While the old saying goes that a bad workman blames his tools, the opposite is also true: a good contractor is only as good as his tools. Grounds care, landscaping and facilities management are all highly competitive markets, which means professionals in those fields must be highly efficient to keep jobs moving.
Therefore, contractors rely on their commercial-grade outdoor power equipment (OPE) to deliver a return on investment. And, when making a decision on the right tools for them, it often comes down to two Ps – price and performance. However, with advancements in technology and net zero goals to consider, there is growing pressure on professionals to transition to all-electric OPE. But if that means compromising on price and performance, you are entitled to wonder: can I afford to be more sustainable?
To empower change, manufacturers such as Toro® have developed a range of electric-powered OPE equal to or even exceeding the power and performance of more traditional machinery. And for Toro to deliver this successfully, it all begins with the battery.
High performance
When it comes to batteries, there’s no substitute for experience. Toro has spent years refining the pioneering battery technology used to power its cordless range of garden tools for homeowners. This has enabled the manufacturer to build up unique insight and expertise into how batteries perform before bringing that know-how to the professional market.
What this means for industry professionals is that Toro’s battery-powered products deliver like-for-like performance with their petrol or diesel equivalents, including comparable torque. The 60V Flex-Force® Power System has 33% more capacity than the previous generation of 60V batteries, meaning longer duty cycles – and it can be fully recharged in just 50 minutes.
Flex-Force is compatible with the entire Revolution Series of Toro’s commercial handheld tools, so you can swap batteries between each piece of equipment. They’re also designed with practicality and durability in mind. For example, each battery has a handle, making them easier to carry, and battery backpacks are available for tools like blowers, shifting the weight for a more comfortable user experience. In addition, we gave them more robust defences with an enhanced over-mould to protect them from impact damage when working in more challenging environments.
However, to create Revolution Series versions of most of its mowers, Toro needed a real powerhouse of performance. Contractors must have mowers that can work for as long as they need, so they can switch to electric without sacrificing productivity. The result is Toro’s HyperCell® battery system, offering all-day run times. HyperCell helps commercial machines to run quieter and cooler for longer, enabling professionals to get on with the job at hand.
In both cases, the batteries are designed to meet the evolving demands of businesses of all sizes. Whether you are an owner-manager, an SME or a local municipality, you can reap the benefits of better battery technology. The durability, reliability and minimal maintenance requirements of Toro batteries make them an ideal choice for organisations seeking to balance operational efficiency with environmental responsibility.
Price vs value
Now that we’ve overcome the challenge of compromising on performance, the next question is the affordability of the products themselves. The reality is that battery power comes at a premium price. However, it is important to take a more holistic view of price versus value, by looking at total cost of ownership (TCO).
To help give professionals the insights they need, Toro has developed a free-to-use TCO calculator. The online calculator makes it easy to input data for both engine and battery-powered machines. This includes purchase price, operating hours per year, maintenance costs, fuel and energy costs, plus any grants or rebates. Once you have inputted the data, the calculator crunches the numbers and publishes the results. It shows key metrics, including operational cost savings per month and year, as well as how many months it takes to break even on electric equipment compared to the petrol or diesel equivalent.
The calculator offers quick and easy results, whether you are a groundskeeping team with a fleet of OPE, or an independent landscaping professional. And because you can input the numbers that accurately reflect your business, it demonstrates your unique potential savings. This enables you to make truly informed decisions and build the business case for going electric.
For example, imagine you’re considering buying a new mower. The petrol-powered mower is £15,000, while the all-electric model is around twice the price. At face value, a sensible businessperson would opt for petrol every time. However, using the calculator would show you that – assuming the mower operates for 1,000 hours per year – it would only take around two years to break even on the electric version; after that, your estimated savings are more than £8,600 a year. This is primarily down to two factors: the difference between electricity and petrol fuel prices, and far lower maintenance costs on an all-electric machine.
Lead the Charge
Offering a free TCO calculator is the latest element in Toro’s Lead the Charge campaign to help more companies embrace all-electric OPE. By transitioning to Toro’s battery-powered equipment, businesses can achieve substantial energy savings, reduce reliance on petrol or diesel and cut operational costs.
To discover more about how Toro can help your business become more sustainable and make financial savings, visit https://sites.toro.com/leadthecharge/
