Myth #2: Batteries can’t provide the run time to get through a full workday.
Overcoming the perception from previous battery technology that batteries can’t provide a full day of run time is a major challenge, according to Poluka.
Poluka says with old battery technology, certain tools would lose performance as the battery was depleting.
“(However), when you look to the new lithium-ion technology, those batteries provide constant power throughout the whole state of charge,”
he says.
While the batteries will offer the amount of run time landscapers can expect on a tank of fuel, they need to be able to recharge them. Therefore, Poluka says they should consider that they may need additional batteries in the fleet to be able to work throughout the day.
Gunn adds that while some users view battery power with great skepticism, he believes the introduction of the solid-state battery, which is currently undergoing development in the auto industry, will bring the equipment one step further in addressing any run time issues.
“It is only a matter of time before that battery trickles down to other things like our handheld tools, mowers, etc.,” Gunn says. “This solid-state battery, which replaces liquid electrolytes with a solid, is really said to be the Holy Grail of battery technology. I feel that it will resolve a lot of the current issues with using lithium-ion.”
He says the solid-state technology can last up to 30 years holding on to more than 90 percent of its original performance and can take far less time charging.
“So, if you can imagine, for example, your trimmers, when they are on the racks in the enclosed trailer and you are in between lawns, they can be essentially charging on a charging rack of some sort,” he says.
