How can crews keep charged batteries ready to go all day?

Reliable runtime is no longer the obstacle it once was. Efficient batteries, rapid chargers, and practical mobile charging systems mean the technology is here and it’s cost-effective.

Modern commercial battery packs deliver 90 to 190 minutes of continuous operation, depending on whether they are used intelligently. Unlike gas, battery blowers don’t have to be on full blast all the time. Their speed can be modulated.

Crews rotate charged packs, just as gas has to be refueled, throughout the day. Except swapping out batteries is faster and safer. There are a range of options for charging.

Recharging can be done overnight on standard 120-volt outlets.

Or you can use portable chargers. Commercial use charging hardware for a four-port rapid-charging mobile setup runs $1,000–$1,600 per truck using standard outlets, including mounting and wiring costs. Add to that the cost of portable power stations that enable all-day charging: They average under $2,000. So that’s about $3,000–$3,600 per truck, for chargers plus portable power stations, depending on the configuration. Some landscapers add solar panels for power.

According to Montgomery County and the University of Pennsylvania, fuel and maintenance savings repay these capital investments within two years. Today, with costs of batteries and charging systems coming down, the savings over time after initial investment are even greater.

Reliable runtime is no longer the obstacle it once was. Efficient batteries, rapid chargers, and practical mobile charging systems mean the technology is here and it’s cost-effective. Crews nationwide already use battery power successfully. We should too, to keep our community safe from the harms caused by gas blowers.