From regulating carbon emissions to consumer preference toward a quieter lawncare experience, multiple factors are driving the growing conversion from gas- to battery-powered outdoor power equipment (OPE). With more homeowner associations and municipalities regulating when gas-powered equipment can be used and states enacting legislation to ban the sale of new equipment that runs on gas, it may be time to consider making the switch.
With this shift comes a whole new set of questions: Is battery-powered equipment going to have enough power for my jobs? What do the different voltages mean? Is an 80-volt battery more powerful than a 56-volt battery? What are amp hours (Ah) and how do they factor into the mix?
And—the big one—which brand do I invest in?
EGO Is the No. 1-rated brand of battery-powered OPE. Its 56-volt ARC Lithium™ battery provides all the power and performance of gas without the noise, fuss or fumes associated with working with and maintaining gas-powered equipment. Every EGO battery powers all 70-plus tools in the EGO platform, so you can use the same battery to power a string trimmer or leaf blower as well as a zero-turn mower.
The best place to start your conversion journey is understanding the battery. It’s what provides power and runtime—and often comprises most of the cost of any tool.
When comparing brands, you’re going to come across a variety of voltages and amp hours (Ah). But the actual measurement of a battery’s power boils down to watts. And watts are where EGO separates itself from the competition. It’s also where things get much more complex.
“You must get down to the cell level and how cells are arranged to understand max power of a battery,” says Nick Feld, OPE product manager at EGO. “Electrical current is measured in amp, and voltage is measured in volts. Amps multiplied by volts equals watts, or the power a battery can output. Higher amps means more power out. Battery cells within a battery housing are arranged in layers, referred to as ‘Ps.’ Each P can deliver a certain amount of electrical current out, and the more layers of cells you add in a battery, the higher the max power—watts—becomes.
“In the case of an EGO 10 amp-hour battery, a 4P battery, each layer of cells has a max peak current out of 20 amps,” Nick adds. “Doing the math, 20 amps multiplied by 4Ps equals 80 amps of total current. So, 80 amps multiplied 56 volts 4,480 watts."
This makes the EGO 10Ah battery the most powerful mainstream battery in the market.There’s also the construction of the battery to consider: Can it withstand drops? Is the ventilation of the battery sufficient to allow the battery to stay cooler during use? How sophisticated is the power management system of the battery?
EGO batteries are recognized as the most-advanced and well-built batteries in OPE, with patented technology including its innovative ARC design, intelligent power management and revolutionary cooling technology for incredible power and performance.
Advance battery technology
Rather than stacking batteries into a brick formation like many industry brands, EGO fans out its battery cells into its patented ARC design to help keep the battery cool and your equipment running longer at full power. Sealed electronics and a shock resistant design protect EGO batteries from drops and the elements, guaranteeing the highest level of performance. Intelligent power management monitors and optimizes each battery cell to maximize power, performance and runtime. EGO batteries also use up to four parallel layers of cells (or Ps). This innovative “4P” design evenly distributes power across the rows, so EGO batteries can handle even the most challenging conditions—and provide better performance.
EGO Lead Blower in action
Many landscape professionals converting their equipment fleet seem most comfortable with dipping their toes into the water before taking the plunge of a total gas-to-battery conversion. Many start their battery conversions with string trimmers and blowers so they can get a true feel for the power and performance of battery-powered equipment. Others outfit a single crew at first so they can begin to understand the number of batteries they’ll need to get through their workday.
There are up-front costs associated with the conversion from gas to battery, but battery-powered equipment requires much less routine maintenance as there’s no oil to change, carburetors to clean, pull strings to replace or engine parts to break. And to help offset the cost of conversion, some areas of the country, including California, are offering subsidies to ditch gas and invest in battery-powered equipment.
To better meet the needs of landscape professionals, EGO is releasing its next generation of EGO commercial tools in 2023, featuring powerful brushless motors with intelligent electronics that deliver performance of leading gas competitors, commercial-grade construction and engineering for lifelong durability. EGO Commercial is setting the new standard in power, performance and durability—and it’s no longer driven by gas.
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