Autonomous tractor · head to head
OutRun retrofit autonomy kit vs Combined Powers VTE
Two autonomous tractor machines, one verified table. Every figure below is sourced and dated; vendor claims are labelled and kept apart from independent results.
PTx (AGCO) · United States
Self-contained retrofit kit that makes an existing tractor drive itself — autonomous grain cart today, tillage rolling out, Fendt support landing 2026.
Best for: US grain operations that want to drop the grain-cart driver at harvest without buying a new tractor.LEMKEN & KRONE · Germany
Cabless 230 hp diesel-electric autonomous process unit from LEMKEN and KRONE — tillage, sowing and forage work, now in on-farm trials across Germany and neighbouring countries.
Best for: European arable and forage operations tracking a home-grown high-horsepower autonomy platform before it ships.| OutRun retrofit autonomy kit Verified 2026-07-16 | Combined Powers VTE Verified 2026-07-16 | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Task | Autonomous tractor | Autonomous tractor |
| Autonomy | Fully autonomous | Fully autonomous |
| Country of origin | United States | Germany |
| Availability | Available now | Pilot / limited |
| EU market | Pending | Pending |
| Lead time | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Last verified | 2026-07-16 | 2026-07-16 |
| Specifications | ||
| Power source | Uses host tractor's diesel engine | Diesel-electric, 170 kW / 230 hp |
| Required tractor power | Host tractor — John Deere 8R (2014+) with IVT; Fendt 900 now, 1000 series fall 2026 | Is the vehicle (230 hp, no operator station) |
| Dimensions | Retrofit kit on standard tractor chassis | Not disclosed |
| Weight | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Min farm size | 400 ha | 100 ha |
| Productivity | Grain cart cycles on demand during harvest; tillage with no-till/slow/no-go zones | Runs KRONE mowing combinations and LEMKEN stubble-cultivation/sowing implements |
| Max speed | Field speeds; per host tractor | Not disclosed |
| Sensors | Obstacle-detection sensor suite · automatic stop · virtual boundary enforcement | Intelligent implement/process monitoring · safety-approved robotic vehicle OS in development (Apex.AI partnership) |
| Price & model | ||
| Price (EUR) | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Native price | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Business model | One-time hardware purchase + annual service fee — no per-acre or hourly charges | Not yet on sale — pre-series trials on commercial farms |
| Ongoing cost | Annual service fee (amount not disclosed) | Not disclosed |
| Key outcome | ||
| Best verified result | Grain-cart driver at harvest Combine operator calls the cart via iPad · vendor | Onboard operator No operator station — fully autonomous process unit · vendor |
| EU context | ||
| CE marking | Not CE marked for EU autonomous operation | Not yet CE marked as a series product |
| Machinery Regulation | No EU conformity claimed — product marketed for North America | Designed for EU market; conformity under Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 pending series launch |
| CAP subsidy | Not applicable — not purchasable in the EU | Not applicable until commercially available |
"—" means the manufacturer has not disclosed the figure; we never estimate silently. Model either machine's payback with your own numbers on its ROI calculator page.