Amp Rider, the zero-emissions way to cut the green green grass of home
Ariens Amp Rider electric mower - Click above to watch the video after the break
The most polluting vehicle many people drive is the rig they use to cut their grass. Not only is it noxious and noisy, you also have to burn gas to go get the gas that you're going to burn to do a chore many of us wish they didn't have to do in the first place. Ariens feels your pain and has just introduced an electric riding mower called the Amp Rider that rids you of much of the noise and vibration and all of the gas burning and fetching associated with keeping the green green grass of home nicely shorn.
Powered by no-maintenance AGM batteries, the ride-on mower can run for 75 minutes on a charge and uses 3 separate brushless DC motors to move you along and spin the twin blades. It does away with any shifting by means of a hydrostatic transmission, which allows you to use one pedal for both forward and reverse. With a $3299 price tag, it's surely not the mowing solution for everyone. Regardless, anybody can go check one out at your local Home Depot thanks to a distribution deal with the giant retailer.
Of course, if you'd rather not burn the gas to drive down there right now, you could just hit the jump for a short bonus video of an Ariens product development person giving a quick run down on their green green grass-mowing machine.
[Source: Ariens via Plug In America]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Steve Meister 6:03PM (5/13/2009)
Nice! Let's see, I can do my lawn in about an hour with my Deere X500 with a 54" deck. With the smaller deck, 75 minutes might be pushing it. I'd probably need a longer charging time.
Reply
required 6:17PM (5/13/2009)
Your lawn sounds like it might be unrealistically big. Maybe try introducing other elements into your landscaping besides grass like a grove of trees, a flower bed or some bushes. Not trying to judge, if I saw it I'd most likely be jealous, just saying you might have too much grass.
russellgeister 7:22PM (5/13/2009)
i think as demand grows you will see bigger models i think they are just putting there toes ih the market waters and cost will go down as demand goes up
brn 11:34AM (5/14/2009)
Kudos to Ariens (I love my Ariens snow blower), but like Steve, I couldn't do my lawn with this thing.
It takes me 2 hours with a 42" Toro. What's the recharge time on the Amp Rider?
Also, the noise issue really needs to be addressed. Unlike push mowers, most of the noise on my rider DOES NOT come from the engine. It comes from those two airplane propellers in the mowing deck. An electric mower would still make that noise.
required, additional landscaping would only increase my mow time. I already have a trees on two sides. More landscaping only means that I have more to maneuver around.
mister nomer 6:38PM (5/13/2009)
Ariens Amp Rider?!?
Best. Mower. Name. EVER!!
Reply
John Pelletier 6:49PM (5/13/2009)
nice job! only other company i knew of doing electric lawn stuff was a Canadian company and they didnt have a distribution network, totally going to have to get out to the home depot when i get back state side and check it out!. we already run battery electric for our lawn, but push electric from Neutron, we use 2 batteries, one for the front, one for the back but could do it all on one battery i think. but this is about time! might appeal to universities as well so they can cut the grass at 9am on a day with finals without disrupting anybody.
Reply
russellgeister 7:32PM (5/13/2009)
the really nice thing about electric is not only the reduction in air pollution but the big reduction in noise pollution.lawn mowers actually cause a lot of friction between neigbours .
Reply
Ernie 4:07PM (5/14/2009)
It's not like plug-in push mowers haven't been around for... forever.
russellgeister 1:12AM (5/15/2009)
you are right but alot of people don't like them beacuse of the risks of having a 110/240volt cable to run over
Mike!!ekiM 10:33PM (5/13/2009)
Nice to See.
But, I just checked out a Bosch Push Electric Mower, of Course, in England. It's got an LI battery!!! Last month I bought a nice Worx Electric Lawn Mower, clean, 1/2 the noise, instant start, instant stop, no tune up ever needed, But with a Lead Acid Battery. It's a 24 volt battery. But, again, the US get's these LAST GENERATION batteries while Europa Gets the Best the Market has to Offer.
Are we a Third World Country Or What!
Reply
Sean 10:38PM (5/13/2009)
Why not get a corded mower? I've had a Black & Decker Lawn Hog 18" mulching mower with flip-over handle for 7 years and it still works great. Pared with a 100' (or is it 50') extension cord, I can do my entire 1/2 acre lawn and only have to move the cord once. I love the low maintenance, low noise, no smell, light weight and no stalling no matter how thick or tall the grass is!
http://www.blackanddecker.com/ProductGuide/CategoryOverview.aspx?cPath=1498.1670#1498.1670.1705
But yes, it's long past time an OEM electric ride-on mower was available.
mike!!ekiM 8:55PM (5/13/2009)
See what I mean:
>> Eloquent is the fact that the Lithium-ion battery has the capacity of charging 16 times faster than the conventional batteries make it more appealing for the product users. The charge time is 1 hour for 100% charge and in 30 minutes it has the ability to rapid charge up to 80% of the battery.
http://www.lawnmowersuk.org/bosch/bosch-rotak-37-li-cordless-lawn-mower-review/
Europa gets the good stuff, We get the JUNK.
Reply
Dave 11:59PM (5/13/2009)
Who cares how long it takes to charge?
You only mow your lawn once a week...right?
Why would you want to pay extra for faster charging batteries if it gives you no extra value?
Mike!!ekiM 8:56PM (5/13/2009)
Let me just say, aside from the battery issue, this may be a Very Nice Machine.
Reply
terry hodecker 8:30AM (5/14/2009)
General Electric had the Electrac riding mower over 30 years ago. Not very successful back then.
Reply
Domenick Yoney 8:54AM (5/14/2009)
Although I can't say how successful they were, there are Elec Traks still running today. Enough so that owners have an active forum. http://www.elec-trak.com/
Another company has taken that design and updated it and now sells them. http://www.modernelectrictractors.com/ They are more of a commercial grade vehicle and priced a lot higher than the Amp Rider.
BlackbirdHighway 9:38AM (5/14/2009)
Reel men mow with a reel type mower.
Reply
terry hodecker 9:42AM (5/14/2009)
2 acres? Real men mow with an Exmark.
Chris M 4:59PM (5/14/2009)
Properly sharpened and adjusted, a manual reel mower is just as easy to operate as a regular push mower. The real PITA problem for reel mowers is keeping it properly sharpened and adjusted, and of course reel mowers choke on tall grass.
Mike!!ekiM 7:25PM (5/14/2009)
Not only does the Bosch come with a 36 Volt LI battery, but, It's Cheaper!!!
At current exchange rates it's $344 US.
The Worx is being sold for $430-$480 US, with a Lead Acid Battery!!!
The US consumer is being SCREWED.
Reply