NZ’s first self-drive electric tractor turning heads near Cromwell
A small Cromwell zero fossil fuel cherry orchard, already a world leader as possibly the first fully commercial electric farm, has been turning heads internationally after importing NZ’s first autonomous electric tractor.
NZ0’s Forest Lodge Orchard was chosen as US manufacturer Monarch’s first export customer outside the States with the company’s president and chief of staff both flying out to Cromwell for the tractor’s launch, which also attracted leading NZ politicians, on Saturday (July 29).
Close to 200 people turned out to the launch on the 6ha orchard where the autonomous electric tractor strutted its stuff amid the rows, various dignitary drivers at the helm, demonstrated driverless as well.
Owner of the fossil fuels-free, 6ha orchard Mike Casey says, while his main motivation is to lead the charge in reducing fossil fuel use, his new electric tractor should make great savings. “Every orchard needs a tractor but on an orchard my size you’d only use it for between 250 and 350 hours. It costs $2 an hour to run compared with $20 for a diesel tractor.”
A former Kiwi software engineer who sold his Sydney start-up to become a farmer with wife Rebecca, Mike says he was fortunate to have the capital to invest in the latest electric tractor technology. Forest Lodge had to compete on the world stage to be chosen by Monarch as its first export outside of the US, from a small, far flung, tiny corner of the world. It took two years to convince them. “We were only their 66th tractor off the line.”
One of the first on the waiting list out of 100 global orders, Mike hooked in a super early price for his but says they’re now selling for $NZ140,000 plus about $NZ25,000 shipping.
“I come from a big climate focus. The best way to lower emissions is to lower costs and the best way to do that is electrification,” he says.
He was honoured to have the $1billion US start-up’s co-founder and president Mark Swager attend the Cromwell launch and heap praise on his efforts. “Monarch officials said that we’re by far the most advanced farm they’ve seen in terms of electrification, even among those in the US,” says Mike.
California’s energy secretary and Air Quality Board chief officer also tuned in via Zoom. “Mark was a senior executive at Tesla when Norway became its target market for that government’s climate friendly policies,” says Mike. He told the 150 to 200-strong crowd at the launch that NZ could become “the next Norway” with its highly renewable grid and large farming sector.
Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor, Associate Environment Minister Rachel Brooking, Climate Change Minister James Shaw, and local MP Joseph Mooney – all huge supporters, also attended.
Monarch is already ramping up its production, turning out between 300 and 400 electric tractors a day from its Ohio plant.
“What motivates me is that all other plans to solve the climate crisis are longer term but by switching from fossil fuels to electrification we can drastically reduce emissions by 2030,” says Mike, whose swanky new self-driving tractor is drawing interest from farmers around the region.
While he arrived in the district knowing nothing about growing cherries, other farmers have mentored him and he says, as a software engineer, he’s able to mentor them in how autonomous machinery like this can make them more cost efficient and sustainable.
Once Mike’s set up with the right technology on site to self-drive his orchard, 90 percent of his tractor hours will be autonomous. The new high-tech tractor captures 3-D images of trees as it passes, measuring crop densities. Any pests are detected early, under tree mowing is enabled in summer too which greatly reduces manpower and herbicide use, producing superior fruit, he says.
Forest Lodge has been fully fossil free for 18 months now.
“Automation is coming to primary industries and we need it to compete with global economies as when your tractor hours go up so do your emissions.”
