Australians love their power tools. The proliferation of Bunnings Warehouses, the ever present suburban hum of leaf-blowers and lawn-mowers, and row upon row of obsessively manicured nature strips all bear testimony to that fact. And, like our cars, we seem to like them petrol powered.
But, just like with cars, this does not have to be the case. Just like with cars, there are fully electric, lithium-ion battery powered and cordless alternatives that – although a little more expensive to buy at the outset – do the same job, but with less pollution, less noise, and much lower ongoing maintenance and refuelling costs.
Consider this statistic from a federal government department of environment fact sheet: “A two-stroke leaf blower used for one hour can produce as much hydrocarbons as 150 cars over the same time.”
And, just like with cars, hardly anyone is promoting low emission alternatives – lack of demand means some of them are still only available overseas – and there is absolutely no government incentive to switch from petrol fuelled lawn mowers, edge trimmers, whipper snippers or leaf blowers to the much lower emission electric models.
Sally Perini is working to change this. Perini, who lives in NSW, got her first electric car in 2012. Keen to “walk the talk” of her environmental convictions and extensive philanthropic work, she swapped out her old Subaru for a fully electric Nissan Leaf.
Five years and three more electric vehicles later – a Renault Kangoo and two Teslas (Model S and X) have been added to the fleet – Perini wants to educate other Australians, politicians included, on the benefits of quitting petrol fuelled engines. And not just in cars.
At her home in the foothills of the Blue Mountains, Perini has set up a not-for-profit business, Zeromow, which offers landscape gardeners the chance to trial Perini’s own battery powered garden tools – including a fully electric ride-on mower she had shipped from the US – for free. The tools’ batteries are charged by her own rooftop solar system, or another source of green power.
Her belief is that if people could only experience using electric power tools, they would be instantly converted, in the same way Perini herself was converted to electric cars.
“When I first got an electric car, I guess I wanted to walk the talk,” Perini told One Step Off The Grid. “I was trying to make the house more energy efficient. I had solar on the roof. So I bought the Leaf.
“Up to then I had absolutely no interest in cars whatsoever. I saw them as a means to get from A to B. But I hated driving. Hated the whole experience of it.
“The moment I got the Leaf, that all changed. The convenience, savings on fuel and maintenance; acceleration. It handled better with the batteries at the bottom, with the regenerative breaking.
“It was that convenience of being able to get home, plug the car in, and the next day you leave home with a fully charged car.”
As it happened, Perini’s new-found love of EV driving coincided with first chance for Australian consumers to put a deposit down for the Tesla Model S. “So I did that.”
What really appealed to Perini about the Tesla, she said, was that it was obvious the company had the vision that went with the car: 100 per cent electric transport powered by renewable energy.
And there was another added benefit of driving one around on Australian roads. It got peoples’ attention.
“People were winding down the window asking what kind of car was that. You get the opportunity to talk to people you’d never normally reach,” Perini said.
“If everybody could have that experience, if you could talk to people, and give them a drive… it’s a lack of awareness that’s stopping (electric cars) from taking off.”
And the same goes for electric power tools, which, like their auto counterparts, have no government incentives to encourage their uptake, despite petrol fuelled equipment ranking relatively high on emissions.
According to the federal government’s own Department of the Environment fact sheet, non-road spark ignition engines and equipment (NRSIEE) – including mowers, chainsaws, leaf blowers and outboard motors – contribute significantly to air pollution in Australia, particularly in urban areas.
This is largely because these engines don’t have the same advanced emission controls found in on-road engines, so they are high polluters relative to their engine size and usage.
“For example,” says the government fact sheet, “a two-stroke leaf blower used for one hour can produce as much hydrocarbons as 150 cars over the same time.”
For this reason, high-emitting NRSIEE are banned in overseas markets like the USA, Canada, Europe and China. The Australian government says it is working towards introducing emission standards for NRSIEE.
“It’s another thing the government’s been saying they’re going to do something. But at the moment there’s no regulation over all this outdoor equipment,” Perini says.
“They give all this information on the website… meanwhile you’ve got no incentive to help people become aware there are viable alternatives, that can be powered by renewable energy.”
When Perini switched all her own power tools to electric – mostly using the well established brand Stihl – it gave her the idea to set up the zero emissions mowing business, to help create awareness and get the alternatives out there. And this is where the Renault Kangoo ZE electric van came in.
“I got the idea that I could be electric from vehicle to equipment,” she said. “And then I decided if I really wanted to create awareness … and fast-track that transition, it would be better to get the equipment out to (other gardening businesses) so they could try it themselves.
“I am lending out for free to any landscape or mowing contractor, to let them try out the equipment for a few days on the job. We can also go and demonstrate to them.”
If nothing else, she says, it starts the conversation: How much? What happens if the battery runs out mid-job? Can they do the same kind of work as fuel powered machines? How long do they take to recharge?
Like with EVs, she says, there might be more of an upfront cost with the power tools, because you have to invest in the lithium-ion batteries.
But then there’s the fuel saving, and the current range of batteries (lithium-ion) are so much better, last a lot longer per charge, and are getting cheaper. And they can be shared among the various tools.
And there are health benefits, too. The battery powered equipment is lighter to use, says Perini, and with some models of blowers, for example, you can get a backpack battery, so you’ve got so much less weight in the blower – and are not inhaling all those toxic fumes.
“The health impacts alone should be enough to make contractors think about it,” says Perini.
On the EV front, Perini has now added Tesla’s Model X to her quiver, which she says is largely used to tow the trailer that carries her fully electric commercial grade ride on mower, that she brought over from the US.
“That can get up to seven hours running time on a single charge,” Perini says. “I brought it over with hope that I would be able to get some interest on importing them.
“If I can at least create awareness that this kind of machine exists, not here, but overseas, it’s a start.
“Zeromow is working towards creating awareness. Everything is electric and all powered by renewable energy, either the solar on my roof or green power.”
As for the Model X, Perini says that gets even more attention than the Model S did. And with the company’s signage on the side of the car, it’s all working towards creating that zero emissions awareness she’s aiming for.
Sophie is editor of One Step Off The Grid and deputy editor of its sister site, Renew Economy. Sophie has been writing about clean energy for more than a decade.
This post was published on July 26, 2017 10:44 am
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View Comments
That is really cool!
Wow, well done Sally. That's a great idea to let people have a go so they can see for themselves and have a hands on experience of the electric alternatives. There's no substitute like being able to try something for yourself. I'd like our house to be fully electric but at the moment we use gas for cooking and water heating. The obvious electric alternative to gas cooking is induction cooking but without being able to try it and compare, it's hard to make the jump. Our gas instantaneous hot water is really reliable and performs well all the time so once again, it's hard to make the jump to electric without being able to actually try it out so you can compare. Maybe someone will put together an all electric house that can be rented so people can try out inductions stoves and electric water heaters that are as good as gas instantaneous. One of the things we like about the gas hot water is you're not storing water and re-heating it. Is there an electric instantaneous hot water heater that works as well? Anyway, I think what you are doing Sally is brilliant. I hope it's a huge success!
Rob I've gone all electric with induction cooking, heat pump hot water and heat pump reverse cycle air conditioners. They all work very well and are MORE energy efficient that gas. So my advice is JUST DO IT!
Thanks Dennis. I would like to give gas the flick so at some point in the near future we'll have to bite the bullet and make the change. Nothing ventured, nothing gained!
After moving to a brand new house with nothing but a ducted reverse cycle aircon unit for all heating, my experience has been the opposite of your comment above. At 24c/kWh, the (supposed) 13kW unit (Toshiba) is costing around 83c/hour for 3.45kWh to run. Because of this, we are sitting on the couch with a rug over our knees, and the air turned off for most of the time. We just turn it on briefly when it gets too cold to bear. (No solar in this house, so we are selling up and moving to a new place with gas ducted heating AND reverse cycle air. A 5kW solar array will be installed to offset the power usage (average 20kWh/day).
Good on Sally for the initiative, but at this stage, this sort of endeavour is not an option for most of us, not even close.
The Teslas are luxury vehicles for the very rich, not an option for most of us.
The Renault Kangoo electric version isn't sold here in Aus' by Renault Australia (to the best of my knowledge; and nor is the Zoe, unfortunately), so I'd be keen to hear how she even got that.
Maybe in ten years when Australia has reached where the rest of the developed world was in 2018...
Cheers, A.
aggri1
A good post but the rate of adoption is likely to be quicker than people think once word spreads. Would like to know how the Renault Kangoo electric goes too. Would be nice if Renault could bring in the new Zoe EV to the land of Oz too! You wouldn't need to bring many!
Roger, I bet it won't take long before the Renault Zoe is for sale in Australia:
http://www.caradvice.com.au/554838/renault-zoe-australian-launch-hinted-at-as-new-government-approval-details-surface/
While on holidays in Europe I drove a Renault ZOE ZE 40 for 2 days and I was positively impressed with the performance and price vs range, also confirmed in the article below:
http://www.nextgreencar.com/features/7943/ev-price-vs-range-comparison/
Wasn't sure what you were referring to re 'this sort of endeavour not being an option for most of us'. Do you mean owning an electric car or switching to cordless battery outdoor equipment?
I'm aware that I'm extremely lucky and privileged to have been in a position to support the early adoption of electric vehicles in Australia, and in particular to be able to support Tesla.
Yes, Australia is definitely lagging behind. As the article pointed out, we need incentives in Australia to encourage the adoption of EVs, and we need to encourage manufacturers to bring their EVs and PHEVs here so Australians can have a greater choice. We also need to create awareness of the benefits of electric vehicles, and help create demand. This is just one way to try and do that.
It would be good to follow-up on your comments re 'maybe in ten years...'. How about we make a date to revisit this, same place, in say five years?
Sally
Hi. Sorry, I could have been clearer. I meant that switching to EVs wasn't an option. The electric garden equipment is more feasible; I've a battery-powered whipper-snipper which, while being pretty wimpy, is suitable for our small suburban yard, and takes the place of a lawnmower.
Was looking for EVs recently, but even second-hand 2012-model Leafs were still almost $40k. That's too much in my opinion for what is by now a relatively limited EV, especially considering upcoming alternatives (which may or not make it to Aus', and including the upcoming revised Leaf). I don't have much hope that the Government will make any moves to encourage manufacturers to make available even their existing EVs here, with e.g. fleet-average emissions levels or EV sales percentages or whatever, so I think it's highly unlikely we'll see any reasonably-priced EVs here any time soon. Sadly.
Sounds like you need a demo of Zeromow's equipment! Whipper-snippers we're using are certainly not 'wimpy'!
The Tesla Model 3 avalanche starts 2pm Saturday, Sydney time, with delivery of the first 30 cars off the new production line. You can watch it live.
US$35K, so about $50K here.
If that is unaffordable (remember you don't pay for petrol, and maintenance is about half), then wait 2 yrs for the flood of Chinese models.
The Electrochemical Century. No more Rankine Cycle, or Otto Cycle, or Ellingham Diagram.
I noticed battery powered electric mowers about 12 months ago. Then on a fitness run I passed a neighbour using one. I stopped and enquired. She was quite happy to sing praise of its qualities. Then I went and bought one for $600 - the sales person knocked $50 to sweeten the deal. **For the past 6 months or so I have been glorying in the fume free, quiet, and efficient mowing.** [With roof top solar I'm not even letting the battery get charged with coal fired electricity.]
I gave away my two stroke mower - still in good working order - apart from its broken pull start chord. Good riddance.
My friend has a Ryobi mower, hedger and edger. The batteries are hopeless. Not saying don't go electric - we must. I'm saying do the homework and buy a product with a good battery track record.
Agree. Zeromow encourages people to look at all available brands before making a decision.
http://www.zeromow.com.au/equipment/
I have an Ego lawnmower, line trimmer and chainsaw bought from Stratco. These are the more expensive option, but I did a lot of review watching on you tube first. They are excellent, all work great. I can do my front and rear lawn twice using only one battery charge. I only need one battery and just swap as required. You can buy larger capacity batteries if you need to.
https://egopowerplus.com.au/
I'm with you John. About 6yrs ago a local guy had an Enviro Mower for sale, I picked it up for $125, which beat the new price of $580. After 8 months the lead acid battery failed, so I replaced it with a newie, cost $38 and still going strong. Like yours it's charged from solar. Love it!
I agree with Sally - electric motors are so much better that infernal combustion engines. I had an old ride-on mover whose engine had died and converted it to electric. It has a 48V DC permanent magnet motor and 4 12V gel cell deep discharge lead acid batteries - the lithium ones were too expensive when I did the conversion. An Alltrax controller does the control job, and I followed Alltrax's detailed recommendations for the control circuit. It works really well for me, and over the 3 or 4 years since I converted it, my main problems have been mechanical ones not related to the electric drive.
A ride-on mower conversion is much easier, cheaper and safer than a car conversion. I'm not a mechanical person, but I was able to get it to work OK. I now really appreciate the value of maximum torque at zero revs that electric motors can provide. When the mower had its petrol engine, it had to be running flat out before engaging the cutters, but even then the engine would almost stall with the extra load. The electric motor has so much torque that it can be started from zero with the cutters already engaged. Of the 20+ maintenance items listed in the manual, all but one disappeared when I pulled out the petrol engine. I would never go back to a conventional ride-on.
Check out https://egopowerplus.com.au/