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Monarch Tractor—MK-VMonarch Tractor—
MK-V
Photo: Dasubaco · CC0 (opens commons.wikimedia.org)

MK-V

by Monarch TractorUS

DeployStage 4 of 5

Production ended as the company wound down; Caterpillar bought its assets in April 2026.

Updated Nov 2025Checked 25 Sep0 updates this week

Milestones

No announced next step
  1. First MK-V deliveriesDec 2022Complete.

Most important updates

  • Nov 2025
  • Dec 2022

Current obstacles

  • Hardware unit economicsBuilding tractors in small numbers burned cash, and self-driving in real fields was less reliable than hoped.

Physics limits

  • Batteries hold about 1/40th the energy of diesel per kiloDiesel carries about 12 kWh per kg; a battery pack roughly 0.15–0.25. Even with efficient motors, a full shift of heavy work needs a very heavy battery or a mid-day swap or charge.
  • Pulling force is capped by weight and soil gripA tractor can pull only about half its weight before its tyres slip on soil. A light, compact electric tractor therefore can't do the heavy tillage that big diesel tractors do.

How it works

3 parts
A compact battery-electric tractor (Kubota LXe): the same electric-drive idea as the MK-V, which adds cameras so it can work without a driver
A compact battery-electric tractor (Kubota LXe): the same electric-drive idea as the MK-V, which adds cameras so it can work without a driverPhoto: Kubota Deutschland Marketing Traktoren · CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens commons.wikimedia.org)
Power

Battery instead of diesel

An electric motor fed by a swappable battery pack drives the wheels and implements, with no engine exhaust in orchards or barns.

Sense

Cameras all round

Cameras and sensors watch the surroundings, record what the tractor does and feed data on crops and work to an app.

Drive

With or without a driver

It can be driven normally, follow a person, or repeat a recorded route on its own for tasks like mowing and spraying.

Update log

2 updates

Nov 2025

  • Major: PressPeople

Dec 2022

  • Minor: PressManufacturing

About Monarch Tractor

The team behind MK-V

Monarch Tractor

Electric driver-optional tractor, MK-V

Livermore, California maker of the MK-V, an electric tractor for vineyards and orchards that can run without a driver. After layoffs and an attempted pivot to software in 2025, it wound down; Caterpillar bought its assets in April 2026.

  • Delivered MK-V tractors from 2022, built by Foxconn in Ohio.
  • Said licensing was over 70% of 2025 revenue as it moved away from hardware.
  • Assets acquired by Caterpillar in April 2026.

monarchtractor.com (opens monarchtractor.com)Company profile →

Founded
20188 yrs
Headquarters
United States
Status
Acquiredof Caterpillar
Valuation
Caterpillar-owned
Works in
AgricultureSelf-driving tractorsRobotics
Coverage
1 program · 3 updateslatest 15 Apr 2026checked 25 Sep
People
Praveen PenmetsaCo-founder & CEO
Primer