According to the EPA, gas-burning lawn tools account for 4% of U.S. CO2 emissions. They are also a major source of conventional air pollutants that increase risk of respiratory illnesses. States and towns consider banning gas-powered lawn equipment:
, say electric mowers are more expensive and that it takes 10 years for the total cost to even out from forgoing gas. Regardless, many landscaping companies contend that the cost of buying new equipment is prohibitive.Kenny Roberts, who manages a landscaping company in Maine,last month that commercial electric mowers with the same power as his gas models could cost twice as much. “I’d have to stop mowing in South Portland,” he said.
Some environmental experts argue that the savings on gasoline will more than even out the cost of switching to electric equipment. “What we’re doing now is trying to find the sweet spot of what is appropriate for reducing emissions and our climate goals and what is realistic for the landscaping industry,” he said. “If you look at the private home market for landscaping equipment — totally electric: blowers, trimmers, even ride-on tractors. But if you look at the equipment that landscapers need for the 4-, 5- and 6-acre properties, the transition has been slower.
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