Former Volkswagen chief executive Herbert Diess plans to launch an electric tractor through a new company next year, targeting farmers and municipal services with a medium-sized battery-powered vehicle.
Diess said on LinkedIn on Tuesday that the tractor would use a swappable battery system designed to enable round-the-clock operation. The vehicle would also be compatible with standard agricultural attachments including mowers and snow ploughs.
The first deliveries are scheduled for 2027, and Diess said the company aimed to make the tractor cost-competitive with comparable diesel-powered models.
The 67-year-old said this would be achieved through attractive pricing, high product quality and the ability for farmers to use self-generated solar power for daily operations.
Diess said the Munich-based Diess E-Agrartechnik AG was fully on schedule with product development and was working with established agricultural machinery companies and suppliers in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, though he did not identify the partners.
The company is not yet listed in Germany's commercial register.
In addition to tractors, the company plans to offer charging stations and electric attachments, while autonomous agricultural machinery could follow in the future.
Diess led Volkswagen from 2018 to 2022 and later became chairman of the supervisory board at chipmaker Infineon.
