MK-V

Monarch Tractor (founded 2018, Livermore, California; CEO Praveen Penmetsa) built the MK-V, a fully battery-electric, driver-optional smart tractor with a WingspanAI fleet-management and remote-supervision layer. There is no consumer price, and the company is discontinued. The MK-V did reach a genuine historical peak: it shipped to paying commercial customers starting December 2022 (the first being Constellation Brands, which took six tractors for its To Kalon vineyard), and Monarch raised more than $220 million anchored by a $133M Series C in July 2024 (recorded at commercial maturity historically). But Monarch collapsed through 2025: its Foxconn manufacturing arrangement ended (the Ohio plant was sold to SoftBank in August 2025), with layoffs and a shutdown warning in November 2025, a pivot to roughly 70% licensing revenue, and finally an assignment for the benefit of creditors; its assets and IP (the software-defined vehicle platform and perception stack) were acquired by Caterpillar around April 14, 2026, in an asset-and-technology purchase, not a going-concern acquisition. On autonomy, marketing of a fully autonomous tractor overstated reality: full autonomy was confined to a narrow dairy feed-pushing use case, while general field work was driver-assist with an operator aboard, and an Idaho dealer sued in September 2025 alleging the tractors could not operate autonomously. It is the wound-down anchor of the agriculture cohort.

Readiness

MK-V is discontinued, the 1 capability claim on file is all autonomous with verified, 3 verified deployments are on file, and no incidents are on record.

Availability

discontinued

Discontinued.

see evidence →

Price honesty

no-price

No price points on file for MK-V.

see evidence →

Capability honesty

autonomous

1 reviewed claim: autonomous, verified.

see evidence →

Real-world use

commercial

Maturity: commercial. 3 verified deployments in the registry.

see evidence →

Safety record

no-incidents

No incidents on record. 3 verified deployments on file.

What it claims to do

• Driver-optional autonomous electric tractor operationautonomous· verifiedevidence ↗

Price

No reviewed price points on file.

Real-world use

• Napa operated by Monarch Tractor
• Oakville operated by Monarch Tractor2022-12-01
• Livermore operated by Monarch Tractor2021-04-23

Safety record

No incidents on record. 3 verified deployments on file.

Privacy

No privacy practices disclosed or on file for MK-V.

Specs

notes

• Verified (historical peak): Monarch (founded 2018, Livermore CA; founder/CEO Praveen Penmetsa) genuinely shipped the MK-V battery-electric tractor to paying commercial customers starting Dec 2022 (first: Constellation Brands, six tractors at the To Kalon vineyard; earlier Wente pilot 2021). Raised ~$220M+ (some reports up to ~$251M), anchored by a $133M Series C (Jul 2024). Hence maturityStage=commercial (historical peak).
• CORRECTION (cross-graph M&A; defunct): Contrary to the dispatch's framing of an active growing OEM, Monarch COLLAPSED: Foxconn manufacturing ended (Ohio plant sold to SoftBank, Aug 2025); layoffs + shutdown warning (Nov 2025); pivoted to ~70% licensing revenue; entered an assignment for the benefit of creditors and auctioned remaining tractors; its assets/IP (software-defined vehicle platform, perception stack, electrification) were acquired by CATERPILLAR (~Apr 14 2026, terms undisclosed, asset/tech purchase not going-concern). lifecycleState=discontinued.
• Verified-vs-claimed (autonomy): Marketing of a 'fully autonomous' tractor overstates reality: full autonomy was narrow (dairy feed-pushing in outdoor feed lanes); general field work was driver-assist (Row Follow) with an operator aboard plus WingspanAI remote supervision. An Idaho dealer (Burks Tractor) sued Sept 2025 alleging the MK-Vs 'were unable to operate autonomously,' with Monarch's sales team reportedly conceding the limits in writing.

products

MK-V: fully battery-electric, driver-optional smart tractor with WingspanAI fleet/remote layer; first shipped to commercial customers Dec 2022

formFactor

agriculture (battery-electric driver-optional smart tractor)

autonomy_level

Driver-optional

What's under the hood

No brain on file for MK-V.

Frequently asked questions

Is the MK-V actually available for purchase?

Discontinued. No longer available for purchase.Source: Monarch Tractor's collapse ends with an acquisition by Caterpillar (assets/IP, Apr 2026)

What does the MK-V cost?

Not announced.

Does the MK-V really driver-optional autonomous electric tractor operation?

Yes, verified. MK-V performs this autonomously.Sources: The world's first driver-optional, data driven, and 100% electric tractor, Discover how the MK-V Tractor can transform your farm with electric, zero-emission operations, The Monarch battery can power around ten hours of average farmwork

Where is the MK-V being used?

MK-V is in use at: Napa operated by Monarch Tractor, Oakville operated by Monarch Tractor (2022-12-01), and Livermore operated by Monarch Tractor (2021-04-23).Source: Monarch Tractor

Is the MK-V safe?

No incidents on record across 3 verified deployments.

How does the MK-V handle privacy?

No privacy practices disclosed or on file for MK-V.

Who makes the MK-V?

MK-V is made by Monarch Tractor, based in Livermore, CA.Source: Monarch Tractor's collapse ends with an acquisition by Caterpillar (assets/IP, Apr 2026)

Video

Compare side by side

• MK-V vs FD20by FarmDroid · agriculture

Sources

1. Monarch Tractor's collapse ends with an acquisition by Caterpillar (assets/IP, Apr 2026) · https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/15/monarch-tractors-collapse-ends-in-with-an-acquisition-by-caterpillar/ ↗
2. Monarch preps layoffs, warns it may 'shut down' (Nov 2025; pivot to licensing) · https://techcrunch.com/2025/11/19/monarch-tractor-preps-for-layoffs-and-warns-employees-it-may-shut-down/ ↗
3. Monarch tractors won't be built by Foxconn after Ohio factory sale (Aug 2025) · https://techcrunch.com/2025/08/13/monarch-tractors-wont-be-built-by-foxconn-after-ohio-factory-sale/ ↗
4. Constellation Brands takes delivery of first Monarch MK-V tractors (Dec 2022; To Kalon vineyard) · https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221201005455/en/ ↗
5. Monarch $133M Series C (Jul 2024; Astanor / HH-CTBC) · https://agfundernews.com/brief-monarch-tractor-bags-record-133m-eyes-global-expansion-for-its-all-electric-autonomous-machines ↗
6. Dealer lawsuit alleges MK-V 'unable to operate autonomously' (Sept 2025) · https://techbuzz.ai/articles/monarch-tractor-faces-lawsuit-over-non-autonomous-tractors ↗
7. The world's first driver-optional, data driven, and 100% electric tractor · https://www.monarchtractor.com/mk-v-electric-tractor ↗
8. Discover how the MK-V Tractor can transform your farm with electric, zero-emission operations · https://www.monarchtractor.com/ ↗
9. The Monarch battery can power around ten hours of average farmwork · https://foodplanetprize.org/initiatives/monarch-tractor-is-reinventing-the-wheel/ ↗
10. Monarch Tractor official YouTube (@Monarchtractor), embedded under standard YouTube embed terms. oEmbed author_url verified 2026-06-04. · https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WnAgUseIVM ↗ · 2026-06-04
11. Monarch Tractor · https://monarchtractor.com/ ↗
12. Monarch Tractor Launches Production of Founder Series MK-V Electric, Driver-Optional Smart Tractor · https://www.robotics247.com/article/monarch_tractor_launches_production_of_founder_series_mk_v_electric_driver_optional_smart_tractor/ ↗
13. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221201005455/en/Monarch-Tractor-Launches-Production-of-Founder-Series-MK-V-The-First-Commercially-Available-Electric-Driver-Optional-Smart-Tractor ↗ · 2022-12-01
14. https://www.monarchtractor.com/blog/constellation-brands ↗
15. https://www.monarchtractor.com/experiences/constellation-brands ↗
16. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210423005147/en/First-Monarch-Tractor-Reports-to-Work-at-Wente-Vineyards ↗ · 2021-04-23
17. https://www.monarchtractor.com/news/first-monarch-tractor-reports-to-work-at-wente-vineyards ↗ · 2021-04-23