To maximize the benefits of transitioning from gas-powered to battery-powered equipment, landscape and lawn care pros must not only make a significant financial commitment but also embrace a fundamental shift in efficiency and crew adaptation. According to the team at Greenworks, achieving operational success requires key strategic practices.
Determine the right approach
The decision of how a landscape professional transitions to battery-powered equipment boils down to an all-at-once initial conversion versus a staged, test-based approach, says Per Kvarby, Greenworks’ VP of product management.
Some may find it easiest to “rip the band-aid off” and convert the entire fleet, Kvarby says. This strategy makes the most sense for contractors with clients who prize quiet operation, such as municipalities, school districts, corporate parks, and medical facilities.
“This reduction in noise and emissions may even allow contractors to charge a premium for what is viewed as a premium service, thereby boosting revenue and market competitiveness,” Kvarby says.
Larger commercial operations managing multiple crews should consider outfitting a single battery-powered setup initially, using it as the blueprint to scale the conversion fleet-wide and distribute the total financial investment over time.
“Converting one crew and monitoring that crew for six months or through a season will allow you to do a cost analysis and see exactly where your savings lie,” Kvarby says, adding Greenworks offers an online general savings calculator for contractors to compare the cost of electric versus gas equipment (savings calculator).
Lastly, contactors shouldn’t mix and match battery-powered equipment lines, advises Nick Jiannas, Greenworks’ VP of sales and marketing. Rather, committing to a single platform is a far more effective and efficient investment, he says. It allows contractors to leverage a full suite of commercial-grade solutions, such as Greenworks’ Optimus line of mowers and handheld equipment, to achieve maximum operational synergy in the field and back at the shop.
Evaluate charging needs
Proper battery management is dependent on the contractor’s specific operational setup and power demands. A crew running high-demand equipment, such as three backpack blowers at full tilt, will require a substantial battery inventory or a robust charging infrastructure to maintain continuous productivity.
Equipping crews with a proper in-field charging solution is paramount, Kvarby says. Products like Greenworks’ EnergyCube solutions allow crews to cycle batteries by charging them on-site. This mitigates the need to purchase and manage an excessive battery inventory to complete the workday.
“Having a good way to charge batteries in the field is going to save on your upfront cost, because you don’t have to manage as many batteries, and you don’t have so many batteries lost or stolen,” Kvarby says. “Greenworks has the largest breadth of charging solutions for our equipment, everything from our 16-kilowatt-hour EnergyCube down to our six-port AC or dual-port AC chargers. We have a solution that’s going to fit every landscaper, because there’s no such thing as a ‘typical’ landscaper.”
Re-evaluate crew management
Application and location dictate the necessary equipment and power level, a crucial step when integrating battery-powered equipment. For example, a landscaping crew operating in the Northeast will require powerful backpack blowers pushing significant volumes of air to handle a heavy fall leaf season. Conversely, a South Florida contractor might prioritize lighter, less powerful blowers for clearing light grass clippings. Accurately assessing each crew’s workload enables the contractor to calculate the energy required per truck.
The transition to battery power solves major time sinks inherent to gas power. Gas-powered crews are often delayed by time-consuming refueling in the morning or evening, which takes an entire truck and trailer and its crew offline and off schedule. Battery-powered equipment eliminates this practice and removes the chore of manually refilling equipment throughout the workday, further saving lost time.
This allows contractors to deploy their labor and equipment assets more efficiently and effectively. Coupled with quieter operation, this efficiency enables crews to start earlier, sometimes as early as 5:30 am, without disturbing clients, Kvarby says. This overall efficiency creates valuable extra time, allowing contractors to take on additional properties or end the workday early.
“Starting earlier means finishing earlier, which is a critical advantage in hotter climates where working past 3 pm is often unproductive due to the excessive heat,” Kvarby says.
While the conversion to battery may not eliminate the need for an entire crew member, Kvarby says the most profound benefit is creating a happier, healthier crew, which leads to less employee turnover. Employee retention, he argues, is often more important and cost-effective than constant hiring.
Focus on training
A critical aspect in the conversion process is training crews on the art of battery runtime management by discouraging excessive use of power settings. Contractors, Kvarby says, must train their crew members to use the variable-speed settings on handheld string trimmers and edgers to manage battery changes most effectively and improve overall on-site efficiency.
“For example, if a crew is performing a maintenance cut on dry or light grass, they should only use the first speed setting to conserve power,” he says. “As grass conditions become thicker or wetter, they can move to the second or third speeds, which provide faster revolutions per minute (RPMs) for more efficient cutting.”
This principle is especially vital for backpack blowers, which are the highest power-consuming product. Kvarby advises training crews to avoid using full throttle as the blower’s default setting. Over-blowing is counterproductive, he says, scattering debris rather than moving material correctly and efficiently.
“Blowers typically offer three speeds. The first speed is sufficient for grass clippings, the second is ideal for general debris and leaves and the third is reserved for the heaviest, most demanding tasks,” Kvarby says. “By correctly determining the necessary power based on usage, crews learn to manage their batteries and see fewer changes, a habit that develops over time.”
Training is equally valid when integrating battery-powered zero-turn mowers, such as Greenworks’ OptimusZ. Kvarby says the most seasoned operators typically become proficient within a day or two, with newer operators taking slightly longer, but the adjustment period rarely exceeds a week.
Greenworks engineered the mower’s internal programming to replicate the control and feel of a traditional gas-powered mower, using direct movements instead of hydraulic or belt drives. These mowers are designed specifically for all-day runtime, with crews completing the day with 30% to 40% of the battery remaining, even without special power-saving efforts.
Rely on your dealer
When converting to battery-powered equipment, a contractor’s relationship with their equipment dealer is critical, Kvarby says. The dealer provides strategic insights, often knowing a contractor’s equipment needs better than the contractor does, which is essential for making sound investment decisions.
“Your dealer acts as a crucial guide, leveraging the existing relationship with the landscaper to recommend the right battery-powered replacements,” he says. “For example, if a professional is accustomed to running a specific size of gas-powered zero-turn mower, the dealer can accurately suggest the corresponding model in the battery-powered line.”
The dealer also serves as the conduit for organizing product demos and scheduling tutorials, helping the landscape pro select the suite of solutions that accurately meet their specific needs.
Jiannas cautions landscape and lawn care pros against relying solely on the reputations of existing battery- or gasoline-based equipment brands, noting that a well-known name does not automatically guarantee the best solutions for landscape and lawn care applications. Instead, he advises a thorough comparison and examination of products and their technical specifications.
For example, Jiannas explains that energy content is essential for comparing battery performance, which is measured in watt-hours rather than just volts. Watt-hours, calculated as the product of amp-hours and volts, determine the total work a battery can do. Amps can be thought of as the fuel tank and volts as the pipe sending the energy through, he says.
“There are some legacy battery contenders out there that have very high amp-hour batteries, but very, very low voltage,” he says. “So, the actual watt-hours of energy stored are not that much. This dictates how much you can do with that battery.
“When you try to move a lot of fuel (amps) through that narrow pipe (volts), that creates pressure and friction, which equals heat. This is why an 18-volt battery or 36-volt battery is going to have temperature issues, versus an 82-volt battery with Greenworks,” Jiannas adds.
Lastly, the dealer remains the essential point of contact post-sale if the equipment requires service under warranty, Kvarby says. “The dealer’s technicians are certified by the manufacturer to work on the equipment and make a quick diagnosis and enable repairs with minimal downtime,” he adds.
Mike Zawacki is a Cleveland-based journalist and frequent contributor who has covered various aspects of the green, horticultural, sports turf and irrigation industries for the last 20 years.
