Seven zero-emission tractors will be deployed at Bay Area farms, a first for California.
The tractors are the result of a $1 million grant to the Bay Area Air Quality Management District from the state's Funding Agricultural Reduction Measures for Emission Reductions, or FARMER, program.
The shift away from diesel-powered tractors on farms is meant to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
"The Air District is proud to take the lead in advancing clean technologies, such as zero-emission tractors, which is a significant and necessary step toward meeting our goals of reducing air quality disparities and climate impacts throughout the Bay Area," said Jack Broadbent, executive officer of the air district. "The FARMER program is proof that clean technologies are possible in every industry."
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The air district awarded tractor companies Monarch Tractor $80,000 and Solectrac by Ideanomics $514,688 under the FARMER program to support the creation of battery-powered electric tractors, which are not yet commercially available on a large scale.
The farms where the tractors will be deployed include Old School Vineyards in Napa, Arroyo Lindo Vineyard in Sonoma, Wente Vineyards in Livermore, The Mushroom Farm in Pescadero and Crocker Estate in St. Helena.
