Will electric tractors gain traction? At a pilot event for farmers, researchers see possibilities

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — In the soft dirt of an indoor horseback riding ring last month, a group of farmers got ready to test drive a new piece of equipment: an electric tractor.

As they took turns climbing in — some surprised by its quick acceleration — they gave real-time feedback to the Michigan State University researchers who have been developing it for over two years.

The farmers remarked on the motor's quiet whir. Most were intrigued, or at least open to the idea. Some were concerned that the battery on the underside of the carriage would mean a lower clearance over the field, while others worried that it would simply be too expensive.

“What we hope to do when we retire is we want to get everything electric on the farm. The tractor is the last electric implement to get,” said Don Dunklee, one of the farmers to provide feedback. He runs a small organic vegetable farm that's relied on wind and solar for decades.

The market is fairly new, but some researchers and entrepreneurs think electric tractors will be ideal for small farmers who care about sustainability and want to market their products that way. The small cherry-red, open-cab machine is well-suited for tasks like weeding fields of specialty crops like carrots or asparagus, or squeezing between the tight rows of orchard trees. Farmers with solar panels can avoid the cost of diesel.

Agriculture is among the largest sources of climate-warming emissions worldwide. Though tractors are a small culprit, experts believe an environmentally friendly machine would still attract buyers interested in sustainability.

“There’s reduced emissions, but before you get there, you have to be solving for other problems,” including noise, ease of use and cost, said Derek Muller, business manager for battery electric systems at John Deere.

There are downsides — electric tractors are aimed at filling a niche, not overturning the status quo. And while battery technology has come a long way, they can’t last all day or match the massive horsepower of a diesel engine that sets giant tractors cruising through the sprawling grain and soybean operations of the Midwest.

In addition to battery limitations, there are other structural obstacles. Most farmers do not have fast electric chargers, nor do they have solar panels to supply those chargers with free electricity — diesel would need to be much more expensive for the economics to turn sharply in favor of electric. But companies are starting to see an opportunity.

“For John Deere, it is not the only solution,” Muller said. “It’s not going to be where we lead our efforts. It’s going to be one of many options.”

The company has built a small utility electric tractor prototype. It joins a limited set of offerings from other companies like Monarch Tractor, which started in 2019 with the aim to help farmers, who have traditionally struggled with razor-thin profits, save money, work sustainably and more efficiently.

Ajit Srivastava, an agricultural engineer and Michigan State professor who hosted the farmer feedback session, wants to help smallholder farmers across the world. Such farmers grow about a third of the world’s food but many do it with only hand tools. He started trying to emulate a pair of oxen made of off-the-shelf parts, so anyone could build it themselves.

“If we were to mechanize all the smallholder farmers in the world, there isn’t enough diesel out there to power them. So we have to find some other source,” Srivastava said.

It's still a work in progress. Rain had postponed the feedback session, originally planned for the spring, because the tractor hadn't been waterproofed yet. It also doesn't have enough power for some jobs like tilling. But farmers generally like what Srivastava had developed. He hopes it could eventually be sold for roughly $30,000, substantially cheaper than some of the competition.

“The steering is really responsive. It just seems to run really smooth,” said Dunklee, adding, however, that it might not do everything he needs on a farm yet. “Probably the biggest thing would be it’s relatively quiet.”

Muller said they're seeing demand for electric tractors from Europe, where farming policies are sometimes more progressive. And there's also a market at universities in other countries where researchers are studying agriculture, said Brendan Dowdle, chief business officer of Bonsai Robotics, which sells modular, automated electric farm robots that can work together to mimic some tasks ordinarily done by a tractor.

One possible customer is the so-called “gentleman farmer” who has a small operation of specialty crops or vegetables and farms for fun, not necessarily to make a living.

“They want to be self-sustaining,” said Patrick Woolcock, an associate engineering professor and agriculture expert at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls.

Plus, without harmful diesel emissions, they can work in greenhouses and, with fewer parts, there's hope repairs won't be as complicated, at least once a readily available supply is established.

Some entrepreneurs see electric tractors as a step on the path to automation — fewer workers, more efficiency and less cost. Engineers are now designing machines that will drive themselves and power precise weeders and planters.

For example, Monarch Tractor CEO Praveen Penmetsa noted that if a self-guided tractor gets stuck and has to notify the farmer, electric power has clear benefits. A diesel tractor would sit there idling, but an electric one doesn’t waste fuel while waiting.

Srivastava also said he's just trying to make people's lives easier — looking backward all day to make sure a plow is operating properly is grueling. So, a self-driving tractor would let farmers pay more attention to ensuring harvesting is happening properly, or the weeder isn't accidentally digging up crops.

"Not that we want to take the operator off the tractor, the operator would be there, but they can focus on how well the operation is going rather than making sure the tractor is in the rows," he said.

Still, some aren’t so sure electric has such a big advantage when it comes to automation. Tim Bucher, CEO of Agtonomy, a company focused on bringing autonomy software to farm vehicles, was all-in on electric a few years ago. But the technology has gotten so good that now his customers can pick and choose the energy source for their tractor and see similar results, he said. And with government electric vehicle subsidies disappearing, there's less incentive for most farmers to go that route.

On his own farm, though, he opts for electric, and he says he's seen economic returns.

And from an environmental perspective, “it also just makes me feel better,” he said.

Phillis reported from Washington and Walling reported from Chicago.

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Ben Phillips test drives an electric tractor Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025, during a demonstration in East Lansing, Mich. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

Farmer Vicki Morrane, left, listens as Ajit Srivastava, right, explains the mechanics of an electric tractor before she test drives Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025, in East Lansing, Mich. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

Farm implements, at left, and a battery, are attached to the underside of an electric tractor Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025, in East Lansing, Mich. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

Electronics for a self-driving system sit on an electric tractor Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025, in East Lansing, Mich. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

Ajit Srivastava, an engineering professor at Michigan State University, talks about an electric tractor in development Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025, during a demonstration in East Lansing, Mich. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

MK Bashar drives an electric tractor Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025, during a demonstration in East Lansing, Mich. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

MK Bashar, right, test drives an electric tractor as Ben Phillips, left, watches Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025, during a demonstration in East Lansing, Mich. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

LYON, France (AP) — Several hundreds joined a march organized by far-right groups on Saturday after a nationalist activist died from a beating in Lyon in an incident that highlighted a climate of deep political tensions ahead of next year's presidential vote.

French President Emmanuel Macron called for calm ahead of the tribute to Quentin Deranque, a 23-year-old who died of brain injuries in a hospital last week. The demonstrations took place under heavy police scrutiny.

“This is a moment of remembrance and respect for this young compatriot who was killed, for his family and loved ones. That must come first. And then it is a moment of firmness and responsibility,” Macron said.

Seven people have been handed preliminary charges. The Lyon public prosecutor’s office requested that each of them be charged with intentional homicide, aggravated violence and criminal conspiracy. Six of the accused were charged on all three counts. The seventh was charged with complicity in intentional homicide, aggravated violence and criminal conspiracy.

Deranque was attacked during a fight that erupted between far-left and far-right supporters on the margins of a student meeting where a far-left lawmaker, Rima Hassan, was a keynote speaker.

Macron said he will hold a meeting with ministers next week to carry out a comprehensive review of all violent activist groups that have links to political parties. He hinted that some groups could be dismantled.

“In the Republic, no violence is legitimate,” he said. “There is no place for militias, wherever they come from. We must be absolutely uncompromising.”

The main tribute to Deranque took place in Lyon, where clashes between far-right activists and far-left groups have become frequent. Their fighting often takes the form of organized street battles in the city, sometimes involving groups of several dozen people.

Lyon’s far-left-leaning militant groups are more recent and were created in reaction to the many far-right groups that have been present for several decades. The city is seen by intelligence services as the cradle of far-right activism in France.

Deranque’s parents also called for calm and did not take part in the tribute, which was not banned by French authorities.

Deranque’s death triggered a storm of recriminations, mostly blaming the far-left France Unbowed party and its leader, Jean-Luc Mélenchon. Among the suspects is the parliamentary aide of a France Unbowed lawmaker who set up the anti-fascist group The Young Guard.

There was a minute’s silence before the start of the march. Some demonstrators held white tulips and displayed stickers bearing the slogan: “Quentin, killed by Mélenchon’s militia.”

Many men dressed in black, some with their faces partially covered, joined the march. Christian Petiteau, 70, who traveled from the neighboring Isère region, said Deranque was “cowardly murdered” and that he came to honor his memory.

France Unbowed’s opponents accuse it of fomenting violence and tensions with its combative far-left politics. Mélenchon has condemned the violence and insisted that his party bore no blame for the tragedy.

Mélenchon stood for the presidency in 2012, 2017 and 2022, but failed to advance to the decisive runoff round. He is preparing for another expected run next year, when Macron’s second and last term ends.

France is holding municipal elections next month and right-wing political forces have been using the incident to demonize France Unbowed. Far-right National Rally leader Jordan Bardella has called for a common front against Mélenchon's party.

Criticism also came from prominent figures on the left, including former French President François Hollande. He said the mainstream left, including his Socialist Party, must not team up again with Mélenchon’s party for the upcoming elections, as they did in the past.

French President Emmanuel Macron talks to a farmer as he visits the International Agriculture Fair during the opening day in Paris, Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard, Pool)

A woman holds a placard reading "Justice for Quentin" as she pays tribute to far-right student, Quentin Deranque, 23, who died in Lyon from a street beating during clashes between far-left and far-right militants, in Lille, northern France, Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias)

France's President Emmanuel Macron attends the opening of the International Agriculture Fair in Paris, Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard, Pool)