Posted on 10/15/2021 7:41:50 AM PDT by Yo-Yo
CARB says there are 16.7 million small engines in the state compared to 13.7 million passenger vehicles, drastically affecting emissions.
California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed legislation that aims to ban the sale of gas-powered lawn equipment, generators, and other small engines designed for off-road use.
This new law builds from the executive order signed by Newsom in 2020 that bans the sale of new passenger cars powered by internal combustion engines in 2035. In the same order, Newsom calls for "100 percent zero-emission off-road vehicles and equipment," the phaseout of which must now be road mapped by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) in 2022 and officially put in place by 2024.
The text of the signed bill specifically calls for the banning of small off-road engines (SORE), calling out emergency response equipment and generators as well as both residential and commercial lawn equipment.
However, the SORE category expands past the named items. CARB officially defines SOREs as off-road spark-ignition engines that produce 25 horsepower or less. Other equipment examples given by the board include industrial, logging, golf carts, and specialty vehicles. It's not yet clear how this will affect small off-road recreational and sport vehicles like ATVs and dirt bikes, though most exceed that 25-hp threshold.
“Small gas engines are not only bad for our environment and contributing to our climate crisis, they can cause asthma and other health issues for workers who use them,” said Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, a co-sponsor of the bill. “It’s time we phased out these super polluters, and help small landscaping businesses transition to cleaner alternatives.”
There are currently 16.7 million small engines in California, according to a fact sheet supplied by CARB. That's significantly more than the state's fleet of 13.7 million passenger vehicles. Approximately 77 percent is made up of residential lawn and garden equipment, while federally regulated construction and farming machinery make up 11 percent. The remaining 9 percent is attributed to commercial lawn and garden, which may be hit hardest by this legislation.
These fleets of small engines are responsible for a substantial amount of the state's emissions. In fact, CARB says that running a leaf blower for an hour is equivalent to driving a 2017 Toyota Camry for 1,100 miles.
Marc Berman, author of the legislation, recognizes that the transition to battery-powered equipment will be a hardship for some small businesses. He says that California will pledge approximately $30 million to aid commercial businesses, but given that there are around 50,000 outfits in the state that'll be affected by the change, that works out to around $600 each.
According to financial figures supplied to the Los Angeles Times by Andrew Bray, vice president of government relations for the National Association of Landscape Professionals, that simply isn't enough. A gasoline-powered commercial riding mower could cost a business anywhere from $7,000 to $11,000, while the zero-emissions equivalents often cost more than twice that.
Equipment cost aside, there are also logistical concerns. For example, Bray believes that a three-person crew would need to carry as many as 40 fully-charged batteries to complete a full day's work. Additionally, these small companies may even need to upgrade their workshops to handle the daily charging of this equipment.
Legislators have their concerns as well. Given California's history of brownouts and power grid problems, some lawmakers like Senator Brian Dahle say that banning critical fuel-based power backup mechanisms like generators makes no sense.
"[Fuel] is very sustainable. It’s easy to access. And when the power is off, you can still use it," said Dahle. "You can still run a generator to keep your freezer going, to keep your medical devices going. But when your battery’s dead and there’s no power on, you have nothing.”
California will require that the ARB determine the regulations which will govern small engines no later than July 1, 2022. The adopted regulations will be put in place 18 months later on Jan. 1, 2024.
Certainly exceeds the 25hp threshold.
Ridiculous!
I live on 22 acres in Indiana, not big by any means.
I have a bunch of gas powered equipment, two large riding mowers, two push mowers, roto tiller, chain saw, pole pruner, leaf blower, weed eater, snow blower, 4 wheel utility vehicle, generator, pressure washer. Battery powered equipment will not replace the gas powered.
I also have quite a bit of battery operated tools as well as electric tools.
No, pollution from a vehicle is still chemistry: When a hydrocarbon is burned there will always be CO2 and H2O released. Modern engines don’t produce so much of the other fractions like CO, C, and nitrogen compounds. A pint verses a tank full is a no-brainer.
There are many homeowner grade battery powered chainsaws, the largest that I am familiar with has an 18" bar.
Some of these chainsaws have made great strides for homeowner use, and for occasional firewood or storm-clearing use are every bit as powerful as their gas-powered cousins.
But I know of no electric chainsaw with 24" or 36" bars suitable for commercial logging use.
Ah, a square knot around the couplings can work miracles.
In fact, CARB says that running a leaf blower for an hour is equivalent to driving a 2017 Toyota Camry for 1,100 miles.
does anybody there even have a clue???
Same. They’re quieter, less mess, less moving parts. Cheap enough that replacement trumps repair (cost of fixing ICE push mower = cost of replacing electric push mower), funny because the electrics last longer. Don’t have to run anywhere to get & transport nasty fluids. Can even charge via sunlight (have two 1m^2 portable solar panels) should power sourcing be a problem.
Let’s see, one - two moving parts, quiet, clean, major torque, easy maintenance, light weight, relatively inexpensive.
No, electric motors are not crap. Hells bells, freight trains are propelled by them and have been for quite some time.
It’s the energy store that’s the problem for now. That’s what’s crap. And with all the $100’s of Millions, being thrown at the problem, that will be solved eventually.
>>but the battery equipment has made great strides in recent years.
Those batteries will have to be replaced every 4-5 years, and likely it will make sense to just replace the whole mower. Meanwhile, my gas mower is over 10 years old.
You’d have a hard time convincing me this stuff is a major contributor to air pollution.
Good luck with those electric chainsaws when it comes time to cut trees for a wildfire fire break.
I foresee a brisk business in smuggled in gas engined equipment.
This could be the Republicans big chance in California, if they want to take advantage of it. All of those independent businessman who are largely Latino are potential Republicans, if the Democrats are determined to destroy their livelihood. Do you foresee Republicans seizing this moment, reaching out to them and joining their cause? No I don’t either. 🙄
How come you didn’t just buy a cordless extension cord?
Electric motors provide a fraction of the power of combustion engines. You cannot convince me otherwise. I’ve used electric lawn mowers and blowers. They don’t come close to gas-powered.
Sure, electric has their uses, but its not on rigorous jobs that require powering through some tough shit.
‘I think they will require all generators to be electric-powered.’
you could be right; so fork over even more cash, you prospective new home builders...
12 grand for full house generator protection; 2500 bucks just for the hookup...
Edmunds is a pro fossil fuels automotive group and this is what they found from testing.
“The hydrocarbon emissions from a half-hour of yard work with the two-stroke leaf blower are about the same as a 3,900-mile drive from Texas to Alaska in a Raptor,” said Jason Kavanagh, Engineering Editor at Edmunds.com. “As ridiculous as it may sound, it is more ‘green’ to ditch your yard equipment and find a way to blow leaves using a Raptor.”
Leaf Blower’s Emissions Dirtier than High-Performance Pick-Up Truck’s, Says Edmunds’ InsideLine.com
‘In the early 80s my dad bought an electric lawnmower with a cord.’
when I was kid my father made me use a walk behind reel mower on a large lawn, all the while trumpeting how wonderful it was we could never run out of gas...
We had one to. I did the same thing
Oh please, I’ve seen video of a Tesla sedan taking on a McLaren at a drag strip.
It wasn’t even close. The Tesla walked away from the mclaren.
See for yourself here: https://youtu.be/loUsRGW9z-I
Yes, no!
The electrical implements are pretty good for home use. I ditched all my cord and gas equipment for yard and workshop use. No tangling with cords, no messy gas, no problems with starting the engine after long pause.
But, my Stihl commercial chainsaw is not replaceable, as well as almost all commercial use implements.
Obviously, the CA air resource board and Gov Newsom has no experience with heavy work outside. They may trim their little yard when the get home from paper pushing.
Luckily, the outdoor equipment lasts a long while.
Yuma and Quartzite in AZ will do great business in gas implements. So will do the dealers in Reno and Primm Nevada.
As a kid mowing with the electric mower hitting the cord was kind of the point.
Recently I had a bush whacker, and sure enough, the cord got into it and cut lol. Corded power tools are a pain.
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