The solar charging system makes this DIY electric mower different from the rest. You will never have to put those gas cans in your car again, and the maintenance is a whole lot less too! There aren’t a lot of eco-friendly mowers out there, never mind this one was made out of a lot of recycled materials. – [via] Link
14 thoughts on “Solar charging, electric lawn mower”
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You know what’s more environmentally friendly than a solar power lawn mower?
Replace your lawn with a garden. Increase biodiversity, create a habitat for different kinds of animals, improve the soil, and get free organic food.
@nick – although I completely agree, maintaining a garden is a lot of work. No to mention that when you buy plants, they come in plastic containers, you need to water and fertilize. All of these effects have some negative effect.
I went an entire summer not watering my grass it was yellow, but grass almost always comes back. With a garden, it would probably just die.
Cool project but $700 and 40 hours to recharge? I guess you have to be rich and patient to be environmental in this case.
When I bought my new house it was really a lot easier, and less expensive to buy an electric mower. Although I always admire folks who can come up with things like this.
@Nick- Further, if you wanted to make a case for a more “environmentally friendly” yard, you’d consider xeriscaping or planting native plants.
My wife and I struggle with both options as there are a lot more beautiful choices at the nursery, but even just planting a diversity of plants creates environments and micro climates that can reduce water needs and cut down on pests.
This is a good price-effective project if you are lucky enough to find a motor that could do the job at a surplus store. I found the identical motor in 48V for $20… still looking for a good application for it. 5-7 days between mowings is the norm. If it’s rainy for several days and the grass is growing like crazy, charge the battery with your 120V car charger for pennies in electricity, and mow the first dry day you get.
Why did nickjohnson bash this guy for not being environmental enough? Even Ed Bagley Jr COULD be MORE environmental, you gonna bash him too?
Maintaining a garden with native plants costs next to nothing. They did fine without being watered by humans before your ancestors even settled here.
This is a nice mod given that you don’t mow your lawn daily and the battery has plenty of days to recharge.
Cut the nonsense about “native plants.” They are WEEDS, and your neighbors are not likely to agree with you about their beauty. This guy figured out a way to mow his REAL yard, using energy from the sun. Those are GRASS clippings stuck all over the wheels of that unit.