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The Spanish startup Voltrac has unveiled an autonomous electric vehicle. The "tractor" is designed not only to transport harvest and agricultural equipment but also to deliver critical supplies to frontlines without risking human lives.
While in operation on the farm, the Voltrac can pull harvest or other heavy loads and simultaneously collect valuable data on plant health through integrated cameras. However, if necessary, the autonomous carrier vehicle can be converted for military purposes, equipped with anti-jamming technology and interception drones. The startup is already in talks with NATO departments about potential deployment scenarios. For particularly dangerous missions like mine clearance or frontline supply, the machine can be operated remotely. This was reported by the startup news portal thenextweb.com.
The "tractor" can carry loads of up to 4,000 kg, reach a top speed of 40 km/h, and achieve up to 20 hours of runtime with its interchangeable 200 kW batteries. Currently, the Voltrac tractor is operated remotely, similar to an FPV drone. In the future, however, a person will be able to monitor multiple vehicles simultaneously from a central control point - and ultimately, the machines are intended to operate completely autonomously. The developers are currently awaiting regulatory approvals for autonomous operation.
Voltrac aims to offer more than just transportation capability: the tractor conducts "live experiments" in fields, testing different cultivation methods, analyzing their effects, and adjusting the strategy in real-time. This creates a self-learning system that is expected to lead to higher yields, lower operating costs, and reduced chemical use in the long run.
Behind Voltrac are two founders with impressive backgrounds: Thomas Hubregtsen, who worked on AI systems at BMW and Google X, and Francisco Infante Aguirre, an aerospace engineer with experience at Destinus and Volocopter. Aguirre also brings agricultural expertise from the family business Aguirre Agricola, one of the largest providers of agricultural technology in Spain. Voltrac was founded just over a year ago, and with $2 million in pre-seed financing, the first prototype was realized. Mass production is set to begin in 2026, with a new financing round planned for September 2025. The focus is on the complete in-house development of hardware and software, mostly based on off-the-shelf components.