Green Daily

Green Daily: Why did Remington want to make an electric mower? What is wrong with the old mower model that we needed a new one?

Alex Wrinkles: It's our first ever. We have been making a lot of electric lawn/garden tools for 60 years. It's a niche for us, the electric market. We know electric motors and power tools, but the one thing we were missing and [where] we see a great deal of opportunity is with the electric business. We had the technology to come out with the first ever cordless electric mower that gives you the power of the gas mower. And it really makes an impact in terms of environmental benefits.

GD: Tell us what makes this a better choice than a gas mower.

AW: I think everyone's pretty well aware of these types of gas products. if you look at gas lawnmowers, they show the amount of emissions those products put out. The power mower: you can run it on cordless for 60 minutes, and it gives you a nice cut in your lawn, and will take care of up to a third acre lot. [ed. note: According to a 2003 EPA report, lawn and garden equipment accounts for 5 percent of all ozone-forming emissions. And in April 2007, the EPA proposed a new emission control program that would reduce hydrocarbon emissions from small spark-ignition engines (read: lawn and garden equipment, like gas-powered mowers) by about 35 percent].

GD: What happens when the batteries run out?

AW: If by some chance you run out of batteries, you can buy spare batteries, or plug in and finish your job. It can give you the power of a gas mower. Turn the dial to 'boost' and the blade tip speed reaches 19,000 feet per minute. That's the max power that a gas mower can achieve.

GD: Who is your target audience? What about gas-powered mower users who are resistant to change and don't believe an electric mower could do just as good of a job on their lawn?

AW: People like that are our target audience: people that currently are gas users.. They have a misconception about electric lawnmowers, and don't feel like they can do the job. We did a lot of research and met with people. Oddly enough, people who were most interested...and most responsive to a model that gave them the power to choose...were current gas mower users.

But the problem was, they didn't understand the benefits. This will mow your entire lawn if you have a small lot. They thought battery power was weak and didn't give them the power of a gas mower. When we educated them, they were like, 'Wow, we had no idea.' We knew that if we could educate them, they would be interested. Those [current gas mower owners] are people we need to be educating.

[ed. note: Not surprisingly, in the product's infomercial, the environment is mentioned only once, and quickly, and the video features only one woman, and the rest of the actors are middle-aged men. The ad instead focuses on the power and ease of the mower, and how its power is equal to that of a gas mower].

GD: On your website, you offer a search tool that allows customers to find a trade-in program in their area. The site claims that customers who trade in their old gas-powered mowers can receive rebates toward new electric mowers. Can you tell us more about this?

AW: We're not a core sponsor of the rebates. We're trying to give people a tool to try and find one of those programs in their area. We're definitely trying to become more involved and establish rebate programs across the country. We're just now starting to get involved. Basically, there are 30-40 trade-in programs across the country. The tool on our site is a reference. Consumers can simply go in and type in their zip and display the closest program. We're absolutely trying to get involved. It's a big initiative for our company and we're trying to get more involved. The rebate programs will move a few thousand mowers in a weekend. For every thousand electric mowers, they're turning in a thousand gas mowers. You think about the emissions in that particular community right there, it's phenomenal. it makes a huge difference. I'm getting calls on a weekly basis to ask how to set up the programs. It's encouraging to see that.

GD: What about people who will say that manual-powered, old-fashioned mowers are truly the best for the environment, and that electric mowers are technically still using precious resources?

AW: It's hard to dispute [a manual mower.] Manual powered doesn't require electricity, doesn't require gas. If nothing else, i would rather people use that than a gas. I would caution people, though: try it first. [A manual mower] is not easy to use. And it's not going to give you the clean cut. If [you have] that or the gas, its great, go with that option, if you're okay with the level of difficulty. I used one - a few years ago - my lawnmower was on the fritz, and a guy down the street had a real mower - man! Those things give you a workout!

GD: What do you use on your lawn?

AW: I use this battery-powered mower. I have a really small lot. It works perfectly.

GD: How does the electric mower compare, price-wise, to a comparable model gas mower?

AW: Right now, you can find [this mower] from to $399 to $479, depends on where it's sold. Same model everywhere. For participating retailers, we recommend it should be sold at $449. You're gonna find your high-end gas mowers - self-propelled - for about $500 bucks. And you can go to Wal-Mart and buy a bottom of the barrel gas mower - difficult to start - and is not going to have as big of a deck, for 200 bucks. [This mower] falls right in line with mid-level to high end gas mowers.

GD: Can you talk a little more about how else Remington is trying to become increasingly environmentally-friendly?

AW: Sure. One of our goals for the company is we're trying to educate gas users about electric equipment - theres a perception in the market about power, and they are powerful. And not only that, they're much easier and better for the environment. We're trying to put that message out there and put out products that are powerful enough. We've made some great strides and are continuing to do so.

---Bottom line, Remington's new tool is best for small to medium-sized yards, because it can be charged up and used sans cord for about an hour. It's comparable in price to gas powered mowers who can tackle the same sized yards, but a bit pricier than other average electric mowers. But they do produce fewer noise pollution than gas mowers, and only use about $5 worth of electricity per year, according to Mother Earth News.