• stom@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      7 months ago

      Cost.

      Switching to electric means buying multiple batteries and replacing all of your kit and outfitting the vehicles with the capability to charge those batteries during the day (because charging takes time and isn’t as quick as just filling up a tank of gas).

      Sticking with the existing gas ones costs nothing.

      Yes there are potentially long-term cost savings and yes it would reduce noise pollution but if anyone thinks these kinds of purchasing decisions are made on the basis of what would be sensible in the long term, they need to get out and live in the real world a little. Sad but true.

    • usualsuspect191@lemmy.ca
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      7 months ago

      Feasible for home use absolutely.

      Municipalities/contractors need to be able to run them all or most of the day, and you’d need a way to charge the batteries and/or a giant stack of them to keep going. Fossil fuels are pretty energy dense so you can just have a jerry can to refuel and keep on going.

        • usualsuspect191@lemmy.ca
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          7 months ago

          I think they can last about an hour these days (the backpack ones anyway) but if you’re anywhere away from a charging source then you’d need so many spare charged batteries to compete with a few litres of fuel. Again, not talking about home use; most people probably don’t even need cordless and can just run an extension cord to an electric hand-held blower.

          Battery technology is getting better all the time though so hopefully soon as old machines wear out they can be replaced by electric alternatives.