In previous ‘Famous Last Words’ I’ve mentioned that I can’t see Autonomous Vehicles on our public roads in my lifetime, and yes that isn’t necessarily a long time compared to others, but I can’t see it happening for many, many years, if ever.

However, I do believe they definitely have a place in controlled circumstances like mining, warehouses and on farms.

For example, this link and video from Case New Holland shows how far the integration of autonomous machinery into the farming world has already come.

Case New Holland Autonomous Tractors – Asirobots.com

It’s also no surprise that the concept of electric tractors is also being actively pursued by some manufacturers, for example John Deere.

The John Deere Sesam 2 has a battery module with a capacity of 1,000 kWh of energy storage whilst delivering 500 kW or 680 hp of power, and the unique part of this concept is that, although the machine is basically cab-less, a cab can be hung off the front should it need to be driven on the road, so it can be operated autonomously and manually.

John Deere Autonomous Electric Tractor

It’s quite amazing how far technology and autonomy has developed in a relatively short amount of time.

However, I do wonder with so many jobs that were previously performed by humans now being delivered by robots, and the fact that the movement of money where a person is paid, they spent it and taxes are paid from it, is diminishing, how long will it be until Governments need to tax autonomous equipment to balance their budgets?