E-quipment highlight: Kubota Ze zero-turn electric lawn mowers

Kubota’s Ze-421 and Ze-481 model zero-turn electric lawn mowers are the latest in the company’s Ze Electric Zero-Turn range, promising reduced maintenance, simpler operation, and higher levels of operator comfort. The big question now is: when will they be available in the US?

Kubota first announced the Ze electric mowers late last year, but it wasn’t until late this summer that many would-be customers had the chance to experience them at the Kubota Mowers Demo Day. That event, held in the UK, gave prospective buyers the chance to take a closer look and test a range of Kubota mowers, including the newly launched battery range.

People demo’ed the Kubota Ze riding mowers were able to experience the unique sensation of a mower with three drive motors. There are two drive motors (one for each rear wheel) and one motor powering the mower deck – which delivers a noticeably different feel than a conventional ICE-powered mower with a single power unit tasked with both loads.

The unique, multi-motor setup means that battery discharge can be optimized, sending power to the the cutting deck as needed to suit working conditions.

The 48V / 10kW battery at the rear of the Kubota can be plugged in overnight (it takes about 5 hours to charge on a 110 connection), or “hot swapped” with another battery to complete job after job. A battery “fitting trolley” with a second battery pack is available (as shown, below) as an optional accessory.

There is a choice of three working modes – ECO, Standard and Boost. The key difference between them being the blade speed. The Ze Series is available with 42″ or 48″ side discharge mower decks. Both deck options can be fitted with a mulching kit.

Electrek’s Take

Kubota says it plans to become a fully sustainable and carbon neutral company by 2050, and believes that mowers like these– which are are specifically aimed at environmentally conscious customers like municipalities, professional landscapers, and rural landowners that want to maintain large lawn areas – are a big part of those goals.

With the Ze line, Kubota joins other companies like John Deere and Greenworks in offering smart, functional electric lawn equipment. Something our own Peter Johnson identified as something that needs to be made a larger priority, citing EPA data that showed gas-powered lawnmowers making up five percent of the total air pollution in the US (despite covering far less than 5% of the total miles driven on that gas). “Moreover,” he writes, “it takes about 800 million gallons of gasoline each year (with an additional 17 million gallons spilled) to fuel this equipment.”

It should go without saying, then, that states like California and cities like London, which are banning small off-road combustion engines, have the right idea, and I’d like to encourage Kubota to bring these machines to the US sooner than later.

SOURCE | IMAGES: Kubota, TNS Group (UK).