Key facts
- US Sugar deployed a fleet of autonomous John Deere tractors in south Florida.
- The fleet includes four John Deere 8R Series and one 9R Series tractor.
- The tractors are fitted with Autonomous Solutions, Inc. (ASI) Mobius autonomous fleet management system.
- The autonomous tractors are designed to operate 24 hours per day.
- The technology has been piloted for 18 months and is currently used for sugarcane land preparation and cultivation.
US Sugar has deployed a fleet of five autonomous John Deere tractors across its 255,000-acre operation in south Florida. The fleet consists of four John Deere 8R Series tractors and one 9R Series tractor, all equipped with the Mobius autonomous fleet management system developed by Autonomous Solutions, Inc. (ASI). These tractors are designed to operate continuously, 24 hours a day, for tasks such as sugarcane land preparation and cultivation. The technology, which underwent an 18-month research and development phase, aims to enhance efficiency, productivity, accuracy, and sustainability in farming operations. US Sugar is working to retrain its existing tractor drivers for new roles within the company as it expands its autonomous fleet. The company also plans to adapt this technology for other crops like sweetcorn and green beans in the future. ASI specializes in industrial off-road vehicle automation, integrating its system with the tractors' existing drive-by-wire capabilities. Everglades Equipment Group, a Florida-based distributor, supplied the John Deere equipment and facilitated the integration of the autonomous technology.