New Zealand’s first Monarch electric tractor arrives

The first Monarch electric tractor exported from the US has been officially launched at Mike and Rebecca Casey’s Otago cherry farm where it will be used for mowing, mulching, foliage spraying – everything on the orchard a tractor can be used for.

Mike Casey has already posted photos on social media of brewing a coffee and cooking lunch on the orchard using the tractor’s electrics, plus climate change minister James Shaw, associate transport minister Damien O’Connor and Southland MP Joseph Mooney, along with farmers, growers and environmentalists interested in the orchard’s fossil-free drive.

A series of workshops around the Monarch e-tractor are planned, possibly once a quarter, says Casey who also wants to run the e-tractor on a neighbouring orchard as well.

One major facet to the Monarch e-tractor is that a driver is optional, says Casey.

Under autonomous functions it can move along the orchard rows very cheaply, also opening up “the huge possibility of data collection”, he explains, adding a customised camera system is being built to constantly collect orchard data (providing a digital twin of the orchard).

The 22kWh Monarch costs about $165,000 all up plus can achieve nearly $4500 in energy savings (assuming 250 hours tractor use annually) and seven tonnes of carbon savings compared with a diesel tractor.

Less maintenance is also expected.

“It’s a 40hp equivalent (nearly 30kW) which can peak at 80hp (nearly 60KW),” says Casey, adding about 1000 diesel tractors of this size are sold every year in New Zealand.

He says a Low Emissions Transport Fund of $46,000 through the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) helped a lot and that other farmers could apply for a similar grant for any Monarch e-tractors.