A new report on the impacts of gas-powered lawn and garden equipment in Massachusetts estimated the devices generated more than 600,000 tons of carbon dioxide in 2020 — an amount equivalent to the pollution from about 135,000 standard cars.
I love my electric yard gear. I've got an EGO mower, string trimmer, leaf blower, and 2 stage snow blower. So much quieter and lighter than any gas versions.
The only fueled yard appliance I use is a neighbour's riding mower because I've got an acre to mow (I know, not terribly eco friendly, but there's minimal non-natural intervention. EGO's got a riding mower, but it's a small town and it doesn't make sense for everyone on the block to have their own machine they use once every week or two.
I have a Dewalt 40v string trimmer I bought back in 2016 and it's been amazing. Same with the Ego chainsaw I bought more recently. I want an electric rider, and I may get one when my current machine gives up.
I enjoy the quiet, and I enjoy even more the way they just work. No little carburetors to clean, no gas to store, no oil to mix or to change. Just slam a battery in and get to work.
Yep, I got an EV this year too. Such a simple machine mechanically and requires very little maintenance.
It's sad to imagine where we might be if development of very early EVs and transit wasn't stamped out by oil. I'm sure we wouldn't be in the mess we are now.
I have an old 4x4 with a bad engine and I've really considered trying to EV swap it. It has a 1.3 liter engine in it, and I wouldn't need a huge motor, I just wonder where I'd put the batteries.
I'm sure you could find some space after removing all the ICE components, even just where the fuel tank was. I was considering doing something like this back in high school. I'm not sure how active things are, but ecomodder was quite a good resource back then.