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California moves toward ban on gas lawnmowers and leaf blowers

latimes.com

111–120 of 155 posts

Re: California moves toward ban on gas lawnmowers and leaf blowers

#111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Its about socialising and shifting blame onto the consumer rather than resolving the problem at source, ie with the corporations. Corporations have lobbists to ensure that they will not be out of pocket as people transition to 'green energy' - in fact they hope that this will be a new growth opportunity.

It makes it illegal for the corporations to sell those products. Not sure how that’s not “resolving the problem at source”.

Its obvious, no?

The cost of new equipment is put on the consumer. The companies selling the (v. expensive) products, have a captive market.

Why not transition this out slowly?

This method forces people to spend a large amount to complete a task that they can do with their existing equipment.

Re: California moves toward ban on gas lawnmowers and leaf blowers

#112
post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The article mentions that the restrictions for generators aren't planned to take effect until much later (2028), and that can be postponed by CARB. Also, it's only for portable generators. If you're relying on generator power multiple times per year, it probably makes sense to get one permanently installed.

So, if the landscaping company can't operate a portable generator in their truck bed, how are they supposed to charge all the batteries they need on the job?

I think you lost track of the thread. I was replying to a concern about powering a house, not a landscaping operation.

Re: California moves toward ban on gas lawnmowers and leaf blowers

#113
post #78
post #28

> New portable gas-powered generators also must be zero-emissions by 2028 Fascinated by this large scale "green washing" taking place. As of today 50% of the electricity made in california comes from natural gas... On top of that an extra 37% of california electricity is imported from others states which are running mostly of natural gas... You can also add an extra 30% of energy coming from petrol for cars , public…

While I can get on board with restricting 2-stroke engines in most cases (there’s still many situations where there’s no viable substitutes), I’m puzzled how they expect to have gas-powered generators be zero emission. That seems to defy the laws of physics and chemistry. By definition, people use generators when there’s no source of mains power, whether that’s during a power outage or needing to use electric devices…

Propane generators will also be banned in this bill.

Re: California moves toward ban on gas lawnmowers and leaf blowers

#114
post #63
post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can see it now. Some dude sitting around drinking coffee waiting for his gear to charge plugged into a gas powered generator.

I hope they get to charge by hour, not by job.

And by doing fewer jobs per hour, everyone pays more.

Re: California moves toward ban on gas lawnmowers and leaf blowers

#115

Portland banned leafblowers...by city employees. So all the private companies out there are still making everyone miserable at least once a week. Such obnoxious machines.

LA banned leaf blowers years ago near residences but you couldn't tell because LAPD can't be bothered to enforce laws like this.

Re: California moves toward ban on gas lawnmowers and leaf blowers

#116
post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Not to mention you would have to run your chargers off a generator in the truck bed anyhow, negating any green benefit since these things are noisy and pollute just as much as a hand tool. One big engine is cleaner, more efficient, and quieter than a bunch of small 2-stroke engines.

A big engine they have to run 100% of the time they are parked to keep the juice flowing. A blower is only running when it's being ran which is just one portion of the job.

The obvious solution is to use something like the hybrid Ford F-150, which will only run the engine as-needed while still providing continuous 7.2kW power for battery charging or directly powering tools.

Re: California moves toward ban on gas lawnmowers and leaf blowers

#117
post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So, if the landscaping company can't operate a portable generator in their truck bed, how are they supposed to charge all the batteries they need on the job?

I think you lost track of the thread. I was replying to a concern about powering a house, not a landscaping operation.

OP was concerned about bans where it is impractical to get electricity otherwise. I was providing another example that happens every day that would also be affected by this restriction on portable electricity generation, a landscaper at a client's job site.

Re: California moves toward ban on gas lawnmowers and leaf blowers

#118
post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A big engine they have to run 100% of the time they are parked to keep the juice flowing. A blower is only running when it's being ran which is just one portion of the job.

The obvious solution is to use something like the hybrid Ford F-150, which will only run the engine as-needed while still providing continuous 7.2kW power for battery charging or directly powering tools.

That's going to be a tough sell for landscapers currently getting by with a 25 year old F150. If the state is forcing these costs onto working people like this, they should also subsidize the cost to get newer legal equipment. The state of california already offers funding for wealthy people to buy Teslas, they should do something for day laborers too.

Re: California moves toward ban on gas lawnmowers and leaf blowers

#119
post #118

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The obvious solution is to use something like the hybrid Ford F-150, which will only run the engine as-needed while still providing continuous 7.2kW power for battery charging or directly powering tools.

That's going to be a tough sell for landscapers currently getting by with a 25 year old F150. If the state is forcing these costs onto working people like this, they should also subsidize the cost to get newer legal equipment. The state of california already offers funding for wealthy people to buy Teslas, they should do something for day laborers too.

Landscapers currently getting by with a 25 year old F150 can continue to also get by with their existing tools. They won't need a new F-150 to serve as a generator until they are well into the process of retiring their gas-powered tools in favor of electric tools. And there will even be a grace period of several years where they can start migrating to electric tools and buy a separate generator. Because these rules are about what's legal to sell new, no what's legal to have and use.

(Also, based on CARB's definition of "Small Off-Road Engines" which is what the law applies to, diesel generators of any size will not be affected.)

Re: California moves toward ban on gas lawnmowers and leaf blowers

#120
post #84

Totally second this but on a different ground. It's simply the noise it makes. Many people have been left trapped at home, working remotely as a result of Covid. A noisy machine, such as a gas-powered leaf blower, can disrupt a peaceful neighborhood day. Imagine your neighbor to your left mowing the lawn at 8 a.m., then neighbor to your right at 9 a.m., then another cross the street started at 10 a.m., and on and on.…

I'm a wildly optimistic person; could you suggest all your neighbours (including yourself) do these jobs at the same time? A sort of "preferred noise hour" for machinery. Even if its not a hard and fast rule, I'd hope most people would see the point and in turn enjoy the benefit in a world where many want the option to work remotely.

Attempts at rules like that often excite the local shit disturbers. They always own generators.
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