Team-BHP > Commercial Vehicles


Reply
  Search this Thread
2,713 views
Old 12th August 2016, 13:04   #1
Senior - BHPian
 
dZired's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Bengaluru
Posts: 1,861
Thanked: 7,960 Times
Mahindra to work on driverless tractors

Mahindra & Mahindra will be working on driverless tractors in the near future. This information was revealed by the company's Chairman and Managing Director, Anand Mahindra at the company's 70th annual general meeting.

Mahindra acknowledges the fact that driverless tractors will have a huge impact on the food production of the country. Moreover, since the tractors will need to mostly work in fields, the chances of accidents and collision are very remote. Hence, it would not be that hard to develop a driverless tractor, especially in comparison to an autonomous car that needs to deal with the congestion of city, traffic rules and road signs.

The Mahindra Group is already India's only home-grown manufacturer that has pure-electric cars on sale, under the Mahindra Electric brand name. The Group has also started tapping the shared mobility segment with its Tringgo platform that allows farmers to hire a tractor depending on their needs. The company also operates the Smartshift goods transportation business that is often referred to as the OLA and Uber of small commercial vehicles.

Source: ET Auto

Link to Team-BHP News

Last edited by dZired : 12th August 2016 at 13:06.
dZired is offline   (3) Thanks
Old 12th August 2016, 13:23   #2
BHPian
 
Nissan1180's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: .........
Posts: 672
Thanked: 2,160 Times
Re: Mahindra to work on driverless tractors

It feels good to see an Indian company making a bold, challenging technological shift.
I read about this company called Autonomous Tractor Corporation a few months ago. They have a system that can be installed on existing tractors.
If anyone can pull this off in India, it is Mahindra. They have a real understanding of the customer's pain points.
Nissan1180 is offline   (2) Thanks
Old 15th August 2016, 10:42   #3
GTO
Team-BHP Support
 
GTO's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Bombay
Posts: 70,335
Thanked: 298,732 Times
Re: Mahindra to work on driverless tractors

Knowing how Mahindra's electronics are, I'm happy to read this news. Better they test their self-driving technology on relatively safer farmlands than public roads .

On a serious note:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nissan1180 View Post
If anyone can pull this off in India, it is Mahindra.
India has ample cheap labour, more so in rural India. Such an expensive technology will have limited scope in our agricultural sector.
GTO is offline   (4) Thanks
Old 15th August 2016, 11:35   #4
Senior - BHPian
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Pune
Posts: 1,155
Thanked: 1,956 Times
Re: Mahindra to work on driverless tractors

Quote:
Originally Posted by GTO View Post
Knowing how Mahindra's electronics are, I'm happy to read this news. Better they test their self-driving technology on relatively safer farmlands than public roads .

On a serious note:


India has ample cheap labour, more so in rural India. Such an expensive technology will have limited scope in our agricultural sector.
I agree with GTO.

IMO, even if the user budgets a higher cost for the tractor, he would like to have extra power, sturdiness, longer life or few extra attachments in return. Not the driverless electronics.

The possible lack of reliability of the electronics and associated maintenance cost may ultimately make the users to run away from the driverless tractor.

Tractor is a farming equipment, not merely a towing vehicle. To carry out the farming functions, a man (who understands what task is to be done and in what way) is anyway needed.
Rahul Bhalgat is offline   (1) Thanks
Old 15th August 2016, 11:55   #5
BHPian
 
pratyush6's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Toronto
Posts: 569
Thanked: 684 Times
Re: Mahindra to work on driverless tractors

Also, with Mahindra's track record, this thing will always be on paper rather than anything else. Plus, we have ample cheap labour in rural areas, this thing would never take off.
pratyush6 is offline  
Old 15th August 2016, 12:33   #6
Distinguished - BHPian
 
kiku007's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: AU
Posts: 2,316
Thanked: 7,111 Times
Re: Mahindra to work on driverless tractors

Who needs a driverless tractor? Adoption of existing automated agriculture solutions itself is POOR in India.
kiku007 is offline   (1) Thanks
Old 15th August 2016, 13:51   #7
BHPian
 
gupta_chd's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Chandigarh
Posts: 307
Thanked: 390 Times
Re: Mahindra to work on driverless tractors

Every project may not and need not be commercially successful. There are lot of research and development projects undertaken in automobile and technology companies, which provide learning and results for future developments.

Also, you may never predict how does landscape changes in next 10 years. Such knowledge may provide the first mover advantage and head on start for niche companies like Mahindra against global giants. I think Mahindra may have something similar in mind. I may be wrong though.

I think we should appreciate if they are really serious for such a research.
gupta_chd is offline   (2) Thanks
Old 15th August 2016, 15:17   #8
Senior - BHPian
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Pune
Posts: 1,155
Thanked: 1,956 Times
Re: Mahindra to work on driverless tractors

Quote:
Originally Posted by gupta_chd View Post
Every project may not and need not be commercially successful. There are lot of research and development projects undertaken in automobile and technology companies, which provide learning and results for future developments.

Also, you may never predict how does landscape changes in next 10 years. Such knowledge may provide the first mover advantage and head on start for niche companies like Mahindra against global giants. I think Mahindra may have something similar in mind. I may be wrong though.

I think we should appreciate if they are really serious for such a research.
Appreciate your point that every project may not and need not be commercially successful and such projects might be a part of long term plan.

But anyway you need someone to operate this machine during the farming duties. What this project may achieve is separation of muscle work from the brain work. The machine will still need a person for the brain work (to understand what work is to be done and to command the machine accordingly) for the farming duties.

And when a tractor is towing the trolleys on roads, it is better to have a driver considering the dynamics of tractor plus trailer.

Maybe this statement from Mahindra is just to impress upon the shareholders that the company is having some good long-term vision and projects.
Rahul Bhalgat is offline  
Old 17th August 2016, 19:04   #9
Senior - BHPian
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: mumbai
Posts: 2,135
Thanked: 2,997 Times
Re: Mahindra to work on driverless tractors

Quote:
Originally Posted by GTO View Post
Knowing how Mahindra's electronics are, I'm happy to read this news. Better they test their self-driving technology on relatively safer farmlands than public roads .

On a serious note:


India has ample cheap labour, more so in rural India. Such an expensive technology will have limited scope in our agricultural sector.
Apparently labour is not so cheap anymore. Lot of bigger farmers/landowners are lamenting the fact that they cannot obtain cheap hired labour in season. Most of it is because of increasing infrastructure development which ensures more labour is absorbed in industries and road works, and a few even blame the 'rozgaar yojana' scheme which meant guaranteed income without work
apachelongbow is offline  
Reply

Most Viewed
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Team-BHP.com
Proudly powered by E2E Networks