Former VW CEO Herbert Diess Is Now Building Electric Tractors

Most former auto executives disappear into boardrooms or consulting jobs after leaving the industry. Herbert Diess decided to start building electric tractors instead. A few years after being pushed out as CEO, he’s back with a new company called DIESS E-Agrartechnik AG, and this time the focus is on electric tractors instead of electric cars.

Based in Munich, the company plans to launch a new mid-sized electric tractor in 2027 aimed at farmers and municipal services.

Diess says it will be able to compete directly with diesel-powered tractors while cutting operating costs by roughly 50%. One of the main ideas behind the project is a swappable battery system, allowing the tractor to stay in use almost continuously instead of sitting idle waiting to recharge.

The tractor is also being designed as a flexible work tool rather than a niche EV experiment. Attachments for mowing, loading, and winter maintenance are already planned, while future ideas include solar charging stations and autonomous operation.

Diess also hinted that an established agricultural machinery company is involved behind the scenes, although he stopped short of naming names.

The move might sound unusual at first, but it actually connects back to projects Diess supported during his time at Volkswagen. Back in 2021, VW launched the GenFarm initiative focused on electric farming equipment for Africa, including concepts with battery swapping and solar charging.

In that sense, this new tractor company feels less like a sudden reinvention and more like an idea he chose to pursue after leaving the automotive world behind.