Original configuration
OwnerJohn Loveless
Owner's Other EVs1992 Toyota Pickup - RETIRED
1991 Geo Metro EV --RETIRED
LocationKaysville, Utah United States map
Web/EmailWebPage email image
Vehicle2007 Black and Decker
Corded lawn mower from K-mart (~2007)
converted to a battery powered mower.
Motor
Original 154VDC motor
DrivetrainDirect drive
Controller None
Batteries20, 6.00 Volt, Lead-Acid, Gel
Small 4.5Ah 6V batteries. I picked them up
from a surplus store called "NPS" for $1.15
each. Some were dead but I resurrected them
with my capacitive charger.
System Voltage120 Volts
Charger Home made
On-board capacitive charger. A 440V 40uF
bi-polar capacitor and a 10 Amp bridge
rectifier. Can't get any simpler than
that. This works out to a 1/2 amp
charger. After a night on the charger,
the batteries are full.
9/17/2013: I added more capacitors to the
charger so now it can quick charge in
under 2 hours. Works great when the lawn
is REALLY long and you need a quick boost
on the battery to finish the lawn.
Top Speed3 MPH ( 4 KPH)
Push mower
Range1 Miles ( 1 Kilometers)
Mow a 1/5th acre lawn 3 weeks in a row on
a single charge. Mow a 1/2 acre of lawn
on a single charge.
I cut it high for a healthier lawn,
reduced watering and longer battery range.
A dull blade kills the range of the mower.
Watt Hours/Mile540 Wh/Mile
It takes 540 watt-hours to re-charge the
mower after mowing 1/2 acre of lawn. When I
used an inverter and 12V battery it took
1380 watt-hours to re-charge the battery.
EV Miles
Current:120 Miles (193 Kilometers)
Curb Weight55 Pounds (24 Kilograms)
Original plastic shell and motor plus a 34
lb battery pack. It's a heavy mower for a
push one. But I can use the exercise.
Tires6" standard wheels on front.
New 7" wheels on back (with bearings).
Conversion Time~2007 It took 1 hour to install the
inverter and battery.
2011 It took about 3-hours to convert it to
a 120VDC system.
Conversion CostInverter and 12V battery cost me about
$150.
The latest revision to 120VDC only cost $35
Additional FeaturesOn-board capacitive charger. When the lawn is extra long and
the battery runs down faster, or when I just need a break from
mowing, I park it by the nearest outlet and plug it in.
Originally this mower was a plug in variety. I added a 12V
deep cycle battery and inverter to electrify it. I used it
for over 3 years in that configuration. After moving to a
larger home on a 1/2 acre lot, I revamped the mower. I
removed the inverter and 12V battery, replacing them with 20
six-volt batteries in series. This 120V battery pack feeds
the motor directly. It is lighter and works great. I can
mow the whole lawn on a single charge.

9/25/2012: Wow! Has it really been 5 years? I love this
mower!
Measuring with a sound meter, this mower is 15dBA+ quieter
than a gas mower.
I like to mow at night when it's cool outside and nobody else
is awake to distract me from finishing the lawn. It's so
quiet that none of my neighbors hear it. You hardly can hear
it from inside my own house. It doesn't disturb anyone. Now
I just need some night-vision goggles so I don't have to use
a head-lamp ;)

6/15/2013: Had to replace 5 bad batteries. This helped a lot
but the rest of the pack is showing signs of age and abuse
too. When the lawn is really thick, I have to take a break
and charge up to finish the job.
Experimented with a small 2Ah 120V LiPo pack that I hastily
soldered together. It was super light but it only lasted 10
minutes and got hot. Back to the original lead-acid cells.

9/17/2013: Made it through its 6th mowing season. Still
going strong. I am amazed at what a sharp blade does for
performance.

5/2014: Had to replace most of the battery cells. Found
them for $1.29 each at NPS. It's a new mower now. We also
removed a huge part of our back lawn to make it into a
garden. Less lawn to mow makes me happy.

code by jerry