It may not be a LEAF, but it’s a move in the right direction

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San Diego Air Pollution Control District to offer subsidized electric lawn mowers

Apparently, for twelve years now, one has been able to trade in their used but functioning gasoline lawn mower for a reduced price brand new electric lawn mower, thanks to the San Diego Air Pollution Control District (SDAPCD). Who knew?

The 13th annual event will be held this Saturday at the County Administration Center according to this announcement on the SDAPCD website. This year 650 lawn mowers will be included in the program. Apparently it is a popular event as the pre-event flier suggests arriving prior to the 8:00AM start time and bringing a lawn chair. We can see why. The Black & Decker CM1936 19-Inch 36-Volt Cordless Electric Lawn Mower With Removable Battery is listed on Amazon for $399.99. When one trades in their old functioning gasoline powered lawn mower, they can take this new electric mower home for $99.99 (Cash or credit card only – the SDAPCD doesn’t want your check). We wish that we had known about the program when we got our first electric mower. But that may have been a year or two prior to the inception of this program.

So why is this a good thing to do? Because small engine emissions (from items such as lawn mowers and garden tools, but also from personal watercraft and off-road vehicles) have been a significant contributor to poor air quality. The Environment Protection Agency (EPA) started regulating these small engine emissions in 2010. But for those that have pre-regulation lawn mowers that are getting stubborn to start this spring, this lawn mower exchange might be just the thing.

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1 Response to It may not be a LEAF, but it’s a move in the right direction

  1. Chris says:

    I purchased an electric mower two years ago, and I love it. I didn’t trade-in with SDAPCD since I hadn’t owned a mower previously. I opted for the corded version – I have a loathing for battery operated tools. The batteries are either weak, or not charged when I need them, or die after a year, or obsolete when it’s time to replace them.
    Curiously, my loathing of batteries hasn’t affected my enthusiasm for EV’s!

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