Page 13 - OPE Nov 21-Feb 22

Battery continues
to push petrol power
in mower race
Petrol-driven walk-behind mowers still dominate the New Zealand market but battery is making big inroads. Great for “plug & play” consumers, what do the contractors think of all this? Andy Kerr reports.
THERE AREN’T MANY
countries that grow grass better
than New Zealand and, over the decades, we’ve done particularly well with the development of lawnmowers for domestic use.
But some of the unique features of Kiwi- designed mowers are now getting harder to find among the mass-market petrol products dominating the lower end of the market.
And, as consideration of lawn maintenance has extended well beyond just grass in the middle of the lawn, battery systems have quickly come to the fore for the key suppliers.
“We now have shops, predominantly in urban centres, that sell more battery mowers than petrol,” comments STIHL Product Manager, Phil Needham.
“Infact,thelawnmowercategoryseems to be swinging to battery harder and faster than many others. The first big one was hedge trimmers, now it’s mowers and blowers.”
Staying with mowers however, STIHL has made a strategic decision to focus exclusively on the development of battery lawnmowers for New Zealand and will offer 10 battery lawnmower models from 2022 plus three robotic models.
Masport Marketing Manager Steve Huddleston agrees that battery is successfully introducing new customers to outdoor maintenance tools – and at a rate of knots.
“Now the less confident operator of petrol power machinery can manage electric equipment without fear of working through two-stroke fuel mix, engine oil and perceptions of effort to start.”
Having said this, Steve confirms that the petrol mower market in New Zealand – still
reportedly four times the size of the battery market – has also “really kicked on” in season 2021 and in fact may be as much as 30% up on 2020 and above 2019 levels, and close to the same size as season 2018.
Despite these positive numbers for petrol, says Steve Huddleston, there is “no debate that battery is eating away at petrol’s dominance” and has especially impacted sales in the 240V electric mower market.
Steve acknowledges that while it might be correct to say that battery-powered units have been in a better “in-stock” position in a buoyant marketplace, “with supply issues now affecting lithium cells and computer chips (in the controllers) I would think this is either changing or going to change.”
Over at Husqvarna, National Sales Manager Steve Middleton is another to have observed “a real swing towards battery inthepast18months”.
“The polymer decks in our battery mowers make them light to manoeuvre or lift onto a trailer, and customers approve of the build quality and style,” says Steve. “They’re also proving strong and durable.
“Once homeowners have that initial battery and charger kit, the skins are very affordable, so they’re moving on to a trimmer, the push mower and the blower with such ease that battery continues to gain ground in the domestic market.”
And it’s noise reduction that is the biggest point of positive feedback when people switch from petrol to battery, insists STIHL’s Phil Needham: “Low noise means you are able to give less consideration to when you mow a lawn.
“And from an operation point of view, battery is significantly easier to operate. You click a switch and go, with no cranking,
no searching for fuel and mixing, no maintenance consideration around oil use,
no worries about flooding with fuel if you turn the mower to check underneath, and no destroying air filters.”
Contactors also going “green”
On top of homeowners seeking simplicity and peace and quiet, Husqvarna’s Steve Middleton is also seeing landscapers and contractors favour clean, green options. “Husqvarna’s product ambassador, Caleb Woods, has a battery mower in his fleet and customers are following suit, opting for low noise and emissions without compromising performance.”
Husky’s commercial sales managers
are also busy with a full fleet of battery products which enable businesses to trial and compare them with traditional petrol equivalents. “It certainly helps convert the sceptics.”
Masport has just introduced a new
range of 60V battery mowers and Steve Huddleston insists that “high-quality battery electric mowers will perform almost the same as petrol, albeit instead of stopping to fill up the tank with fuel, users might need a second battery or have to recharge the battery.”
In this respect, Steve admits, “No doubt petrol is more flexible, with longer operating
MARKETPLACE
Walk-Behind Mowers
FOUR MOWERS IN
NEW MASPORT 60V RANGE
MASPORT’S NEW 60V battery-powered outdoor garden tool
range is its most powerful to date, delivering “petrol-like performance” without loud noise, emissions, or the hassle of cords.
A choice of four mowers use the 5.0Ah Aerocore Lithium-ion battery in which gaps beside battery cells allow air to pass through to
keep it cool during operation and charging. It can be fully charged in 120 minutes.
All models, from the entry-level, rear-discharge 16.5-inch 60V ST, feature Masport’s Twin Blade disc system and an
alloy body is an option in the 18-inch range with side discharge, mulching ability, and 200mm dual bearing
wheels. The top-ranking self-propelled model gets a more powerful 1.2kW motor with
load-sensing tech and has a runtime of up to 45 minutes.
A five-year mower warranty applies while batteries and
chargers are covered for three.
www.masport.co.nz
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NOVEMBER 2021-FEBRUARY 2022 NZ OUTDOOR POWER EQUIPMENT 013