There is a new breed of electric lawn mowers beginning to invade the lawns of everyone who is environmentally conscious and wanting to save money on gasoline. These electric powered machines are not like their older generation extension cord types. They have solar chargers and deep cycle batteries to provide the necessary energy to turn a motor and rotate a cutting blade. They are truly a combination of taking the old version push chassis and taking the internal combustion engine or AC motor off and then utilizing a DC motor specially designed with efficiency in mind. Along with marrying solar energy collection cells they are one of the newest inventions on the market now that home owners can purchase. Of course with any new technology introduction there are bugs to be ironed out such as battery life span. If anything the battery is the weakest link in the chain for a green machine of this type. Battery technology has come a long way but still needs improvement to really truly be the answer to getting away from the use of gas powered engines. Rechargeable batteries have problems with how far you can deplete their charge and how much you must charge them each time. They have problems with what is known as memory. This problem occurs if you don’t fully charge the battery it will charge to that level from then on. Overcharging a battery is also something that can shorten the lifespan of it. Cold weather causes a battery to work less efficiently as well as lack of use in the winter months. Battery companies are doing a lot of research and development to try and find a better battery that is recyclable, so that when it has reached its old age limit and not functioning well, its various parts can be re-used for something else or perhaps even another new battery. The evolution of the battery is the answer for electric lawn mowers as well as cars, and home solar systems.
Each time another person buys one of these mowers, we as a society move closer to backyard adventures in lawn cutting that are cleaner and greener!