Monarch MK-V — fully electric compact tractor
Electric tractor company Monarch Tractor has raised $61 million in financing, bringing its total funding since founding to $81 million. On Earth Day 2021, the company brought the first production unit of its fully electric compact tractor to market.
The company has a deep and diverse executive team that shook up the agtech market when it emerged from stealth in December 2020. Unlike competing solutions that build single-purpose autonomous machines to automate specific farm tasks, Monarch set out from the start to help every small and mid-sized farmer in the world.
Monarch's key innovation is a fully electric autonomous platform for 70 hp tractors. The Monarch MK-V can be put to work right away and use all existing implements in the farm shed.
“Fruit and vegetable growers have long been overlooked in the movement toward electrification and automation, which is why the Monarch platform was built with their needs in mind. Growing pressures, sustainability challenges, and food traceability and quality concerns facing farmers have created strong demand for the unique solutions offered by Monarch Tractor”
Monarch's founders bring diverse and proven experience. Penmetsa has two decades of experience in transportation, Carlo Mondavi (co-founder and chief farmer) is a fourth-generation farmer, Mark Schwager (co-founder and president) built the Tesla Gigafactory and launched the first Teslas to market, and Zachary Omohundro (co-founder and CTO) developed hundreds of tightly integrated intelligent electromechanical systems, bringing whole-system design thinking to the development of unprecedented products.
“Monarch is changing the tractor, arguably the most important vehicle on the planet. Tractors emit 14 times more than a car, and we have not yet seen a wave of digital innovation like that in the automotive industry. Beyond providing an affordable, clean and autonomous solution, Monarch tractors collect detailed farm data to make the farms of the future environmentally safe and efficient”
Monarch Tractor received the RBR50 award in 2021 for innovation in a fully electric compact tractor.
The MK-V, compatible with the existing agricultural equipment ecosystem, is a reliable platform for a new generation of intelligent implements. The tractor has the best runtime in the industry, more than 10 hours. On days when tasks require night work, an easy-to-use battery swap cart makes round-the-clock operation possible. The tractor takes 4-5 hours to charge.
The MK-V, with double the torque and half the size, can handle the toughest jobs. Thanks to its power export capability, the vehicle becomes a portable generator, supplying energy to every unit on your farm.
The MK-V controls were designed with the operator in mind. Ergonomic, easy-to-use features such as an implement joystick, hand throttle, foot pedals and an adjustable seat make Monarch accessible to any operator.
Tractor advantages:
- easy-to-understand schedule and controls with translations
- onboard diagnostics for quick and easy repairs
- interactive live map with detailed weather information
- 360-degree camera view for maximum visibility
"MK-V opens a new world of possibilities for farmers facing a serious labor shortage and turns tractor drivers into fleet operators," the company said.
Operators can easily move from controlling one tractor to managing a fleet of eight tractors in the field. Remote fleet management is possible through Monarch's easy-to-use interface, where operators can access live video feeds with a 360-degree view, detailed weather information and real-time work reports with one tap.
Field scouting can be done with the tractor at no extra cost or effort. The MK-V performs scouting functions automatically on every pass, opening unlimited potential for using data and optimizing any operations.
"Know your crop better than ever before, with visibility from roots to fruit. Analyze moisture levels, assess pest counts, count clusters and perform other important agronomic functions to get the most out of your crop every season," the company said about the tractor.
Monarch automatically combines and analyzes the farmer's data to provide information they can rely on to ultimately increase yields and reduce costs.
Monarch's software solutions help manage the tractor fleet and monitor the farm and analyze data, while through an open marketplace third-party software developers can use the MK-V to extend the tractor's capabilities.
