'Green' Machines Generate Weak Sales

'Green' Machines Generate Weak Sales

May 31 - USA TODAY

From all-terrain vehicles to snowblowers, makers of powered outdoor equipment are joining the auto industry in looking at alternative energy to deal with increasingly tough environmental rules.

But early efforts haven't produced rousing results. Alternative-powered machines "are not economical to produce at this time," says James McNew, vice president of the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute, a trade group.

Plus, it's not clear that consumers are willing to pay more for greener equipment or change their fueling habits.

The response has been tepid for the propane-powered mower made by Dixie Chopper, a Coatesville, Ind.-based maker of high-end riding mowers. "It's like anything else. The first one that comes out, everyone wants to shy away" from it, media marketing manager Rick Judy says.

To try to drum up sales, the company drove one of the mowers cross country, arriving at the steps of California's state capitol in Sacramento earlier this month.

With some outdoor equipment potentially far dirtier than cars or trucks, the industry is under pressure to cut emissions. In April, the Environmental Protection Agency proposed new rules that would require 35% cuts in hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxide for lawn mowers, personal watercraft and other equipment powered by small engines. For gasoline engines, that could mean fitting them with catalytic converters like those in cars.

Costs of the changeover could add $47 to the price of a lawn tractor, $280 for an outboard engine and $360 for a personal watercraft, the EPA estimates.

Environmentalists support fighting pollution by finding alternative-energy sources for small engines, not just focusing on cars and trucks. "If we're going to move ourselves off oil and have good air quality, we have to deal with everything," says Brendan Bell of the Sierra Club's Energy Program.

Some of the alternative-fuel equipment that manufacturers are trying out:

*Propane mower. Dixie Chopper wanted to set the standard for environmentalism, but it's been an uphill battle. In the past two years, it says it's sold only about 200 of the mowers, which are mostly intended for commercial or government use. They start at $11,900, about $1,000 more than for the gasoline-powered version. But propane costs less than gas, Judy says.

*Biodiesel ATV. Arctic Cat has just started selling a heavy-duty all-terrain vehicle that runs on biodiesel fuel. The ATV gets up to 50% better fuel economy than a comparable gasoline engine and actually runs better on biodiesel than regular diesel, spokesman Kale Wainer says. "A little better lubrication, I would assume."

The $9,299 ATV was tested on a biodiesel made from vegetable oil or animal fat. The fuel produced fewer carbon-dioxide, hydrocarbon, carbon-monoxide and particulate emissions. "The soybean growers came to us and asked if we would test biodiesel," Wainer says.

Toro says all its diesel-powered golf course and grounds equipment will be capable of handling biodiesel by next year.

*Hydrogen-powered lawn carts. Toro is providing three hydrogen fuel-cell turf maintenance carts for a pilot project in New York state this year.

The three carts will be used by the Niagara Falls and Beaver Island state parks to shuttle workers and grounds equipment, haul lawn equipment, and for snow removal and trash cleanup. They were built with the help of a $380,000 state research grant.

*Hybrid lawn mower and snowblower. John Deere sells a riding mower for golf courses that couples electric power to either an 18-horsepower gasoline or diesel engine.

The point of introducing the mower two years ago wasn't just to be ecological. The mower features electric cutting reels that reduce hydraulic fluid leaks, which kill grass. The electric drive is also quieter and more fuel efficient. The engine powers an alternator which supplies the current needed to turn three cutting reels. "It's been wildly popular," Deere spokesman Ken Golden says. "When it goes into electric mode, it can be very quiet," a big plus on a golf course.

Honda sells a snowblower that has a 15-horsepower engine and electric power combined, but only in Japan and Canada. "It's a product that we found the market isn't ready for here," spokeswoman Sara Pines says.