Electric Lawn Mower Benefits: Are They Better Than Gas?

The popularity of electric lawnmowers is on the rise. Unlike gas mowers, you don’t have to struggle with a starter rope with an electric one. Plus, these mowers require less maintenance and are friendly to the environment. 

Does each mowing session leave you with a ringing in the ears? Do you find it exhausting to push a bulky mower around the lawn? Maybe it’s time to switch to an electric lawnmower. Find out why. 

How do Electric Lawn Mowers Work?

Electric lawn mowers work by drawing their power from a rechargeable electric battery or using cord. It has an electric motor which is associated with a rotating blade. 

The battery powers the motor and spins the blade quickly upon contacting the grass. 

This cuts the grass, catches it in a bag or leaves it as fertilizer on the lawn. You can also choose to discharge the cut leaves sideways. 

There is a casing that covers the rotating blade. This is the deck of the lawnmower. 

It ensures smooth rotation and quality of the blade by protecting it from flying debris. You can change the deck’s level and adjust the length of your grass. 

Read Also: How to Use a Corded Lawn Mower to Avoid Danger?

What Are The Benefits Of Electric Lawn Mower?

The various advantages of electric lawnmowers are increasingly attracting users. Electric lawnmowers and quiet, low-maintenance, and easy to operate. 

Less Noisy

Electric lawnmowers don’t make a lot of noise. They produce around 70 decibels of sound when you operate them. For comparison, a normal conversation is around 60 decibels. 

Do you often experience headaches and ringing in the ears after your lawn mowing sessions? Well, that happens because of excessive noise. Switching to an electric lawnmower can save you from this discomfort. 

Low Maintenance and Cost

Electric lawnmowers don’t require much maintenance. Since the lawnmower runs on electricity, you don’t have to deal with an air filter, oil change, spark plugs, or carburettor parts. 

The only things you need to do is clean the deck and keep the blades sharp. Consumer Reports say that the yearly maintenance cost for an electric lawnmower is half of a traditional mower. You can save that extra money to buy new batteries when required. 

Decrease Pollution

Electric lawnmowers don’t burn fossil fuel. Therefore, they do not emit harmful pollutants into the air. Traditional mowers release carbon monoxide, particulate matter, and hydrocarbons into the environment. 

Using an electric lawnmower keeps your neighborhood clean and healthy. It also saves your health since you are not inhaling harmful pollutants during the mowing session. 

Easier To Push

Electric lawnmowers don’t have bulky engines and fuel tanks. As a result, they are much lighter than traditional lawnmowers. Depending on the model, an electric lawnmower weighs 10-30 pounds lighter. 

A lighter lawnmower will take less effort to push around. Which means you won’t feel too exhausted after cutting the grass. Plus, the lightweight permits more precision when mowing around tight corners. 

No Struggle To Start

Starting a traditional lawn mower can be quite a struggle sometimes. First, you must ensure proper oil levels, priming, and choke adjustment. Then, you have to pull the starter rope repeatedly before the engine comes alive. 

Electric lawn mowers have a less complicated starting mechanism. Just press the button or flip the switch, and the lawnmower will start. 

What Are The Disadvantages Of Electric Lawn Mower?

There are some disadvantages to using an electric lawn mower. Consider these if you are thinking about replacing your gas mower with an electric one. 

Performance Limitations 

The lighter weight of electric lawnmowers renders them less powerful than gas mowers. You might find it difficult to cut through tall and thick grass with an electric lawnmower. 

Moreover, some electric lawn mowers have a power cord attaching it to the power source. This limits the range of motion. You can only push the mower as far as the cord permits. 

Plus, the cord can often get in the way when trying to turn the mower or cut grass from an angle. 

Read Also: How to Manage Cord On Electric Lawn Mower?

Needs Electric Source Nearby

You must have a power outlet nearby to use an electric lawnmower. In less developed rural areas, this might pose a serious problem. So, the only option for those areas is gas lawn mowers. 

Electric lawnmowers might also run out of power in the middle of a session. In that case, you have to wait until the battery is charged. If a gas mower runs out of fuel, you can simply fill up the fuel levels and carry on with cutting. 

Not Designed for Wet Surfaces

Unlike other lawn mowers, you need to know that electric lawn mowers will not work 100% efficiently on wet surfaces.

The performance of an electric lawn mower may decrease when using it to mow water grass. You may also encounter mechanical issues like hovering and flotation when using electric mowers on wet surfaces.

Difficulty Finding Socket Outlets

It may not cover a bigger lawn if you have a short cord. Though you can use it to mow a big lawn, you will have to place a socket in every corner of the lawn that you want to mow.

Installing a socket outlet at every corner of your lawn will require more time and effort. In addition, you might also have some issues when mowing longer grass with a corded electric lawn mower.

Electric Lawn Mower Run Over Cord

One of the most common problems of a corded electric lawn mower is cutting or tangling the cord. When working with this type of lawnmower, you need to be very careful note to run over the cord and cut it.

Also, it would help if you were very careful when using a corded lawn mower so that the cord does not intertwine with your feet or with the mower.

Cords intertwining with your feet or the mower may pull out the plug from the socket and cause sudden shutdowns that can damage the mower.

Do Electric Lawn Mowers Use a Lot of Electricity?

No, electric lawnmowers don’t use a lot of electricity in comparison. Running an electric lawnmower for hours will consume around 600-1800 watts or 0.6-1.8 kWh. 

However, most homeowners don’t have to run their mowers for an hour. The average American home’s lawn size is a quarter of an acre. It takes an electric lawnmower around half an hour to cut grass on such land. 

This means your electrical lawnmower consumes around 0.3-0.9 kWh per cutting session. Considering the electricity price in the US is 13 cents/kWh, each session costs you around 4-12 cents. 

In comparison, your refrigerator requires 100-250 watts/hour. However, it is running all the time. Meanwhile, the microwave uses around 600-1200 Watts/hour. 

This means electric lawnmowers consume almost the same amount of or less electricity than regular home appliances. 

Read Also: Convert Electric Lawn Mower to Cordless?

Are Electric Lawn Mowers Better Than Gas?

If you are cutting grass in the middle of nowhere, electric lawnmowers may not be your best option. They are also inefficient when cutting thick bushes and operating on rough terrain. 

Other than that, electric lawn mowers are better than gas for the following reasons- 

• Electric mowers are quieter and, therefore, less stressful for you and the neighbors. 
• You don’t have to struggle with a starter rope when using an electric mower
• Permit precise cutting in nooks and corners 
• No hassle of carburettor cleaning, oil changing or buying spark plugs
• Ideal for older citizens who can’t push around a heavy mower 
• Fewer emissions and, therefore, healthier for you and the environment.
• You can save money on maintenance costs. 

FAQs

Hopefully, the discussion was able to satisfy your queries on electric lawnmowers. Still have some questions. Feel free to ask here. 

Do Electric Mowers Need Oil?

No electric lawnmowers do not need oil. The motor that rotates the blade draws its power from a rechargeable battery. The electric lawnmower has no fuel engine, hence no need for oil.  

Are Electric Lawn Mowers Quiet?

Yes, electric lawn mowers are fairly quiet machines. They produce only 70-75 DBs of noise. Noises start harming the human ears when they exceed 100 DBs.  

How long do Electric Lawn Mower batteries last?

The lifespan of an electric lawnmower’s battery is around 20,000 hours. For the average user, this translates to five years. Your electric lawn mower will run consistently for fifty minutes after a full charge.

Conclusion

Electric lawn mowers have a lot of benefits over traditional gas-powered mowers. They’re quieter, produce no emissions, and are much easier to start.

They’re also more efficient, meaning you’ll use less energy and save money in the long run.