Electric Lawn Mowers: A Greener Choice, Pg. 2
For homes with yards over a quarter acre in size, a reel mower is probably not going to cut it. (pun intended) Enter the electric-powered lawn mower.
Electric mowers eliminate many of the nasty things associated with gas-powered mowers. No carbon dioxide, no carbon monoxide, no volatile organic compounds or nitrous oxide emissions. No emissions at all. (It is true that the electricity powering the mower will create pollution if it is generated at a coal or gas-powered plant, but it’s much less than the gas mower would produce.) All of these pollutants are inhaled into the lungs when mowing with a gas mower, leading to lung inflammation and damage, and can increase the risk of asthma and other respiratory and/or heart conditions.
With an electric mower, none of these pollutants are present; no obnoxious, dangerous fumes. No smoky exhaust. And no noise.
Electric Lawn Mower Performance
What about an electric mowers’ performance? After all, as mentioned, there’s a reason the gas mower is the predominant form of mower. They work extremely well. Fortunately, newer electric lawn mowers are designed to perform just as well as their gas-powered brethren.
Some of the advantages of electric lawn mowers are:
- No pollution
- No exhaust
- Quiet operation
- Little maintenance or upkeep (electric motors have much fewer moving parts and require no oil, filters, or spark plugs)
- Affordable (prices comparable or cheaper than gas mowers, and much lower maintenance costs)
- Excellent cutting performance
Drawbacks to Electric Lawn Mowers
Electric mowers are a great choice for eco-conscious lawn owners looking for a cleaner, quieter mowing experience. But they are not perfect. Electric mowers need power, which they get from a power cord. Yes, they must be plugged in. A corded electric lawn mower will work best in smaller lawns with fewer obstructions for cords to get tangled in. Keeping the mower tethered to a house or other electric source is not the most convenient thing in the world.
For larger lawns, owners may consider a cordless rechargeable electric lawn mower, which perform as well as corded mowers, but have onboard batteries to power them. This gives the cordless mower the same maneuverability and freedom of gas mowers, but still have the issue that batteries present, namely their operation time and charging time.
Green homeowners with no budgetary constraints can push the mower technology envelope with solar-powered mowers or robot mowers that cut the lawn all by themselves. These may be the future of environmentally-friendly mowers, but they are very expensive options.
For too long, the big, loud gas-powered lawn mower has been associated with high performance and ‘manliness.’ Don’t buy into the marketing; the planet doesn’t need another lawn maintained by pollution-spewing gasoline and oil. By overcoming the false reputation electric lawn mowers have for their wimpy performance, you’ll soon be enjoying a beautiful green lawn without all the harmful pollution and noise.
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