Snapshot FRANCE
Electric viniculture robots with a cooperative ownership model
A French company, Vitibot, developed an autonomous electric robot able to perform tasks in vineyards such as weeding, mowing and trimming. The robot, named Bakus, has a similar shape to that of a grape harvester, but it navigates aided by GPS modules and can be piloted through a mobile application. The robot has a battery life of up to fourteen hours, after which it requires six hours of charging time. It has been deployed in several wine-producing regions in France, including Burgundy, Champagne, Occitanie and Touraine.
The robot frees winemakers from mechanical weeding, required in organic viticulture where herbicide use is restricted. In the field, it is supervised by trained technicians, and setup requires site-specific cartography and slope calibration.
Electric machinery can be adopted through a cooperative model, reducing the individual financial burden and increasing utilisation rates.
Machinery such as the Bakus can be adopted through the French cooperative model Cuma (coopérative d'utilisation de matériel agricole, or Agricultural Equipment Use Cooperative), through which multiple farmers co-invest in shared equipment. Several Cumas in wine regions have acquired these robots. The cooperative model reduces the financial burden on individual farmers and increases equipment utilisation rates.
Investment packages typically include the robot unit, attachments, trailer, mapping service and maintenance plans. In some cases, the shared acquisition through a Cuma unlocks access to subsidies that are only available for cooperative or collective purchases. The Bakus costs approximately USD 230,000 (EUR 200,000) and the payback period is estimated at 2 to 3 years when it is purchased and used through a cooperative. The Cuma model enables broad adoption of automation technologies without requiring individual ownership or full-time operation.
Snapshot France from the following sources: Julien Bernier, “Un Robot Viticole, Électrique et Autonome Pour Désherber Les Vignes” [An Electric, Autonomous Viniculture Robot for Vineyard Weeding], France 3 Centre-Val de Loire, 8 August 2024, https://france3-regions.franceinfo.fr/centre-val-de-loire/indre-loire/un-robot-viticole-electrique-et-autonome-pour-desherber-les-vignes-3015362.html; Aude Lutun, “Les Robots Vignerons Bakus En Cuma, C'est Pratique” [Bakus Viniculture Robots in a Cuma, That's Convenient], Vitisphere, 11 June 2024, https://www.vitisphere.com/actualite-102133-les-robots-vignerons-bakus-en-cuma-cest-pratique.html; Vitibot, “Robot Enjambeur Viticole Électrique - Vignes Semi-Larges - Bakus L” [Electric Viniculture Straddle Robot – Semi-Wide Vines – Bakus L], 5 March 2025, https://vitibot.fr/robot-viticole-bakus/robot-viticole-bakus-l/; S.H., “Le Robot Électrique Bakus Réalise En Autonomie Les Travaux Du Sol” [Electric Robot Bakus Completes Ground Work Autonomously], Anjou Agricole, 24 May 2022, https://www.anjou-agricole.com/le-robot-electrique-bakus-realise-en-autonomie-les-travaux-du-sol; Cuma Occitanie, “La CUMA La Vigneronne S'équipe d'Un Robot Autonome” [Winemaker CUMA Equips Itself With an Autonomous Robot], Fédération Régionale Des Cuma D'Occitanie, 11 September 2024, https://occitanie.cuma.fr/la-cuma-la-vigneronne-sequipe-dun-robot-autonome.
