The green industry’s focus on battery-powered equipment grows rapidly each year. Improvements in lithium-ion technology provide electric lawn equipment powerful enough to handle the demands of commercial and residential yard care. These innovations come at just the right time. Increased concern for the environmental impact of engine emissions has led to more and more locations banning gasoline-powered lawn equipment.
Whether you’re a homeowner looking to purchase new equipment or a professional considering the future of your green industry business, battery-powered equipment trends are something to keep an eye on. More and more commercial lawn care companies are starting to only use battery equipment or using a blend of battery and gasoline-powered equipment to take advantage of the best of both worlds.
In some locations, transitioning to battery-power equipment is a necessity. For others, the choice may be based on several factors including the possibility of future gasoline bans and customer perceptions of your company. To make the most informed decisions possible, it’s a good idea to keep an eye on trends involving battery-powered lawn equipment as we start planning for 2022 and beyond.
Gasoline-Power Bans
In October 2021, California became the first U.S. state to ban sales of gasoline-powered lawn equipment by 2024. The new law won’t stop people from using gasoline equipment after that date, but it does plan to stop sales of gas-powered equipment by January of that year. As early as July of 2022, lawn care workers in California will face increased restrictions on the use of gasoline equipment. The state also plans to offer funding to support lawn care workers as they transition to electric-powered equipment.
Richardson Saw & Lawnmower is based in Texas, so we’re not directly affected by this ban here. However, more and more states and cities are banning (or considering a ban on) gas-powered blowers, mowers, and other lawn equipment. It’s something to keep a close eye on, particularly in the cities and towns where you or your clients live.
Even if your city doesn’t ban gasoline-power equipment, they may place limits on emissions. There’s also the possibility that clients will ask their lawn care providers to use battery-power equipment. Having battery-powered equipment in your fleet, even if you don’t abandon gasoline entirely, helps prepare your company for these possibilities.
Improved Technology
Bans on gasoline-powered equipment aren’t the only reason to pay close attention to battery-powered equipment. Battery power offers simpler maintenance since there’s no engine to take care of. There’s also no gas smell or emissions that might be harmful to operators as well as the environment. Battery power is also quieter, making it a good choice for noise-restricted neighborhoods.
Limited runtimes are one potential downside to battery-powered equipment. For some pieces of equipment, you can only use them for 20-30 minutes before changing batteries. Power equipment manufacturers like STIHL are working to solve this problem. Even now, they provide larger batteries, faster charging, and equipment that runs at full power until the battery is drained. In the upcoming years, look for power and performance of battery-powered equipment to continue improving.
Cordless Equipment
Smaller, hand-held power equipment already comes in a wide variety of powerful, reliable battery-powered options. You’ll have no trouble finding battery-powered trimmers, edgers, chainsaws, and blowers from reliable brands like STIHL and Echo. We carry many of them here at Richardson Saw & Lawnmower.
This trend isn’t showing any signs of slowing down. Both the homeowner and professional market’s demand for cordless electric equipment with batteries that can easily be swapped out and charged is going to keep growing in 2022 and on into the future. Expect more and more options for cordless equipment to show up on the market in the near future.
Green Lawnmowers
Another trend that’s becoming more and more common is battery-powered electric lawnmowers. This trend applies to both walk-behind and ride-on mowers. If you’re shopping for battery-powered lawn mowers, you’ll find ones powered by both Lithium-Ion and Lead-Acid AGM/FLA batteries. While the Lead Acid batteries have a lower upfront cost, Lithium-Ion will last longer and give you a better return on investment.
Currently, Richardson Saw carries some of the best brands for walk-behind cordless mowers. For example, Insider.com considers Toro 21466 Recycler SmartStow Cordless Lawn Mower the best battery-powered mulching mower on the market today. STIHL also offers several models of quiet, compact, reliable lithium-ion mowers for homeowners and commercial lawn care. At Richarson Saw, we also carry the Stihl RMA460 and several EGO models.
Unmanned Lawnmowers
GPS-guided unmanned mowers are one of the biggest upcoming trends for residential lawn care. STIHL offers an iMow system that brings STIHL’s commitment to lawn equipment innovation to the unmanned lawnmower market. You can learn more about the iMow system by clicking here.
Autonomous lawnmowers aren’t just something for homeowners who don’t want to hire a mowing service or to mow the lawn themselves. These mowers can also be a big help to commercial lawn care businesses that are short-staffed. Having a mower that will cut the lawn for you while you’re working on trimming and other yard maintenance tasks saves time.
Keeping Up with Trends
Here at Richardson Saw, we care about providing all our customers with reliable equipment that meets the needs of modern lawn and landscaping projects. We’ll continue to carry and service modern, efficient gasoline equipment as well as the newest battery-powered technology for residential and commercial use.
We can answer any questions you have about how battery-powered equipment compares to gasoline or what you should expect if you switch. Our team of lawn equipment experts is here to answer questions and help you keep track of the big trend shaping the lawn care business of the future. Just contact us today or stop by to chat.
