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.
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![Watch Kia's new EV4 hatch carve up the Nurburgring, nearly on two wheels [Video]](https://i0.wp.com/electrek.co/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/11/Kia-EV4-Nurburgring.jpeg?resize=1200,628&quality=82&strip=all&ssl=1)
Kia’s upcoming entry-level EV has finally made its way to the famous Nurburgring for testing. The EV4 hatch was spotted ripping across the track, nearly on two wheels at one point, as Kia preps for its big debut.
According to Kia, the EV4 is “an entirely new type of EV sedan. ” It was first unveiled last October during Kia’s first annual EV Day, alongside the EV3 and EV5 as part of its new low-cost lineup.
The EV5 launched in China last year, while the EV3 is already rolling out in Korea and Europe. Next up, we will finally see the production version of the EV4.
Although its four-door format suggests it’s a sedan, Kia said the EV4’s bold design is a symbol of the company’s innovation. Its low nose, long-tail silhouette, and added roof spoiler give it an almost racecar-like feel.
With its official debut approaching, Kia’s EV4 has been spotted out in the wild several times. Last week, it was caught testing in the US for the first time.
A hatchback model has also been spotted. It was first caught on European roads this summer and in the US earlier this month.
Kia EV4 hatch takes on the Nurburgring as debut looms
After the EV4 was spotted racing across the Nurburgring for the first time, we are getting our best look yet at the upcoming Kia model.
The video from CarSpyMedia shows the EV4 hatch carving up sections of the track. Several times, you can see the EV4 is being pushed to the limits, nearly going up on two wheels.
However, with a low center of gravity and likely added stabilization tech, the EV4 appears to handle it with ease. You can also see the difference between the sedan model and the hatchback, with the bulky backside.
As it takes on the track, it almost looks like the 576 hp EV6 GT, Kia’s fastest and most powerful car. At least for now.
Kia is expected to officially reveal the EV4 by the end of the year, with deliveries starting in 2025. Prices are expected to be in the $30,000 to $40,000 range. The hatchback model is likely aimed at Europe, but it could also find a market in the US as buyers drift toward more efficient options.
Ahead of the LA Auto Show later this week, Kia is teasing five new vehicles for the US, at least one being an EV. Will it be the EV4? EV3?
Source: CarSpyMedia
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Elon Musk is hinting at Tesla making bigger electric cars, but you shouldn’t hold your breath as it’s not the first time he said that.
In the last few hours, Musk responded to two fans on X, asking Tesla to build bigger vehicles to support larger families.
Musk often promotes the idea of having bigger families as he is afraid of declining populations due to low birth rates in some countries.
With the first one, the CEO responded with a simple “OK,” and with the other, he elaborated a bit more by referencing the recently unveiled Tesla Robovan and “some other things”:
Musk appears to be hinting at Tesla’s work on a bigger electric vehicle that has yet to be unveiled.
While interesting, it’s hard to give too much weight to the comment, considering Musk claimed that Tesla has been working on a higher passenger capacity vehicle for years.
A “high passenger-density urban transport” vehicle has been in Tesla’s official product roadmap since 2016 and has yet to be unveiled, unless you count the Robovan unveiled last month, but that’s completely attached to Tesla’s self-driving effort as the vehicle has no steering wheel or pedals.
As part of Tesla’s shift toward autonomous driving, the automaker has pulled back plans for several new electric vehicle programs in favor of those without any driver inputs, like Cybercab and Robotvan.
Musk has also discussed the possibility of Tesla making an electric van on several occasions in the last few years.
Tesla is expected to soon unveil two new vehicles to be launch next year, but those are based on the Model 3 and Model Y and therefore, they aren’t likely to be bigger vehicles.
Electrek’s Take
Like most things Elon says lately, it goes in my “I’ll believe it when I see it” folder.
That said, I think an electric van that can be configured for cargo, camper, or passenger, would make a ton of sense in Tesla’s vehicle lineup.
Of course, it’s harder to get the greenlight for a vehicle program like that if your CEO is perpetually convinced that the company is on the verge of achieving self-driving and making steering wheels obsolete.
I’m more of the opinion that Tesla should have played it more careful and continue working on growing its human-driveable EV lineup while working on self-driving.
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Penske Truck Leasing is rolling out rooftop solar on its US truck leasing, rental, and maintenance buildings, starting in Illinois.
Penske Truck Leasing, which offers an electric truck fleet leasing program, wants to cut emissions and save energy, so it’s activated its first rooftop solar system at its new facility in Channahon, Illinois (pictured). The 200 kW system is expected to generate about 80% of the building’s energy needs, and the rest will be supplied by the local utility.
The next Penske Truck Leasing rooftop solar system to come online will be in Grand Rapids, Michigan, “in the coming months,” followed by another in Linden, New Jersey, in 2025. All three of these new buildings are part of Penske’s LEED building program, which is designed to reduce energy use and promote sustainability.
Seven of Penske’s existing facilities in California will also get solar retrofits. These locations, which include Fresno, Hayward, La Mirada, National City, Riverside, San Diego, and San Leandro, are expected to generate about 600 kW of renewable energy in total.
Penske has teamed up with Sunrock Distributed Generation under a power purchase agreement to make the California upgrades happen. The company is also working with ForeFront Power, based in San Francisco, as its lead consultant for the solar rollout.
On average, these solar-powered Penske facilities will generate around 1 million kWh of renewable energy each year, preventing about 442 metric tons of CO2 emissions annually. That’s equivalent to the amount of energy needed to power nearly 90 homes for a year.
Drew Cullen, senior vice president of fuels and facility services at Penske, highlighted the significance of this move, noting:
Our solar program is an important piece of our renewable energy strategy, and ForeFront Power continues to be an outstanding partner in helping us bring these projects to fruition.
These investments will allow us to directly generate our own renewable energy to power our locations and continue to support our customers with sustainable solutions.
Penske Truck Leasing, part of Penske Transportation Solutions, is headquartered in Reading, Pennsylvania, and operates over 437,000 vehicles across North America, with nearly 1,000 maintenance facilities and more than 2,500 rental locations. Its investment in solar power is a key part of its broader sustainability strategy to cut emissions and reduce reliance on traditional energy sources.
Read more: Penske and Hitachi just launched a big electric truck charging pilot
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