It’s a great time to electrify your lawnmower! With high gasoline prices, it is practical to investigate the benefits of an electric-powered lawn mower.
SEDAC examined the economic and environmental impact of gas and electric, battery-operated riding lawn mowers for a client. The results were astounding!
| Gas-Powered Riding Lawn Mowers | Electric-Powered Riding Lawn Mowers |
| – 22-24 HP – Price: $3,500 – Capacity: 3.5 gallons – Area mowed in 1 fill: ~5 acres – CO2 emissions per acre: 6.2 kg | – Equivalent to 22-24 HP – Price: $5,000-$7,000 – Capacity: 6 batteries (56V, 10Ah) – Area mowed in one charge: 3-4 acres – CO2 emissions per acre: 0.45 kg |
We estimated that our client mowed about 30 hours a week for 20 weeks each year at a pace of 1.5 acres/hour. A gas mower run for that amount of time uses 700 gallons of gasoline. At $4.50/gallon, it would cost our client $3,200 per year.
An electric mower run for the same amount of time uses 900 kWh of electricity. At $0.12/kWh, operating the electric mower would cost our client $108 per year, or over 32 times less than the gas mower.
Comparing gas and electric powered mowers of similar horsepower, we see that the electric mowers can mow about the same amount of acreage, but the overall CO2 emissions are much less. Although gas mowers can run longer before needing to be refueled, the capacity of electric mowers can be expanded by adding more batteries. And swapping out batteries on an electric mower is no more complicated than changing your shoes. Some mowers even come with portable battery chargers!
With electric mowers, there is no need to handle or transport volatile fuels – eliminating the risk of spills and accidental combustion. The big difference is in CO2 emissions. Gas mowers emit 16 times the CO2 emissions per acre compared to electric mowers. Gas-powered mowers use the same amount of energy that it takes to power 754 smartphones. Electric mowers use the same amount of energy to power only 55 smartphones. What a difference in energy use!
In summary, while electric mowers may be a little more expensive, they are comparable in run time and emit far less CO2 into the atmosphere than gas mowers. Go ahead, give an electric mower a try! It will help the environment and your wallet.
