Colorado may follow CA in banning gas lawn equipment in 2025
Colorado is considering a regulation that would ban noisy, polluting gas-powered lawnmowers and leafblowers in the state as of 2025. It’s similar to a California rule which goes into place in 2024, but Colorado’s goes even further and would ban government and commercial use, along with sales.
Gas-powered lawnmowers and leafblowers are surprisingly big polluters because most run on two-stroke engines. Two-stroke engines are smaller and cheaper than four-stroke engines but are also tremendously more polluting because they exhaust tiny particles of unburned fuel into the air.
A commonly cited statistic states that running a two-stroke engine for an hour emits as many harmful air quality pollutants as much as driving a passenger car 1,100 miles. Cars still emit more global warming pollutants, but for air quality, two-stroke lawn equipment is much worse.
For this reason, many air quality agencies see these “small off-road engines” as low-hanging fruit for regulation. Colorado already offers vouchers for the exchange of dirty lawn equipment, giving monetary incentives to residents and businesses to upgrade to cleaner, easier-to-maintain electric lawn equipment. Even though this comes at a cost to the government, there’s so much air quality benefit that it’s a good use of public money.
To say nothing of the noise pollution those engines cause, which is even more disruptive given the recent trend towards work-from-home for many professionals.
So Colorado’s Regional Air Quality Council is thinking about implementing a ban on the use of these dirty engines, which could go into place as early as 2025. The ban would likely go into effect statewide and affect not only sales of handheld gas-powered units but also a government and commercial use ban, though residential users would likely be exempted from the ban.
While a two-year timeline for implementation seems rather sudden, RAQC believes that by sending this signal now, commercial operators would have time to start replacing their units early. Since these units are used all day long, they often have a pretty high turnover rate. If businesses start replacing their gas-powered equipment now, they won’t suddenly have to replace everything the day the ban goes into effect.
Plus, Colorado’s Northern Front Range – the eastern edge of the Rocky Mountains, the region that includes Denver and areas north of it, which is the area the RAQC is in charge of – is in “severe” nonattainment of EPA pollution rules, which means they have to work fast to get into compliance before a 2026 EPA deadline.
A ban on small lawn equipment is a lot easier to organize than large regulations on cars or on the state’s oil & gas industry (which is concentrated north of Denver), which both face organized industry opposition. Though, there is work happening on both of those separately.
RAQC is considering putting a minimum size on the commercial ban and exempting very small businesses. It would also likely not apply to larger equipment, like ride-on mowers, as these typically have a longer service life and use four-stroke engines and therefore are paradoxically less polluting than their smaller handheld cousins.
And while residents likely wouldn’t see a ban, the benefits of switching to electric lawn equipment are significant for residential use. Since we spend so much of our time in residential areas, the benefits of better air quality and lower noise pollution are even more important to attain in those areas.
So, commercial gardening services working in residential areas would be affected by the ban, but your neighbor wouldn’t have to stop using their old weed whacker two times a month – but they might want to, for their own health.
Enforcement is still an open question, but this is one reason RAQC is thinking about recommending this ban statewide rather than just in the Northern Front Range area. It’s easier to standardize the ban over a larger area than have a patchwork of local or regional rules.
The RAQC is a government-created board comprised of government leaders and local elected officials. The board recommends plans to Colorado’s Department of Health and Environment’s Air Quality Control Commission and writes the state’s implementation plans for air quality.
While the plan has not been officially proposed or voted on yet, the board seems to be in agreement that this regulation would be an easy way to reduce harmful pollutants at a low cost and is likely to recommend implementing something similar to what is being discussed. The board’s official vote should happen in the next couple of months, after which it moves on to the Colorado government to implement as a regulatory process.
If you’re in Colorado (or anywhere else that has air), check out Electrek‘s “Green Deals” section, where we periodically post green tech deals. You’ll find deals on electric lawn equipment quite often, so save yourself a few bucks while helping to save the lungs and ears of your neighborhood, too. And check with your state’s clean air regulator to see if any rebates are available – here’s Colorado’s page (and here’s California’s), but there may be incentives available if you live in another state too.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
The Dodge Charger Daytona EV made headlines when it rolled out fake engine noises as a way to make the EV appeal to muscle car drivers. As it turns out, they weren’t the right sort of fake engine noises – and now Stellantis has to recall 8,000 of them for a fix.
According to the ChryCo fans at Mopar Insider, Stellantis is recalling ~8,390 examples of its 2024 to 2025 Dodge Charger Daytona EVs because of an exterior amplifier that may be missing critical enabling the amp to emit exterior sounds – including the Federally mandated pedestrian warning sounds designed to keep pedestrians safe.
What’s more, the recall’s “suspect period” reportedly begins on 30APR2024, when the first 2024 Dodge Charger Daytona was produced, and ends 18MAR2025 … when the last Charger EV was produced.
RECALL CHRONOLOGY
- On April 17, 2025, the FCA US LLC (“FCA US”) Technical Safety and Regulatory Compliance (“TSRC”) organization opened an investigation into certain 2024–2025 model year Dodge Charger vehicles that may not emit exterior sound.
- From April 17, 2025, through May 13, 2025, FCA US TSRC met with FCA US Engineering and the supplier to understand all potential failure modes associated with the issue. They also reviewed warranty data, field records, and customer assistance records to determine field occurrences.
- On May 14, 2025, the FCA US TSRC organization determined that a vehicle build issue existed on certain vehicles related to a lack of EV exterior sound, potentially resulting in noncompliance with FMVSS No. 141.
Without the software patch, the vehicles don’t comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) No. 141, “Minimum Sound Requirements for Hybrid and Electric Vehicles.” The rule requires noisemakers for EVs and hybrids when operating under 19 mph, the safest speeds for pedestrians.
Basically, if you have a Dodge Charger EV, expect to get a recall notice.
It just keeps getting funnier
If you’re not familiar with the Charger Daytona EV’s “Fratzonic Chambered Exhaust,” it’s a system that employs a combination of digital sound synthesis and a physical tuning chamber (translation: a speaker) to produce a 126 decibel sound that approximately imitates a Hellcat Hemi V8 ICE. That’s loud enough to cause most people physical pain, according to Yale University – putting it somewhere between a loud rock concert and a passenger jet at takeoff.
While you could argue that such noises are part and parcel with powerful combustion, they’re completely irrelevant to an EV, and speak to a particular sort of infantile delusion of masculinity that I, frankly, have never been able to wrap my head around. Something akin to the, “Hey, look at me! I’m a big tough guy!” attention-whoring of a suburban Harley rider in a “Sons of Anarchy” novelty cut, without even enough courage to ride a motorcycle, you know?
You know – and I bet you can help me dial in the the comparison to perfection (and help me explain why the car just isn’t selling) in the comments section at the bottom of the page.
SOURCE: Mopar Insiders; featured image by Stellantis.
If you’re considering going solar, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.
Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Is it an electric van or a truck? The Kia PV5 might be in a class of its own. Kia’s electric van was recently spotted charging in public with an open bed, and it looks like a real truck.
Kia’s electric van morphs into a truck with an open bed
The PV5 is the first of a series of electric vans as part of Kia’s new Platform Beyond Vehicle business (PBV). Kia claims the PBVs are more than vans, they are “total mobility solutions,” equipped with Hyundai’s advanced software.
Based on the flexible new EV platform, E-GMP.S, Kia has several new variants in the pipeline, including camper vans, refrigerated trucks, luxury “Prime” models for passenger use, and an open bed model.
Kia launched the PV5 Passenger and Cargo in the UK earlier this year for business and personal use. We knew more were coming, but now we are getting a look at a new variant in public.
Although we got a brief glimpse of it earlier this month driving by in Korea, Kia’s electric van was spotted charging in public with an open bed.
The folks at HealerTV found the PV5 variant with an open bed parked in Korea, offering us a good look from all angles.
From the front, it resembles the Passenger and Cargo variants, featuring slim vertical LED headlights. However, from the side, it’s an entirely different vehicle. The truck sits low to the ground, similar to the one captured driving earlier this month.
When you look at it from the back, you can’t even tell it’s the PV5. It looks like any other cargo truck with an open bed.
The PV5 open bed measures 5,000 mm in length, 1,900 mm in width, and 2,000 mm in height, with a wheelbase of 3,000 mm. Although Kia has yet to say how big the bed will be, the reporter mentions it doesn’t look that deep, but it’s wide enough to carry a good load.
The open bed will be one of several PV5 variants that Kia plans to launch in Europe and Korea later this year, alongside the Passenger, Cargo, and Chassis Cab configurations.
In Europe, the PV5 Passenger is available with two battery pack options: 51.5 kWh or 71.2 kWh, providing WLTP ranges of 179 miles and 249 miles, respectively. The Cargo variant is rated with a WLTP range of 181 miles or 247 miles.
Kia will reveal battery specs closer to launch for the open bed variant, but claims it “has the longest driving range among compact commercial EVs in its class.”
In 2027, Kia will launch the larger PV7, followed by an even bigger PV9 in 2029. There’s also a smaller PV1 in the works, which is expected to arrive sometime next year or in 2027.
What do you think of Kia’s electric van? Will it be a game changer? With plenty of variants on the way, it has a good chance. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: HealerTV
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Environment
Solar and wind industry faces up to $7 billion tax hike under Trump’s big bill, trade group says
-
Sports3 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports1 year agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports2 years agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports4 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Sports2 years agoButton battles heat exhaustion in NASCAR debut
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike