Efficiency, then Sustainability with Praveen Penmetsa, Monarch Tractor

From 200 mph electric cars to 20 mph electric tractors, Praveen Penmetsa, CEO of Monarch Tractor, leveraged his passion and expertise in vehicles, robotics, and batteries to develop the first smart, electric tractor. Making farmers more profitable and efficient first, and then sustainable, are the core tenets that drive Monarch’s business. Praveen discusses the core benefits of using an electric tractor and how it works with farmers to take advantage of government incentives, making farming more efficient and cost-effective.  

Detailed Show Notes: 

Praveen’s background: mechanical engineering, loves fast cars, worked on electric vehicles, robots, and battery systems

Founded Monarch in 2018, the company is currently the only company selling smart, electric tractors

Now on four continents, with most sales in the US, pilots internationally

Solution is a smart electric tractor with an app and piloting autonomous driving

• Fits in 5’ rows
• Runtime 10-14 hrs for pushing, 8-11 hrs for mowing, 4-6 hrs for heavy operations; takes ~6 hours to charge

Core markets - vineyards #1, dairy #2, orchards, horse ranches

Core benefits

• Save $7-12/hr on diesel savings
• Remote service and support, day and night - can submit a service ticket on the machine and get help remotely
• Product gets better over time with SW updates (e.g., released the ‘row follow’ feature)
• Can power other things, be used like a generator (e.g., night lights for harvest)
• Easier to train operators (smart screen vs 20 manual controls)
• Environmental impacts - reduces carbon emissions
• With increasing automation (mowing is 1st operation), more labor savings

Autonomous driving has guidelines by CA OSHA (need signs that the autonomous tractor is running and no people in the block), but there are no legal guidelines in other places

Pricing

• $90k baseline price + options + subscriptions
• Gov’t incentives can make it cheaper than a diesel tractor, 20-70% savings
• Monarch helps apply for subsidies, including charging infrastructure and solar installation
• Subscription charge for connectivity and SW has various levels; some charges can be offset by incentives with carbon offset reporting (e.g., Dannon gives dairy farmers incentive payments for the carbon offsets)

ROI driven by tractor usage, payback ~2 years; has an ROI calculator on the website; needs to be cheaper and more efficient before sustainability elements come into play

Most farmers want autonomy to reduce labor costs

Sells through a direct sales team and dealers

Marketing driven by non-electric tractors today, podcasts are helpful, social media, and demos have been very effective

• Social media, primarily Facebook and LinkedIn for owners, Google SEO, and local dealer support
• Demos are essential; most farmers want to try before they buy

Partnering with other companies to use their technology inside, also partnered with AgScout to leverage AI for vineyards

Barriers to purchase primarily worry about service and support, and wanting more autonomy for labor savings

Continuously update both HW and SW on machines, some tractors now close to 4,000 hours of operation (vs. standard tractors need to be replaced after 4-6k hours)

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