John Deere aims to offer electric equipment in each of its turf and compact utility product families by 2026, with an autonomous electric agricultural tractor to follow.
Deere hosted the Leaps Unlocked event May 26 for investors and customers to talk about its technology. Aaron Wetzel, Deere's vice president of production systems for small ag and turf, says electric will be a monumental shift for the ag industry, comparing it to when farmers went from horse-drawn plows to the first tractors.
Customer needs, battery development, technology advancements and decreasing costs of electric make electrification and autonomy a growth opportunity for Deere, according to Wetzel. He tied electrification and autonomy together as autonomous control systems can be integrated electrically. Deere already is seeing demand for electric equipment in turf, as customers look for equipment that's easier to operate and maintain, runs more efficiently and quietly, and requires less maintenance.
Earlier this year, Deere announced a 2026 Leap ambition to offer electric equipment in each of its turf and compact utility product families and an autonomous electric agricultural tractor. Wetzel says high-value crop customers are "prime" for electrified farm machinery.
"Instead of penalizing customers, electrification incentivizes their bottom line," Wetzel says. "Battery electric will enable technology while unlocking performance improvements and the operational ease of use critical to high-value crop customers."
The learnings from working with high-value crop customers will be applied to Deere's entire enterprise portfolio, Wetzel says.
"By broadening our horizons and thinking about the entire battery electric ecosystem, we'll open new value streams to our customers, to our dealers and to John Deere," Wetzel says. "Through that ecosystem, we'll enable autonomous applications and new digital business models."
Wetzel says Deere's tech stack, ability to scale and sell globally, and its dealer network will differential Deere's electric machinery from startups in the electric ag space. Deere also has a majority investment in Kreisel Electric, an Austrian company that manufactures high-density, high-durability electric battery modules and packs for off-road applications and a high-powered charging infrastructure platform.
Wetzel says Deere teams are proactively preparing for new service and support, and they will offer training to dealers to support new electric machinery.
