Colorado may follow CA in banning gas lawn equipment in 2025

Published

2 years ago

April 27, 2023

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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.

Lawn & Garden contributes 36% as much ozone as *all vehicles combined* in Colorado’s most populous areas or 29% as much as all oil & gas operations

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.

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Environment

Honda takes a page from Tesla playbook, launches new insurance business

Published

3 hours ago

July 26, 2025

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Honda takes a page from Tesla playbook, launches new insurance business

Honda launches in-house insurance agency for U.S. drivers

Say what you will about Elon Musk, but Tesla has changed the way that millions of people buy cars and, by extension, car insurance. Now, Honda is taking a page from Tesla’s successful playbook and launching its own in-house insurance business. Enter: Honda Insurance Solutions.

Honda Insurance Solutions is being launched as a fully licensed insurance agency serving the insurance needs of Acura and Honda customers, but it’s not stopping at competitive pricing and coverage options for Honda cars and motorcycles. Honda Insurance Solutions promises to go several steps beyond Tesla’s offering with coverage for trailers, RVs, homes, and even pets.

“Honda Insurance Solutions offers customers access to coverage through a brand they know and trust,” says Petar Vucurevic, President, American Honda Insurance Solutions, LLC and Senior Vice President, American Honda Finance Corporation. “Insurance is a key touchpoint in the vehicle ownership journey, and we aim to deliver a superior experience tailored to the unique needs of each customer, while promoting safer driving and increased peace of mind on the road.”

The company says the launch of its new insurance business is just part of Honda’s broader digital vehicle sales platform strategy, with future plans to integrate insurance offerings into new products.

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Electrek’s Take

It’s important to note some of the key differences between Honda’s insurance offering and Tesla’s. Honda isn’t offering discounts, they’re not bundling insurance premiums into the vehicle financing, and they’re not building their insurance offerings into their dealerships’ checkout/F&I offices. Not yet, anyway.

What Honda is doing right now is deepening relationships with its existing customers and finding ways to make money on products it hasn’t sold them – whether that’s the Harley parked in the garage next to their Prologue or the garage itself.

It’s a smart play. And, once Honda figures out a way to cut franchise dealers out entirely and go to a direct sales model, it’ll look even smarter.

SOURCE | IMAGES: Honda.

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Environment

Lion Electric school bus warranties voided, leaving districts stuck

Published

3 hours ago

July 26, 2025

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Lion Electric school bus warranties voided, leaving districts stuck

Previous Lion Electric School Bus Warranties Voided by Company Sale

Nobody ever says “this is business” before doing something nice, and the recently reborn Lion Electric company is keeping that streak alive by doing the unthinkable to cut costs: they’re going to void the warranties on hundreds of electric school buses.

In a letter issued to exiting Lion Electric customers last week, Deloitte Restructuring announced that the warranties on all Lion vehicles purchased outside of the company’s home Province of Quebec are null and void – leaving dozens of school districts in the lurch with stranded assets that won’t get fixed, and can’t be sold to generate funds for replacements.

“We are working with alternate vendors at the expense of the school district to help keep our electric buses functional and on the road,” explains Dr. Richard Decman, Superintendent of Herscher CUSD No. 2 district in Herscher, Illinois. “Currently, six of our 25 (Lion) electric buses need some type of repair.”

Student Transportation News reports that Lion buses represent fully half of Herscher’s overall fleet of 50 buses, and that the district has received nearly $10 million for the purchase of 25 electric buses and the related charging stations from various state and utility incentive programs.

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Herscher isn’t the only district having problems with Lion buses. “All four Lion buses that we own are currently parked and not being used,” Coleen Souza, interim transportation director of Winthrop Public Schools, told Clean Trucking. “Two of them are in need of repairs which would cost us money which we are not willing to invest in because the buses do not run for more than a month before needing more repairs.”

More of the same in Maine, where Yarmouth School Department bought two Lion Electric buses in 2023 with the state covering the costs. According to Superintendent Andrew Dolloff, the buses almost never worked. “We’ve had some sporadic service over the past two years, but as soon as the tech leaves, the buses produce error codes again,” explained Dolloff. ” and “Then the technician quits or is released, and we wait a few months for the next response.”

Dolloff added that Yarmouth’s electric buses did not operate during the 2024-25 school year.

Lion’s new owners are seemingly uninterested in their customers’ plight – which might be easily dismissed if those new owners, Groupe MACH, weren’t also the old owners of Lion Electric.

That’s right, kids. Quebec-based real estate company Groupe MACH, which stepped in to “save” Lion Electric earlier this summer, along with Ontario-based Mirella & Lino Saputo Foundation, bought $90 million of equity in Lion Electric back in 2023. And, while the MACH people may not have been the ones who ultimately made the call about voiding the warranties (that decision was made by the Deloitte bankruptcy team), it is absolutely Group MACH who have, to date, not announced plans to continue to honor those warranties, either.

Make of that what you will.

Deloitte Lion letter

SOURCES: School Transportation News, Clean Trucking, Deloitte.

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Environment

The Retrospec Beaumont Rev 2 might be the most stylish eBike for under $1K [Video]

Published

4 hours ago

July 26, 2025

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The Retrospec Beaumont Rev 2 might be the most stylish eBike for under $1K [Video]

We recently had the opportunity to test out Retrospec’s Beaumont Rev 2 electric bike. This Class 2 electric city bike is as stylish as it is functional. Despite its streamlined design, the Beaumont Rev 2 is sneaky fast with quality components throughout. Be sure to check out our full video review below.

Our latest product review came through Retrospec – a veteran micromobility company dedicated to delivering affordable, high-quality, adventure-ready eBikes without compromising performance or style.

According to Retrospec, its products aim to “make nature second nature” by offering accessible, high-quality gear that encourages people of all ages and abilities to enjoy the outdoors to “make nature second nature” by providing accessible, high-quality gear that encourages people of all ages and abilities to enjoy the outside world.

Designed for adventure and built to last, Retrospec prides itself on delivering mobility products look great, perform flawlessly, and stand up to the test of time. A fine example of this company ethos is the Beaumont Rev 2 electric city bike.

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The Beaumont Rev 2 has already gone viral as Retrospec’s number one best seller. It initially caught our eye because it combines a stylish vintage look of classic bicycles with modern tech to cruise quickly and easily.

We recently had an opportunity to take one of these eBikes out and have plenty to say about it.

Upon first ride, you can’t ignore the classic style of this eBike, which looks and feels super light, similar to a conventional bicycle. However, with one press of the throttle, you get a feel for the function and versatility of the Beaumont Rev 2, which was designed by Retrospec specifically for city riding.

The bike’s powerful rear hub motor is supported by a Shimano MegaRange drivetrain that can easily be switched between seven different gears with your right hand.

The electric motor offers five different levels of electric pedal assist and an easy-to-use throttle on the left handlebar (pictured below). As a Class 2 eBike, the Beaumont Rev 2 can cruise to assisted speeds as high as 20 mph. The bike itself is powered by a UL2849-Certified Battery that offers riders a range of up to 38 miles on a single charge.

If you encounter dirt or debris on your journey, you’re protected by full-wrap front and rear fenders. Other features of the Retrospec Beaumont Rev 2 include front and rear lights, a rear cargo rack, and Tektro mechanical disc brakes (pictured above).

Combined with the padded saddle seat and swingback handlebars, the Beaumont Rev 2 is as comfortable and supportive of a ride as it is functional.

As an urban-style e-bike, the Beaumont Rev 2 isn’t necessarily built for off-road riding, but as you’ll see in the video below, there were a couple of times I cut through some grassy terrain to get on and off the bike path, and the bike fared just fine.

I truly enjoyed the smooth comfort of this unique, Euro-style step-through bike thanks to its wide, high-volume city tires. It also feels like it rides a lot faster than 20 mph due to its light frame and best-in-class powertrain components.

While the Beaumont Rev 2 comes with the above mentioned accessories, Retrospec sells many compatible add-on components, including helmets, baskets, trailers, bike bags & panniers, air pumps, and car racks. In addition to the Beaumont Rev 2, Retrospec offers a growing lineup of all-electric city bikes. We highly recommend checking those out to find the right bike for you.

Retrospec also offers a range of other eBike categories, including fat tire electric bikes, electric beach cruiser bikes, electric commuter bikes, electric trikes, and more. All Retrospec eBikes are UL2849 certified, feature sleek and stylish designs, and employ the most modern eBike technology to make riding an absolute blast. Check out the full lineup here.

If you’re interested in riding in style on Retrospec’s best-selling Beaumont Rev 2 eBike, you can purchase one here. This blend of classic and modern is available for just under $1,000, making it one of the most affordable options in its class.

To learn more about this stylish electric city bike, be sure to check out our full video review below.