It's not just cars going electric at a blinding pace.
More and more lawn mowers, trimmers, and leaf blowers are making the switch to electric power, making it the hottest trend in lawn care.
Dirk Marder has owned an outdoor power equipment store for two decades, Pleasant Valley Outdoor Power.
He has never seen a trend like this spread so quickly.
He says many of his customers now want electric mowers and trimmers, even chain saws.
"This is perfect for a small subdivision, for things like tree pruning," he said, showing off a lithium powered chain saw.
Companies are cranking out lithium tools in response to the growing demand, from popular brands like Stihl, DeWalt, Cub Cadet, and Craftsman, to name a few, along with electric-only newcomers like E-GO.
"With more and more smaller yards, people don't want to mess with gas, don't want to mess with oil, don't want to pull a cord. Lithium's got the edge," Marder said.
What to look for in electric lawn equipment
Tyler Graham is co-founder of the site The Lawn Review.
He says forget about weak battery powered tools from a decade ago.
At higher price points, he says, battery technology is performing as well, or even outperforming some gas-powered equipment.
"If you buy the most expensive electric, it's going to be better than that than its gas equivalent," he said.
For mowers Graham recommends you look for a few key words:
- Brushless motor, which he says is more efficient.
"It just gives you longer run times and more powerful cuts," he said.
- Advertised run time, which he says should be somewhere in the 50 to 60 minute range (cheaper models may only run for 30 minutes).
- Battery charge time, so you know how long the battery needs to get juiced.
Of course, electric won't be for everyone.
For instance, If you have several acres, Graham cautions that one battery won't be enough.
"However," he said, "if you have a half acre or less, you're not going to run into an issue where you run out of battery."
Something else to keep in mind: some states and cities, like California and Washington DC, are phasing out new purchases of gas-powered equipment to cut back on air and noise pollution.
So the next time you need a mower or leaf blower, Dirk Marder suggests you consider electric.
"Just take it off the shelf, put a battery in, and go," he said.
And that way you don't waste your money.
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