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Electric Equipment Cuts Into Gas-Powered Share
Using a standard two-battery setup with precharged batteries, consumers can easily mow up to half an acre. That covers a large swath of new residential development lawns. Throw in a “system” battery-powered product like some OEMs do, and the homeowner can also use the same batteries and charger to power a blower and trimmer—rounding out the other two items in the suburban garage power equipment “holy trinity”—and handle most any yard work.
Market Share
Rechargeables are becoming more prominent in dealers’ showrooms.
Electric equipment—battery-powered, specifically— continues to cut even further into the mainstream as evidenced by a recent article in the Washington Post detailing how one city’s public works crew is making the move to 90% electric equipment in the next five years. This, of all places, is in Alabama, where things like rooftop solar installations are actively punished by power companies and regulators. Part of the greater Birmingham area, the city of Mountain Brook has spent $18,000 to convert its maintenance capacity to almost all-electric. Another institutional transformation is at the University of Louisville, where administrators began reducing their maintenance crews’ carbon footprint 10 years ago when it switched to propane-powered mowers. A year ago, the university bought its first battery-powered zero-turn mower to complement the natural gas mowers. In between, the school also made the switch with other types of equipment and now has more than 25 battery-powered units including blowers, saws, string trimmers, hedge trimmers and shop tools. Mountain Brook and U of L’s respective moves toward almost completely eliminating liquid fuel-powered small engines on their maintenance crews reflect multiple features, benefits and 6
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trends: battery-operated equipment is convenient and quiet, with zero emissions. There’s also the ongoing increase in battery power and run times and overall boost in quality that can help lead institutions and commercial users to invest in such products. A recent Consumer Reports article looked at almost four dozen battery-powered lawnmowers and noted that average run time is 30-45 minutes, roughly enough to cut a quarter-acre.
A 2020 report from the California Air Resources Board (CARB), citing Freedonia Group data, claimed “35% of the small engine market is now electrified, with handheld tools leading the way.” The same report looked at a wide variety of equipment categories and estimated market share of electric (battery and corded) equipment vs. gas-powered units. According to CARB, as of 2018 in California, 23% of walk-behind mowers were electric, while 37% of chainsaws, 58% of trimmers and 69% of blowers (including vacs) were either corded or battery operated. Corded handheld and walk mowers have long been an option mostly at lower price points. Led by rechargeable handtool suppliers that have worked to expand applications and attachments over the years into lawn and garden markets, most traditional gas-operated premium equipment manufacturers have added battery-operated products to their lineups the past decade-plus as battery technology advanced and consumer demand grew.
In a tougher application than handheld, rechargeable mowers are taking market share as well.
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