The Surprising Leader in the Electric Transition—Your Lawn Mower
And Replacing It Could Have More Impact than You Think
While everyone has been focused on EVs coming into the automobile market, a preview of things to come can be seen in the buying trends for outdoor equipment—you know, things like lawn mowers, leaf blowers, chipper-shredders, snowblowers. Battery-powered electric machinery now accounts for nearly 66% of sales in the outdoor power tools market. Traqline, a market statistics firm, says the market share is 64%. Either way, it is almost two-thirds, the number is growing, and CNBC reports that Lowe’s and Home Depot are planning on sales in that category to help drive the overall sales growth in their stores. Home Depot is targeting that 85% of power equipment sales will be electric by 2029. Besides the carbon improvements, just think of what happens to the noise those damned leaf blowers make!
Laws help, but better products win
There are two things to understand. First, people are making the shift. Part of the impetus came from a new law in California that bans the sale of gas-powered outdoor equipment. But California doesn't account for everyone, and for a company to project that electric battery-powered tools will dominate this category nationwide is people putting their money where their mouth is. But the real reason it is happening is this: The tools are better. They are cleaner, there's no oil and gas to deal with, and they are quieter and more pleasant to use. That's why they own two-thirds of the market.
People change their behavior when they perceive it is in their interest to do so. Some will do so because being good to the earth and eliminating their emissions is important to them. These folks will sometimes even pay more to do so. But the general population does not have that kind of awareness, and their behavior changes only when the products they are buying are better. That’s exactly what has happened with outdoor power equipment. Adoption is skyrocketing now that the equipment is close in price and sometimes less, works better, and offers the other advantages already mentioned. This is how you get the world to do the right thing.
The Emissions Matter More Than You Think
In case you think people switching to electric outdoor power equipment is a small thing, think again. According to the California Air Resources Board,
“Currently, a new gas-powered mower running for 1 hour produces similar emissions to the average car driving for 100 miles.”
That’s a lot of emissions for cutting the lawn.
The positive impact of switching to electric outdoor power equipment depends, as it does for EVs, on the source of your electricity. But as I demonstrated here, the less efficient an internal combustion engine (ICE) car is, the less important your electricity source is when you switch to an EV—you will almost always be saving emissions with the EV. Gas-powered outdoor equipment is even less efficient than the least efficient ICE cars, so by going electric, you will always be reducing operating emissions.
Why this is Good News for EVs and the Future
EVs are currently behind the arc that outdoor power equipment is on, but consumer behavior on power equipment shows what we can expect with EVs. At this time, EVs account for a mere 1% of the total cars registered in the US. But they account for about 7% of total new car sales in the US. Growth in Q1 2023 versus the year earlier was 66% and EVs are projected to be 18% of total new car sales in 2023.
In other words, consumers are seeing electric power equipment and electric vehicles as better products. Not because they are climate-friendly, but because they are better products in almost every way. No one is "doing without" by going electric. Buying electric is actually "getting something better" in the consumer's mind. When that happens, adoption will grow rapidly, and emissions in these two market areas will decrease precipitously. No doubt, we still have more to do, but this is very good news.
Anthony Signorelli
Will you do me a favor and share this with your friends and social media? More people to know the good things that are happening on climate in addition to the headline grabbing news. Thanks!
I always look in envy at my neighbors with their electric weedwacker while I am fruitlessly trying to get my gas version to start. You are right, the electrification of these produces is a leading indicator of the EV market. There is still a large portion of people out there who are convinced that electric simply doesn't have the power or stamina of gas. The main barrier is now psychological, not technological. But the gradual proliferation of electric tools of this kind may break down those pre-ordained beliefs.
100% agree on this one. It’s a way better product. I switched over six years ago. I hated having to keep up with having gasoline around and not have it go stale. Maintenance on gas mower etc is a huge deal. I have a neighbor whose equipment never worked because they didn’t maintain it or the gas that powered. They were constantly asking to borrow my 100% reliable mower. I’ve only recently had an issue with my mower which turned out to be a battery at the end of its life. Six years of life with one 40V battery for a mower that got used on way more than just my lawn. Replacement battery was $80.
I also have battery a powered blower and trimmer. Added bonus, they’re all WAY quieter so it reduces noise pollution as well. Additional added bonus, mower handle folds so mower can be stored sitting upright to save a lot of space in the shed. Try doing that with a gas powered one.