In 2022, John Deere unveiled its first generation of automated heavy machinery at the Consumer Electronics Show. Fast-forward to CES 2025, the company made another big splash with the second generation of autonomous technology. The second-generation autonomy kit powers four new innovations from the company, including an autonomous lawn mower.

The four innovations cover the field, orchard, quarry, and the grass.

Autonomous Lawn Mower

During media day 2 on Monday at CES 2025, John Deere covered the new five autonomous machinery. They unveiled the lawn mower last, but its capabilities deserve to be first on our list. John Deere targets the commercial lawn care industry with this groundbreaking piece of remotely controlled equipment. Additionally, the new autonomous lawn mower is fully electric, which reduces noise and emissions.

According to the company, 88% of commercial lawn care businesses struggle to fill open positions. They hope the autonomous mower can fill some of that void.

Autonomous Tilling

John Deere is known for its farming equipment. An important piece of heavy machinery is a tiller. The company opened its press conference with a new autonomous field tiller powered by the second-generation autonomy kit. To introduce the importance of such equipment, John Deere provided numbers showing how critical autonomous vehicles can be.

The average age of a farmer is 58+. Of course, as we age, so do our bodies, which makes the 12-18 hour days taxing on a farmer. With the help of John Deere’s autonomous field tiller, it aims to save time and address the over 2 million farmer jabs that need to be filled.

Autonomous Orchard Solution

Fruits, vegetables, and nuts are considered high-value produce. According to the company, 90% of tree nuts in the U.S. are grown in California. 70% of the world’s almonds are from the Golden State. Harvesting the crops requires a farmer to gather them from the trees slowly. The vehicle goes 2.5 mph, and they run for 10 hours per day, 6-8 times per year. With the help of autonomy, this saves crucial time, especially with 50% of agricultural jobs needing to be filled in California.

John Deere unveiled two new autonomous orchard tractors. The second is a little different because it is fully electric. In addition to saving time, the electric tractor saves fuel costs and reduces fuel emissions.

Autonomous Dump Truck

Finally, there is the autonomous dump truck Dusty to cover the quarry innovation. Like the previous three autonomous vehicles and machines, Dusty saves time in a crucial section of construction work. It’s the first time John Deere ventured into the autonomous construction realm.