For one thing, gas-powered mower prices have gone up in an effort by the EPA to lower emissions. The cost of commercial lawn mowers in California will rise more than $100 in the next year, to pay for the mandatory catalytic converters that will cut smog emissions by roughly 40 percent.

There are also rebates being offered in many locations if people trade in the older model mowers. The rebates will be used toward the cost of an electric, battery-powered or manual mower. Such rebates were recently announced in Louisville, Kentucky Courier-journal.com. Contact your local recycling facility and ask if they accept lawn-care equipment for recycling.

But perhaps the largest reason that people are going electric is the new features that are being developed, as a result of tax incentives, grants, and market demand. One example is the Neuton Cordless Battery-Powered Lawn Mower, which boasts on its website as ?EUR??,,????'??America?EUR??,,????'???s #1 Battery-Powered Mower.?EUR??,,????'?? No noise, no gas and only 48 pounds, it can run for an hour on a charge that takes 12 to 24 hours to complete (the company says it costs about 10 cents per charge). Other concepts that have emerged are so-called ?EUR??,,????'??robotic lawnmowers.?EUR??,,????'?? Similar to robotic vacuums, robotic lawnmowers will travel within a designated perimeter continually mowing the lawn where it needs it. One example is Kyodo?EUR??,,????'???s Lawnbott, which runs on an electric battery. When the battery is running low, the Lawnbott travels along the perimeter back to its electric ?EUR??,,????'??docking station?EUR??,,????'?? where it recharges itself and then sets off again.

Today, electric mowers are great for smaller spaces, but are often not the most viable option for larger areas of turf. Perhaps in the future larger electric mowers will emerge?EUR??,,????'??? alongside electric SUVs.