Thorvald vs YV01 autonomous vineyard sprayer
Two spraying machines, one verified table. Every figure below is sourced and dated; vendor claims are labelled and kept apart from independent results.
Norwegian autonomous UV-C robot that replaces fungicide sprays for powdery mildew control — working at night in UK tabletop strawberries (used by 13 leading growers, around 20–30% of the national tabletop crop) and California vineyards, where over 150 Thorvald 3.0 units ran the 2025 season. Delivered as a service rather than a machine sale, with a vineyard-specific model launched for 2026.
Best for: Larger tabletop strawberry and wine-grape operations in Saga's service regions (UK, US) wanting to cut fungicide programmes without buying or operating robots themselves.Crawler-tracked autonomous spraying robot for steep, narrow vineyards — inverted-U frame straddles vines up to 1.4 m, 200 L electrostatic spray tank, 45% slope capability. Developed by Yanmar, on sale in France since 2023 through dedicated subsidiary Yanmar Vineyard Solutions (Champagne region focus, Moët & Chandon partnership); a weeder attachment was added in 2024.
Best for: Steep Champagne-style narrow vineyards that want to take the operator out of plant-protection spraying — no driver exposure to chemicals, slopes to 45%.| Thorvald Verified 2026-07-17 | YV01 autonomous vineyard sprayer Verified 2026-07-16 | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Task | Spraying | Spraying |
| Autonomy | Fully autonomous | Fully autonomous |
| Country of origin | Norway | Japan |
| Availability | Available now | Available now |
| EU market | CE-marked | CE-marked |
| Lead time | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Last verified | 2026-07-17 | 2026-07-16 |
| Specifications | ||
| Power source | Battery-electric · 48 V Li-Ion 70 Ah (space for a second battery) · charges from a regular outlet | Petrol — Honda iGX800 2-cyl air-cooled engine (~25–27 hp), 19 L tank |
| Required tractor power | Not required (self-propelled modular platform) | Is the vehicle (twin-crawler autonomous chassis) |
| Dimensions | Modular platform; configuration-dependent, not disclosed | Inverted-U straddle frame for vines up to 1.4 m height |
| Weight | ~200 kg | ~1 t |
| Min farm size | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Productivity | Fleet-scale service: ~2,500 acres of US vineyard treated; ~20% of UK tabletop strawberry crop | Autonomous spraying along pre-mapped vineyard paths; 200 L spray tank |
| Max speed | Typically under 5 km/h in operation | 4 km/h |
| Sensors | Autonomous navigation stack; crop-counting cameras (up to 3 million crop counts per robot per night, vendor claim) | GNSS RTK positioning with Ntrip correction · pre-mapped field and path definition via web system · counter-rotating crawlers for tight headland turns |
| Price & model | ||
| Price (EUR) | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Native price | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Business model | UV-C treatment as a service — Saga deploys, operates and maintains robot fleets; growers pay for treatment rather than buying machines | Sold and serviced by Yanmar Vineyard Solutions SAS, a dedicated Yanmar Group company in France |
| Ongoing cost | Service fee (not published); no grower-side machine ownership | Petrol; spray consumables; service via Yanmar Vineyard Solutions |
| Key outcome | ||
| Best verified result | Fungicide use for powdery mildew −70–100% pesticide use (vendor claim) · vendor | Operator exposure during spraying Driverless spraying — worker removed from dangerous field work · vendor |
| EU context | ||
| CE marking | CE status not published; UV-C units carry light-exposure safety interlocks for night operation | Sold as a series product in France — CE conformity expected; not independently verified |
| Machinery Regulation | Placed on the EU/UK market by Saga Robotics; Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 autonomous-machine provisions apply | Marketed in the EU via Yanmar Vineyard Solutions SAS (France); conformity documentation not published |
| CAP subsidy | Large pesticide reduction supports EU pesticide-reduction and eco-scheme goals (service currently UK/US/NO, not EU-27) | Electrostatic targeted spraying supports pesticide-efficiency goals; petrol drive offers no emissions benefit |
"—" 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.