Autonomous Tractor Corporation
Autonomous Tractor Corporation

As the global conversation around sustainability accelerates, agriculture, long seen as both a victim and contributor to climate change, is in urgent need of reinvention. While electric vehicles dominate headlines as a green solution, their limitations in rural and heavy-duty environments remain unresolved. Autonomous Tractor Corporation (ATC) founder Terry Anderson believes the key to fueling the future farm lies not in lithium batteries or diesel engines, but in something far older and surprisingly underutilized: ammonia.

"This isn't new technology," Terry Anderson shares. "Ammonia-fueled combustion engines date back to the 1800s. Later, during World War II, when oil was scarce, ammonia-fuelled combustion engines were introduced to humans. The oil companies just made sure we all forgot about it."

Today, ATC is working to put ammonia back on the map, not just as a fertilizer, but as a primary, carbon-free fuel source. According to Terry, the reasons are compelling: ammonia is more economical than diesel, releases no carbon when burned, and requires only minor modifications to existing farm equipment. More importantly, its use avoids the heavy environmental cost of lithium extraction and disposal, and the increasing strain on the electrical grid.

Transportation accounts for over 15% of global greenhouse gas emissions. While electric vehicles have curbed emissions in passenger transit, they're not the right fit for agriculture. "Batteries are heavy, expensive, and degrade over time," Terry explains. "And every battery-powered tractor adds strain to a power grid that's already at capacity."

Ammonia offers a way around those limitations. It packs high energy density into a compact form, is widely available, and doesn't rely on rare earth minerals. "You can convert an existing diesel tractor to run on ammonia with very minimal changes," says Terry. Still, ammonia isn't without its challenges. It burns more slowly than diesel, can be harder to ignite, and requires emissions control to manage nitrogen oxides. But, as Terry puts it, "We're not reinventing the wheel. We're just polishing it."

Where ATC truly breaks new ground is in closing the loop. Rather than relying on industrial ammonia supply chains, Anderson envisions farms producing their own ammonia, on-site and on demand, using ambient air, moisture, and heat.

The secret ingredient? Micro nuclear reactors. "We're designing a reactor about four feet long and sixteen inches in diameter," explains Terry. "It uses spent uranium and doesn't need to be refueled for at least twenty years. This would mean no emissions or grid dependency. Just clean, constant energy."

The Haber-Bosch method has already made strides in agriculture with synthetic fertilizers in the 20th century. Now, this can further be indirectly utilized in fuel generation. Terry continues, "There are many companies globally building them right now. The tech is ready. It just needs to be brought to agriculture."

ATC is currently in the design and development phase of its micro nuclear reactor, with plans to debut it on farms by mid-2027. Unlike other reactors that rely on electronic systems, theirs will feature a mechanical control system, simpler, safer, and more resilient in off-grid environments.

Terry's background in advanced physics and nuclear research, while previously working in a lab, gives ATC a unique edge in navigating this complex space. But the implications go far beyond agriculture. One day, Anderson imagines, these microreactors could be small enough to power homes, eliminating the need for centralized utilities altogether.

At its core, Anderson's vision is about sovereignty: for the environment, for farmers, and for future generations. "Why rely on fossil fuels or a fragile grid, when the air, water, and energy you need are right on your land?" Terry asks.

Ultimately, ATC is on a mission to prove that the path to true agricultural sustainability won't be paved with lithium and copper wiring. With a carbon-neutral combustion cycle, lower fuel costs, no dependence on battery minerals, and the potential for fully self-contained fuel generation, ammonia could do for 21st-century farming what diesel did for the 20th. It's not just about changing what's under the hood. It's about reengineering the entire energy ecosystem within agriculture. And if Anderson has his way, by 2027, the quiet hum of a micro nuclear reactor might be the new sound of sustainable farming.