4 ms·

I agree with the sentiment but pragmatically I think we have to time bans to when replacements are really equivalent or better-- electric mowers in particular a

I agree with the sentiment but pragmatically I think we have to time bans to when replacements are really equivalent or better-- electric mowers in particular are still 4x the cost and get mixed reviews, and I don't think chainsaw usage is a huge civic problem here in DC, but I don't live next to any big parks. Maybe we could also go with making new ones illegal to sell, though we'd have to coordinate with MD and VA which seems unlikely. Leaf blowers are a slam dunk, I don't know enough about scooters to comment intelligently.

rob74 4y ago
With scooters, of course you could argue that a two-stroke-engine scooter is still better than a car that emits more CO2 (and even more if it's stuck in traffic or searching for a parking spot in some European city center). But electric scooters are definitely competitive and noise-free - of course more expensive, but still affordable, at least for an average European income.
- enragedcacti 4y ago
  2-strokes are actually pretty astoundingly awful for pollution and air quality. They emit so much that when running a leafblower and an F-150 Raptor the same amount of time, the leafblower will emit orders of magnitude more pollutants, save for CO2 specifically. pretty much any vehicle on the road is emitting less hydrocarbons per-mile than a two-stroke. Obviously CO2 is a problem for global warming, but I definitely don't think its worth the air pollution trade-offs of a two stroke in a crowded city, especially when 4-stroke alternatives exist and are better in almost every way. https://www.edmunds.com/car-reviews/features/emissions-test-car-vs-truck-vs-leaf-blower.html https://www.edmunds.com/car-reviews/features/emissions-test-...
ghaff 4y ago
Battery-powered lawn equipment is definitely getting better. I find less runtime and a bit less performance a good tradeoff for my interchangeable head weedwhacker vs. a temperamental two-stroke engine that I use once a month or so. However, electric isn't going to do the job for a sit on top mower as far as I know and, in general, professionals who are using their equipment all day long are mostly not going to find electric's tradeoffs reasonable.
- richiebful1 4y ago
  I've used EGO's zero turn battery powered mower. It's great, but I agree that it wouldn't be sufficient for a professional. Also ancecdotally, a friend has cub cadet's battery-powered sit on top mower. He loves it
bombcar 4y ago
The Milwaukee chainsaw and mower do what they're advertised to do, and you could use them "professionally" assuming you had enough batteries laying around. California has already banned the sale of small gas motors and others will follow suit; but it will take years and years for the existing ones to die off.
culi 4y ago
We don't have to outright ban everything either. I would be absolutely delighted if my city enacted a "quiet Tuesdays" or whatever where any noise making machines above a certain decibel were banned. If people could just coordinate to make all their noise on one day instead of the "leafblower today, mower tomorrow, jackhammar on weekends" we have right now Not to mention the very serious environmental and health impacts of constant noise pollution
amluto 4y ago
Power washers used regularly on commercial property, too. As far as I can tell, the electric ones are every bit as effective and cost about the same amount. And anyone using a power washer is already trailing a hose around, too — a cable is not much of a hardship. (Few things are quite as unpleasant as a crew using a stinky 2-stroke engine to do prolonged work on an otherwise nice plaza.)
- prepend 4y ago
  > the electric ones are every bit as effective and cost about the same amount. Electric ones are 2000psi and corded (no major battery ones). Gas are 3200 psi and have no cord. Probably better to work on emission controls and better engines than to ban things with no gas equivalents.
- dijonman2 4y ago
  my pressure washer is 20hp, residential electric services can’t power that large of an electric motor.

rob74 4y ago

With scooters, of course you could argue that a two-stroke-engine scooter is still better than a car that emits more CO2 (and even more if it's stuck in traffic or searching for a parking spot in some European city center). But electric scooters are definitely competitive and noise-free - of course more expensive, but still affordable, at least for an average European income.

enragedcacti 4y ago
2-strokes are actually pretty astoundingly awful for pollution and air quality. They emit so much that when running a leafblower and an F-150 Raptor the same amount of time, the leafblower will emit orders of magnitude more pollutants, save for CO2 specifically. pretty much any vehicle on the road is emitting less hydrocarbons per-mile than a two-stroke. Obviously CO2 is a problem for global warming, but I definitely don't think its worth the air pollution trade-offs of a two stroke in a crowded city, especially when 4-stroke alternatives exist and are better in almost every way. https://www.edmunds.com/car-reviews/features/emissions-test-car-vs-truck-vs-leaf-blower.html https://www.edmunds.com/car-reviews/features/emissions-test-...

ghaff 4y ago

Battery-powered lawn equipment is definitely getting better. I find less runtime and a bit less performance a good tradeoff for my interchangeable head weedwhacker vs. a temperamental two-stroke engine that I use once a month or so. However, electric isn't going to do the job for a sit on top mower as far as I know and, in general, professionals who are using their equipment all day long are mostly not going to find electric's tradeoffs reasonable.

richiebful1 4y ago
I've used EGO's zero turn battery powered mower. It's great, but I agree that it wouldn't be sufficient for a professional. Also ancecdotally, a friend has cub cadet's battery-powered sit on top mower. He loves it

bombcar 4y ago

The Milwaukee chainsaw and mower do what they're advertised to do, and you could use them "professionally" assuming you had enough batteries laying around. California has already banned the sale of small gas motors and others will follow suit; but it will take years and years for the existing ones to die off.

culi 4y ago

We don't have to outright ban everything either. I would be absolutely delighted if my city enacted a "quiet Tuesdays" or whatever where any noise making machines above a certain decibel were banned. If people could just coordinate to make all their noise on one day instead of the "leafblower today, mower tomorrow, jackhammar on weekends" we have right now Not to mention the very serious environmental and health impacts of constant noise pollution

amluto 4y ago

Power washers used regularly on commercial property, too. As far as I can tell, the electric ones are every bit as effective and cost about the same amount. And anyone using a power washer is already trailing a hose around, too — a cable is not much of a hardship. (Few things are quite as unpleasant as a crew using a stinky 2-stroke engine to do prolonged work on an otherwise nice plaza.)

prepend 4y ago
> the electric ones are every bit as effective and cost about the same amount. Electric ones are 2000psi and corded (no major battery ones). Gas are 3200 psi and have no cord. Probably better to work on emission controls and better engines than to ban things with no gas equivalents.
dijonman2 4y ago
my pressure washer is 20hp, residential electric services can’t power that large of an electric motor.