor is here, but how does this line up with conventional farming?

Mar 29, 2024

New Zealand’s first electric tractor arrived from California this week to a cherry farm just outside of Cromwell, Central Otago.

On Saturday there will be an official launch for the 40 horsepower fully autonomous Monarch tractor – not much bigger than a ride-on lawnmower. The tractor comes in at USD$89,000 (NZ$142,000), with shipping putting it close to $200,000 all up.

Climate Change Minister James Shaw, Minister of the Environment Rachel Brooking, and the local MP will be there for the showstopper – and we are told it’s a big deal for the future of eco-farming in New Zealand.

Forest Lodge Orchard owner Mike Casey and his second-in-charge Euan White have been using the Monarch for a week and are working towards relying on the first fully autonomous tractor, at the cherry orchard.

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But when push comes to shove, some of New Zealand’s conventional farmers who have had skin in the game their whole lives remain unexcited by the technology, as well as realistic about how electric tech can contribute to everyday farming.

“You can't expect it to disc fields and plough fields and pull really heavy things, this is a horticulture and viticulture tractor,” says White, who was a mechanic and a police officer before taking a punt on cherries.

“You are asking too much of it. Where it does fit is the autonomous stuff. It is a little tractor, but the idea is that there would be more than one of these tractors doing lots of little jobs, instead of one big job.”

White is realistic about where this tractor fits on the New Zealand farming landscape “so far”.

The Monarch, which is the 66th of its kind and the first to be exported by the company outside the United States, lifts a capacity weight of 750kg and runs at 540 RPM, which is the standard for a tractor this size.

For 95% of New Zealand's orchards, this is all that’s needed.

The tractor can be fully autonomous and once the computer or the ”brains” have learnt habits, it can complete the mundane tasks on its own and detect problems such as diseased fruit.

“This is breaking new ground. Fully autonomous, couple that with the electrical capability. We can charge it off our Solar system for around $5, and it will work all day by itself.”

“The idea is it will operate without a driver, so speed isn’t necessary. You can go slow because you are not paying for a labourer. And you’re not paying for diesel. Those are two massive operational expenses.”

The battery life is commercially sensitive, says White.

“It is larger than the batteries of most of the on-road EV passenger cars. It is a triple-digit number of kilowatt-hours.

When it dies, the plan is to repurpose it into the orchard’s electric solar system.

While Monarch has plans to build bigger electric tractors, there are still questions around whether those larger ones would cope with certain terrain and conditions on Kiwi farms.

Southland sheep and beef farmer Dean Rabbidge runs 4400 ewes and 180 cows. Other than his power tools, he doesn’t run electric technology on his farm.

“I think farmers are very good at adopting technology when practical and efficient, but at the moment these e-tractors are not practical for farms. Some may have a place on flatter dairy farms, but not here in the hills.”

Rabbidge has two tractors, at 125 and 155 horsepower, around twice that of the Monarch at its maximum of 75.

He uses it sporadically, and mainly in the winter for lifting bales and cultivating. He says an electric tractor simply wouldn’t cope with the terrain or the cold weather.

“There is nothing fit for purpose as it is. For the likes of us, we are on the four-wheeler 12 hours a day and I barely have time to charge myself with lunch, let alone charge my transport.

Then there is the weight-bearing. A hay bale weighs around 650kg, and a cattle beast around 500kg. A combustion engine is his only option to carry them.

”If they bring a capable one to the market, you would have to investigate it, but weigh up the overall pros and cons.”

Up in the flat land of Ashburton lives dairy farmer Craig Hickman, he’s not interested in converting to electric transport on his farm, it isn’t practical, he says.

Farming 1000 cows he uses a 50hp tractor for smaller jobs like shifting irrigators and a 110hp tractor for feeding out.

After an electric motorbike gave out on him, he says he would be hesitant to take another punt on electric tech.

“I certainly wouldn't be an early adopter, I’d put it on the back burner for now and see how they go.”

”As far as tractors go, it is horses for courses. We don't have an electric option fit for purpose yet, but if there was we would be ideal candidates for it as the tractor isn’t doing a lot of work.

Hickman has adopted electric technology on his farm already. His dairy shed has an electric feeding system which helps cut down fuel he would otherwise use feeding out in a tractor.

The cost of an electric option is enough for Hickman to stay clear for now. The Monarch’s price tag would buy a combustion engine twice the size, triple the horsepower and the lifting capacity is incomparable.

White argues that conventional farmers can use electric autonomous tractors to free up their hands for skilled activities.

Hickman disagreed with the use as the only truly autonomous jobs (cup removal, teat sprayers) were already run by electricity.

Ben Dooley, a sheep farmer near Wyndham in Southland, is adamant that electric vehicles aren’t an option on his farm and for a long time won’t be.

“Electric bikes are negligible in their reliability...electric side by sides so far have been a massive fail mainly due to their lack of speed, power and range, plus cost, but all that should improve.”

“Never say never, as the tech becomes suitable and beneficial, we will most likely adopt it, but it needs to be fit for purpose. We can't adjust the purpose around the machine’s capabilities.”