AUGA Tech, UAB obtained a patent in the USA for the structure of the AUGA M1 biomethane and electric-powered tractor for large farms. The company, which AUGA group, AB indirectly controls, has applied for patents in other strategic markets as well. AUGA Tech, UAB considers the patent to be an important step towards commercialising the technology developed in Lithuania on a global scale.
The North American market for agricultural machinery totalled $56.42 billion in 2022, a 2023 study by Precedence Research showed. Meanwhile, 41% (about 66 million hectares) of crop farming is done on large farms, according to 2017 data from the United States Department of Agriculture. Market and farm size are the fundamental elements for the dissemination of AUGA Tech, UAB technology commercially and promoting sustainability goals.
“We are steadily advancing towards our goal of being able to offer the technological solution we have created and developed to the world’s farmers. This patent allows us to justify our technological uniqueness and promote sustainability on large farms, where it is usually harder to implement more sustainable agricultural practices. We are aiming at addressing the technological needs of farmers engaged in both organic and traditional agriculture. Not only do we have the necessary technological experience and a strong engineering team, but also the capacity to produce such tractors in Lithuania,” says Kęstutis Juščius, the Chair of the Board of AUGA group, AB.
The AUGA M1 hybrid tractor that Lithuanian engineers developed features a unique frame construction which can accommodate a larger amount of biomethane than other gas-fuelled tractors. This allows the AUGA M1 tractor to operate for up to 12 hours, while around the world gas-powered tractors were known to work up to 4 hours in the fields.
AUGA Tech’s, UAB team of engineers have also overcome another hurdle that prevented the prevalence of biomethane tractors. They designed a gas cartridge that can be changed quickly and easily, which is filled at a biomethane plant, not on the tractor, and delivered to each farm. That means farmers do not have to invest in biomethane filling stations on their farms. According to data for 2023, the United States is the second-largest producer of biomethane after the European Union.
AUGA Tech’s, UAB unique solution has so far been patented in Lithuania and the States to the Eurasian Patent Convention. According to the Precedence Research study mentioned above, the European market for agricultural machinery amounted to $34.58 billion in 2022, while the size of the Asian market reached $78.26 billion.
In 2023, AUGA Tech, UAB launched the first production batch of AUGA M1 tractors, which were assembled at the Rokiškis Machinery Factory, AB. The company conducted field tests during the agricultural season that year and will continue to do so this year to identify the most efficient set of components for use of the technology at industrial scale.
The valuable insights generated from the field will allow AUGA Tech, UAB to improve the technology and ensure its reliability. After attracting green funding, the company plans to start a mass production of the tractors.
“Currently AUGA M1 tractors are the most technologically advanced in terms of our technology portfolio, even though we are working on other innovative prototypes that will soon be presented. We focus on complementing our technologies and meeting the full range of tractor needs for farming activities. At the same time, they will solve 100% of the emissions problem caused by the use of fossil fuels in tractors,” K. Juščius says.
