Electrify Your Lawn Care
If you have already replaced your internal combustion engine (ICE) car with an electric vehicle (EV), then you might also want to consider the small engines hiding in your garden shed as well. The EPA once reported that the average gas-powered lawnmower produces as much air pollution in a year as 43 new automobiles being driven 12,000 miles each.
Although the EPA has phased-in regulations over the past two decades that have helped curb emissions of small spark-ignitions, the fact remains that gas mowers still produce far more emissions than electric ones. It’s no secret that Americans are obsessed with their lawns. According to NASA scientists, there are now more than 63,000 square miles of lawn in America, making grass the single largest irrigated “crop” — more than corn, wheat, and fruit orchards combined. That’s a lot to manicure!
A discussion recently started on the Kansas City Electric Vehicle Enthusiasts group on Facebook about electric lawn care. Let’s take a look at what local EV drivers have to say about their recommended electric-powered lawn tools:
Eric Newell: Kobalt 80V
“I have the entire suite of Kobalt 80V and love them all. Push mower, self-propelled push mower, chainsaw, weed trimmer, hedge trimmer, leaf blower, and even a snow thrower. The 80-volt cordless mower offers up to 80 minutes runtime on a fully charged 5.0 Ah battery, so we can do our whole one-third acre yard in one charge. The snow thrower does our six-driveway cul-de-sac on one battery as well, and that same battery works in over 20 different tools. I have used other systems, but in my experience, this is the best. (I am a little biased since I manage a Lowe’s. 😉)”
Eric manages the Lowe’s in Shawnee. In addition to Kobalt, Lowe’s also offers battery-powered outdoor equipment from Greenworks, Black+Decker, and Craftsman. Eric says they have many special values going on right now for many of these brands.
Yanik Dhont: Greenworks Tools
“I’ve been using Greenworks products for years: a corded 13A mower, an 1800 PSI corded pressure washer, and an 80V battery-operated snowblower. They have all the advantages of an EV—basically no maintenance, no messing with gas or oil, and can easily be stored in the garage. 🙂 They’re lightweight and don’t smell. I remember the days of having to drive to fill a gas can, possibly spilling some, and making your car reek. You also had to mix oil and clean spark plugs. Just like I will never buy an Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) vehicle again, I won’t buy anything but an electric-powered tool again.”
Lauri Glasgow: Ryobi
“All of my lawn equipment and snowblower are Ryobi — same battery for all. I was able to purchase the weed trimmer and leaf blower without a battery to save money since I already had two others.”
Phillip Watkins: EGO POWER+
“I’ve been collecting the Ego brand products. I currently have 2 push mowers (one is self-propelled), a weed trimmer, leaf blower, and a chainsaw. The batteries work across products so that you can trim the edges and then pop the battery out and right into the lawnmower. Once you finish mowing just pop the battery out and into the leaf blower. The more products you get, the more batteries you get, and they even have a rapid charging station. 😎”
For a more exhaustive list of options, check out these recommendations tested by Popular Mechanics: