I was glad CA did this, because suddenly every big box store is selling electric lawn equipment that was designed in this century. Just a few years ago I went looking for an electric lawnmower and they were still using 6v lead acid batteries for 20 minutes of runtime on a 12" blade and cost a small fortune. Two years ago suddenly everybody has affordable lithium powered modular battery systems. Granted, they're all made out of cheap plastic, but getting people actually buying them is the most important first step in getting good and affordable equipment.
While they're writing regulations about it, I wish they'd mandate a standard for rechargeable batteries for the lawn equipment. As it stands, we get proprietary standards like cordless power tools where batteries have something like 90% margins.
> I wish they'd mandate a standard for rechargeable batteries for the lawn equipment.
This has never occurred to me but that seems obvious. I wonder if it's just not something on lawmaker's radar.
We know that all tool makers will scream and say "how can we be sure 3rd party batteries won't explode in our tools?" I wonder if there could be some sort of certification for both batteries and tools that would mitigate such an issue.
> "how can we be sure 3rd party batteries won't explode in our tools?"
Hopefully the response to that would just be laughter.
IIRC, many of the proprietary batteries used in power tools today use commodity cells internally, either 18650s or 20650s. Not many (any?) are developing their own proprietary cells. Their secret sauce is the plastic shell and connector shape.
What we need, IMO, is standardized sizes and quick-connectors for batteries that are about 10-20x the capacity of an 18650. Big enough for the kind of power a tool needs, small enough that there's not much excuse for a hand tool or lawn mower not to fit them.
> Their secret sauce is the plastic shell and connector shape.
And load leveling, over/under current protection, metering UI, etc etc. Also, not all 18650s have the same characteristics for dis|charge rates, and capacity.
I assume power tool manufacturers use commodity charging circuits, rather than trying to second guess with their own proprietary creation.
> Also, not all 18650s have the same characteristics for dis|charge rates, and capacity.
This is true, but I have one charger that handles them all. Not just 18650s, either, but bigger batteries and smaller ones too. It is a solved problem, and not something that a power tool manufacturer needs to try to solve again.
Having watched a few Big Clive amd AvE teardown videos of various doodads, my impression is that manufacturers have different opinions about circuit optimization.
Different cells and cell configurations have different requirements for charging and discharging. You can discharge cells too rapidly damage the cells and potentially cause a fire.
This has never occurred to me but that seems obvious. I wonder if it's just not something on lawmaker's radar.
It appears to kinda be. I've got the following equipment from Lowe's (U.S. home improvement store) Kobalt brand:
1. Mower
2. Weed trimmer
3. Electric snow shovel
...all of which take the same battery. But the same battery from Lowe's that (as others point out) probably has a 90% margin. And I think it is a fair question on the part of the manufacturers to ask, "how do we know those other batteries aren't going to go 'pop'?" The standard would have to be segmented as well. I don't to drag around a drill that is using the same battery as the lawn mower; my forearms aren't in that good shape.
All of that said, it is nice to just pull a battery off the lawn equipment charger and not worry about which battery goes where.
It's very effective. Almost 100% of my cordless power tools are DeWalt, for exactly that reason. E.g. I'm in the market now for a cordless air compressor, and it turns out that DeWalt makes one that takes the 20V batteries just like the other tools I carry. Of course it's first on the list.
If the lawmakers would just make 4 standards: 2 milwaukee (12 and 18 volt), 2 DeWalk (12v and 20/60 flex) it would cover most people who care about keeping their existing tools and be good enough for everything.
> As it is if you care you can get adapters on eBay/Amazon for cheap.
In my experience, that's usually from one proprietary format to another (e.g. I have an adapter to use older "18V" DeWalt batteries in newer "20V" tools. But I haven't had much luck finding an adapter that would let me use 18650s in my cordless drills.
I have a Greenworks leaf blower, trimmer, and chainsaw. They all take the same battery cartridge, and they sell their tools without batteries so you only have to buy one battery and swap it around as needed. There are third party battery packs that will work as well.
Got an electric mower a few years ago for a small lawn. Quiet, cordless, zero maintenance.
Moved houses and got a bigger lawn. Got an electric riding mower - a big one - to make sure it could handle the lawn in 1 go. It was expensive, but again zero maintenance, no gas, oil etc, always charged and ready to go.
I have been impressed so far. Next up electric car.
Got solar panels to charge my electric devices. I'm aiming for the long game - hoping it'll pay off in the long run both in cost and environmental.
Why not hire a mowing service? Also expensive, but it puts more velocity into the local economy, is much more efficient (all that lithium and plastic to be used for an hour once a week?), and frees up your valuable time.
I considered it, but a couple of reasons. 1. cost - compared to the service, the mower should pay for itself in about 2 years, so everything after is saving money. 2. emissions - i want to reduce emissions and the mowing service is not on electric.
Both of these have up front costs, but in the long run I think they are worth it.
Honestly, a way better approach is to just stop having lawns that need mowing. More people need to plant native species that actually belong there instead of a monoculture of invasive plants. And, much more importantly in some drought-prone areas, plants that need little or no irrigation.
