I seriously wonder if this thread has outlived its usefulness. Some of the comments upthread about wives and women have made me, even as a guy, uncomfortable. Can't imagine how some of the ladies here must feel, if any are still reading this. Peace, Bruce. PS. I do thank @sorka for sharing this topic, his original post has made me think about a few things, not the least of which is to be grateful to my wife for indulging my Tesla/EV interests.
Just responding to the OP post and nobody else in the thread. I agree - one little nagging issue like the charging speed and a wife who is not "in the congregation yet" is bound not to stay a follower. They have a hard time dealing with non-normal inconveniences that they have not been well prepared for. Well, at least the higher-maintenance ones. And imagine if one of our wives had to super-charge late at night at one and felt un-safe waiting for even 20-30 minutes? Do we request that they start "packing"? Do they have 911 on speed dial while waiting for a charge? Wives actually are one of the biggest issues I can see being a negative nellie in the whole EV futures. Unless charging stations are well lit, maybe "at" charging depot buildings or diners where it is a short walk from car to "indoors" and a feeling of safety, I think there is concern that our spouses who must be obeyed will hold sway over whether they get converted to EV drivers or EV haters.
I'm kind of drifting the thread a bit (perhaps not a bad idea about now), but if you have the ability to go with an electric mower, the sooner the better. Sell the gas one to someone who really needs that sort of equipment - neither kind is best for every situation - and move up. I had a wonderful 3.5hp B&S-powered gas mower for over 20 years, and milked it along until one day it "plum wore out" according to the repair shop. I replaced it with a Bolens 19" electric model. Steel construction, made in America, one moving part (not counting the wheels). Yes, narrower by a few inches, but it really didn't make much of any difference in how long it takes to mow the lawn. In fact, it's probably faster because I don't have to deal with gas and other maintenance tasks, and my pull-starter arm is thankful as well. I got a corded model in order to not have to deal with batteries (bad experiences with "range anxiety" and battery failure with my cordless drills); probably unfounded in hindsight. I think the corded ones were also the larger / more powerful ones. Maintenance and on-going costs and headaches have literally been zero for over 11 years now, mowing about once a week during the summer (less this year due to the drought). I take it out, plug it in, mow, dump the grass on the compost heap, and put it away. Done. Making this somewhat relevant to the thread, I'm the only one in the family who has lawn duty, but it was a decision that both my wife and I made to switch mower types. I know she hated the gas mower, especially seeing me struggle with it more and more over the years, and having to deal with gas, oil, and other maintenance, but the idea of going electric 11 years ago was different and not without perceived risk too. We decided to take the chance, and am glad we did. Perceptions are an odd thing, but they are real. Side story, she had no fear of using our electric hedge trimmer. I'm terrified I'll chew through the cord, so use the old fashioned hand clippers whenever possible. But I have no worries about the cord with the mower. I long ago stopped trying to get her to use the clippers, and she happily kept using the trimmer.
I'm uncomfortable with people, of any gender or marital status, who are resistant to EVs. What is it about the psychology of people who didn't get the obvious superiority of EVs? Especially after driving a Tesla?
I'm uncomfortable with people, of any gender or marital status, who are resistant to other people's opinions.
I haven't used a gas mower in over 20 yrs. It takes a little longer to mow the lawn when your using a cord, but you don't smell like gasoline and exhaust when you're done. So it's worth it, kind of like super charging. Electric is the only way to go.
Tesla is a perfect supplier and possibly provider of mowers. Honda has done "ok" and of course, there is John Deere. However, Tesla Mowers could do well and be part of the "whole home electrification" solution. Plus, only realistic supplier now is Mean Green Machines out of Ohio. They are expensive mowers but do appear to be a leader in the design of long-running ride-on mowers. Emissions from lawn mower engines is much higher on a per-gallon of gas used than automobiles.
I saw your point. This thread keeps bringing up assumptions about people based entirely on their gender. It's pretty common for car forums. I still wish we could be better than that.
Eventually, sure - Autonomous mowers are out there (no, they're not called Sheep). Seems like it could be an eventual solution for "mini-scale" autonomous electronics. People already have lawn services - but since Autonomous driving is looking to ditch taxi and delivery drivers, why not ditch lawn service personnel at the same time. Have a single truck guy drop off mowers in a neighborhood all at the same time and have them autonomously mowing multiple lawns concurrently like a - well - set of sheep (or group of sheep or gaggle of sheep - whatever the name of a group of sheep is).