OR ARE BATTERIES CREATING A “ PREMATURE ELECTRIFICATION ” ISSUE ?
OR ARE BATTERIES CREATING A “ PREMATURE ELECTRIFICATION ” ISSUE ?
By Glenn Hansen
When the Ram division of Stellantis ( the parent company of Dodge trucks ) ran a 60-sec . video and Super Bowl commercial , it got a lot of attention for the provocative “ premature electrification ” theme . With clever writing that mocked an often-spoofed medical condition , Ram tried to address the issue so many fear about batteries – battery run time . Ram ’ s actual goal was to get truck buyers to wait several months for its electric trucks instead of buying a Ford Lightning F-150 .
Ram , thanks for the cute video and headline . However , while battery life is a serious consideration in the electric equipment purchase process , it ’ s one of many , and it might not even be the most important one .
Is Electric Right for You ? I researched this topic to learn the current state of electrification in the outdoor power equipment industry . What are manufacturers doing ? Why are they doing it ? What do dealers think of electrification ? I spoke with a few dozen people and ran a short survey . In the process , I uncovered a story . Two actually , one short and one long .
The short story : The internal combustion engines we ’ ve enjoyed for 150 years are losing marketshare because consumers want options and manufacturers are creating those options .
The long story : It includes noise reduction and ease of use and motor efficiency , sustainability , regulations and uncertainty , a lot of uncertainty .
Accepted California gets the blame – or the credit , depending on your politics – for kickstarting the OPE electrification push . But it started well before the Left Coast giant proposed its ban on the sale of new gas-powered mowers and blowers . Electrification started when NASA contracted with tool maker Black & Decker to create a battery-powered drill astronauts could use in space .
18 OPE Business July 2023 www . OPEBusiness . com