Aftrak wins £180,000 grant to bring its electric micro-tractor to UK farms
What's the deal? AftrakDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, an agritech spinout co-founded by engineers at Loughborough UniversityDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, has secured a grant of up to £180,000 through the UK's DRIVE35 Mobilise programme. The award comes from the Advanced Propulsion Centre UK (APC)Dealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, which selected the company as one of 16 innovators for the accelerator.
What's the endgame? Aftrak builds the AFT-e1, a walk-behind electric micro-tractor pitched as an affordable, low-emission alternative to conventional machinery. It uses a hot-swappable battery and interchangeable attachments to cut fuel use, noise, and running costs for small-scale growers.
What's the money for? The funding, alongside business support, will help Aftrak validate the AFT-e1 for the UK market and strengthen its manufacturing. Trials with nurseries, market gardens, and urban farms are planned, with the platform also targeting horticulture, vineyards, orchards, and equestrian settings.
Why now? Mobilise sits under the government's £4bn DRIVE35 initiative. The company has already trialled the AFT-e1 in Malawi for Deep Bed Farming and hard-ground cultivation, and the grant marks its push into the UK.
The venture also draws on the Consortium for Battery InnovationDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → and international development charity TiyeniDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →. It won the $1 million Milken-Motsepe Prize in Green Energy in 2024 and was nominated for the Earthshot Prize in 2025.
What they're saying: "This funding will help us further validate the AFT-e1 for use here in the UK," said Dr Jonathan Wilson, co-founder of Aftrak. He added that trials in Malawi had demonstrated "both the impact and commercial potential of the technology in Africa."
The signal: As governments channel electrification funding beyond cars, small-scale electric machinery is emerging as a route to cut emissions and costs for growers — and a testing ground for battery-swap models in agriculture.
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