A US pioneer of battery-electric tractor propulsion and driverless operation is preparing to launch in Europe by establishing a Belgium-based subsidiary.

Monarch Tractor’s MK-V large compact is not the prettiest machine on the block, but its low running cost, zero emission (at source) and driver optional technology has made it something of a hit with dairy producers, fruit farms and vineyards.

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And as the Californian company expands its distribution and service support reach in the US, it is also turning to Europe as a potential market, with plans to appoint dealers and, in the longer term, to establish R&D and production facilities on the continent.

Simple running gear

The Monarch MK-V combines old-school mechanical running gear with battery-electric propulsion, farm enterprise planning and data collection, and “intelligent” guidance with 360deg situation awareness for driver-free operation.

One feature of the latter technology is the “follow me” function, which triggers the tractor to follow a worker on foot; handy for distributing mineral blocks or bagged feed from the tractor’s front load platform, or bales from a trailer, for example.

The MK-V Standard has up to 40hp at the pto, a peak drive motor output of 70hp, up to 14 hours of run-time, and a WingspanAI autonomy and data package.

With the Dairy spec, the tractor sports a front-mounted angled blade for pushing up silage against a feed fence, while Utility spec includes a hydraulic loader with skid-steer quick-attach and mechanical levelling, third-service hydraulics, a two-axis joystick and load weighing.

Monarch Tractor says it has sold more than 400 examples since the MK-V’s commercial launch two years ago and last year raised $133m (£106m) from investors, in part to fund its domestic and overseas sales expansion.