New Ryobi 80 volt lithium-ion battery ZTR Riding Mowers

[MowerMike]

Ryobi is jumping on the lithium-ion battery ZTR riding mower bandwagon with 30", 42" and 54" cut models. They all use an innovative single joystick control that they call iDrive instead of the traditional lap bars. Although they use a proprietary 80 volt suitcase battery, they can also use their standard 40 volt batteries connected in series to provide 80 volts. They are available at Home Depot for $3999, $4999 and $5999.

RYOBI 80V HP Brushless 30 in. Battery Electric Cordless Zero Turn Riding Mower with (2) 80V 10 Ah Batteries and Charger RYRM8010 - The Home Depot

Introducing RYOBI's first lithium-ion battery powered zero turn riding mower, the RYOBI 80V HP Brushless 30" Lithium Electric ZTR.* HP Technology and 80V batteries combine to deliver the power equivalent

www.homedepot.com

RYOBI 80V HP Brushless 42 in. Battery Electric Cordless Zero Turn Riding Mower (2) 80V Batteries (2) 40V Batteries and Charger RYRM8021 - The Home Depot

Introducing RYOBI's first lithium-ion battery powered zero turn riding mower, the RYOBI 80V HP 42" Lithium Electric ZTR. HP Technology and 80V batteries combine to deliver the power equivalent of a 31

www.homedepot.com

RYOBI 80V HP Brushless 54 in. Battery Electric Cordless Zero Turn Riding Mower (3) 80V Batteries (4) 40V Batteries and Charger RYRM8034 - The Home Depot

Introducing RYOBI's first lithium-ion battery powered zero turn riding mower, the RYOBI 80V HP 54" Lithium Electric ZTR*. HP Technology and 80V batteries combine to deliver the power equivalent of a 42

www.homedepot.com

RYOBI 80V HP - Riding Mowers - RYOBI Tools

RYOBI specializes in making pro-featured power tools and outdoor products truly affordable. RYOBI is the brand of choice for millions of homeowners and value-conscious professionals.

www.ryobitools.com

 

[sgkent]

I think maybe the way it works with those large batteries is that they give away a free mower with the purchase of a battery pack. ?

 

[bkeller500]

Those new Ryobi Electric battery powered units look interesting. Very simple design indeed. I question the build quality......will they last very long with normal use? The construction seems a little light and it may be fine for flat manicured lawns but 1/2 acre and up, I'm not so sure. Another suspect area is the mowing deck. It just seems weaker than I am used to seeing. Time will tell but for $6K I wouldn't take a chance just yet. IMO!

 

[MowerMike]

Those new Ryobi Electric battery powered units look interesting. Very simple design indeed. I question the build quality......will they last very long with normal use? The construction seems a little light and it may be fine for flat manicured lawns but 1/2 acre and up, I'm not so sure. Another suspect area is the mowing deck. It just seems weaker than I am used to seeing. Time will tell but for $6K I wouldn't take a chance just yet. IMO!

Well, the deck on the 54" model is made from 10 gauge steel, which is quite robust, and the mower weighs nearly 800 lbs so it's not exactly lightweight construction. As to quality, well Ryobi is not exactly the best, but their warranty is 5 years on both the mower and the 80 volt batteries. Ryobi claims that it can mow up to 5 acres on a single charge, and that it can be fully recharged in 5 hours.

 

[sgkent]

price the battery pack. There some electrics where replacement batteries are almost as much as the mower. There are many folks here with 20 - 30, even 35 year old mowers, where they have just replaced belts, blades, tires, and rebuilt an occasional carb, changed the oil etc.. How many battery packs will one have to buy in that time to keep the electric mower running? I have a great Makita screwdriver that is about 30 years old. It is a PITA to find good batteries for it. And, if I forget to charge them every month when not in use, the batteries go bad quickly.

 

[MowerMike]

price the battery pack. There some electrics where replacement batteries are almost as much as the mower. There are many folks here with 20 - 30, even 35 year old mowers, where they have just replaced belts, blades, tires, and rebuilt an occasional carb, changed the oil etc.. How many battery packs will one have to buy in that time to keep the electric mower running? I have a great Makita screwdriver that is about 30 years old. It is a PITA to find good batteries for it. And, if I forget to charge them every month when not in use, the batteries go bad quickly.

This has been debated ad nauseum. Battery powered tools, especially large tools are more expensive than gasoline powered or even corded electric tools. People like myself buy them for other advantages, such as ease of maintenance, safety, quiet and clean operation, and ease of use. As to the cost of this particular mower, the price of the batteries have not been announced, but I'll assume they'd be about the same as the EGO 56 volt 52" ZTR mower, which is $3300 or about half the price of the mower including batteries. Conservatively assuming the batteries lasted only 5 years, that would be a running cost of $550 per year to operate the mower. IME, good quality lithium-ion batteries last a lot longer than 5 years, especially if they are used infrequently, and therefore not subjected to a lot of charge cycles, which is what kills them. I have a Bosch 18 volt drill/driver which is now over 10 years old, and the Li-Ion batteries still charge fully.

Personally, I have no interest in expensive riding mowers, since my yard is flat and only .15 acres. All I need is a simple push mower, and I've never spent over $500 on a lawn mower.

 

[sgkent]

This has been debated ad nauseum. Battery powered tools, especially large tools are more expensive than gasoline powered or even corded electric tools. People like myself buy them for other advantages, such as ease of maintenance, safety, quiet and clean operation, and ease of use. As to the cost of this particular mower, the price of the batteries have not been announced, but I'll assume they'd be about the same as the EGO 56 volt 52" ZTR mower, which is $3300 or about half the price of the mower including batteries. Conservatively assuming the batteries lasted only 5 years, that would be a running cost of $550 per year to operate the mower. IME, good quality lithium-ion batteries last a lot longer than 5 years, especially if they are used infrequently, and therefore not subjected to a lot of charge cycles, which is what kills them. I have a Bosch 18 volt drill/driver which is now over 10 years old, and the Li-Ion batteries still charge fully.

Personally, I have no interest in expensive riding mowers, since my yard is flat and only .15 acres. All I need is a simple push mower, and I've never spent over $500 on a lawn mower.

we only got about 5 years on lithium-ion batteries before the battery life started measurably tanking. I think Tesla guarantees theirs to 70% capacity at 8 years.

 

[MowerMike]

we only got about 5 years on lithium-ion batteries before the battery life started measurably tanking. I think Tesla guarantees theirs to 70% capacity at 8 years.

Like I said, it's all about charging cycles. If you use them a lot, they won't last as long as if you use them infrequently. Apple promises that their cellphone batteries will last about 500 full charge cycles before their capacity will drop below 80%. For most people who are constantly using their cell phones, this amounts to about 3 years. I use mine very little, and when I replaced it after 5-3/4 years of use, it still had 96% capacity remaining.

 

[Fourdoor]

Like I said, it's all about charging cycles. If you use them a lot, they won't last as long as if you use them infrequently. Apple promises that their cellphone batteries will last about 500 full charge cycles before their capacity will drop below 80%. For most people who are constantly using their cell phones, this amounts to about 3 years. I use mine very little, and when I replaced it after 5-3/4 years of use, it still had 96% capacity remaining.

It is about charge cycles and heat. One of the things I like about EGO equipment is that the battery cells within the battery pack are encased in a phase changing substance that absorbes the heat out of the cells as it melts (undergoes phase change) from solid to liquid so the battery cells are never exposed to excessive heat from discharging, and while charging the high power charger blows a crap load of air through the battery pack to prevent over heating during charging, and the blower keeps running until the pack cools off after charging. I wonder if the ryobi Lithium ion packs have a similar system?

Keith

PS: Amazing how much the lithium pack costs, for my Ryobi 480e I just replaced the 75 ah (3.6 kWh) lead acid pack with a 100 ah (4.8 kWh) lead acid pack for $986 after 4 years and 104 hours of use.

 

[adam1991]

Earlier this year, because the Toro walk behind battery mower I wanted wasn't becoming available in a timely fashion, I bought a Ryobi top of the line walk behind battery mower.

Ryobi may know batteries, and may know how to make hand tools, but they don't know diddly squat about making lawnmowers. It was painful and awkward to use, I couldn't pull the batteries out because their design stinks, and my lawn was filled with "stragglers and mohawks" as someone else on this forum called them.

I mean, if it can't even do its core job--cut grass--then that makes the rest of it all the worse. It looked good on paper, but we don't use paper to cut the grass now, do we.

After 6 months, I got rid of it--money down the drain--and bought the 60v Toro I should have waited for in the first place. (BTW, Personal Pace is a dream.)

Good luck with that Ryobi ZTR.