Before Brenton Waite from TW Horticultural Services purchased an EcoTeq 100% electric Rival ride-on mower, he and his business partner Craig had crunched the numbers. They had figured out the cost benefit of going electric and knew they’d be ahead on fuel, maintenance, and parts costs. Plus, it would be a big tick towards running the sustainable business they set out to be.
Brenton and Craig were also keen to explore the WHS benefits of switching to an electric mower. Reduced noise, less vibration, and zero emissions would all benefit their operators.
Quiet
TW Horticultural Services is a garden-based landscape maintenance company that started its operations in the Ipswich area of South-East Queensland in March 2021. Maintaining streetscapes is a core part of what they do, which means their machines are working for many hours each day.
Brenton was really surprised by how quiet and comfortable the Rival was.
“Our guys still wear hearing protection on the machine to alleviate the noise as much as possible, but you can have a phone conversation while it’s running. It’s pretty much silent.”
“The seats are so much better. That’s another reason why our guys are fighting to go on it! We’ve got operators who are between 6’5″ and 5’2″, and everyone’s comfortable on the Rival.”
Ready for the future
While test driving the Rival, Brenton was quick to recognise what a powerful and efficient addition the commercial EcoTeq electric zero turn mower would be to their outdoor-maintenance fleet.
“We advertise the electric mower and have it in our capability statement. People comment on it when they see it,” said Brenton.
Brenton also noted the company’s reduction in fuel costs has been significant.
When working out the cost benefit of buying an electric mower, they based their fuel running costs on $1.60 to $1.65 per litre. This was before fuel prices skyrocketed and the federal government removed the 22-cent excise in September 2022.
“We charge our unit three times on a heavy week,” he explained. “It takes four to six hours overnight. We just plug it into the wall and away it goes. Our petrol cost is between 30 and 40 litres per week on a heavy load. We’ve already saved somewhere between $2500 to $3000 since our electric machine became operational about 36 weeks ago.”
Less downtime for maintenance
Impressed with EcoTeq’s after-sales care, Brenton described the ease and cost-benefit of getting the Rival serviced compared to his petrol mower.
“EcoTeq’s maintenance division called us and booked in the service. If we needed someone to come out to fix something, if we let them know before midday, they’d send someone out that same day for repairs, otherwise it’s the next day,” said Brenton. “But they haven’t needed repairs yet.
“Generally, we go through maybe 3 or 4 punctures over a 12-month period, and possible replacements, too. We’ve had no issues with the wheels on the front or rear,” said Brenton, noting yet another saving.
So many reasons to choose Rival
“We’re really, really impressed with the machine,” beamed Brenton. “It’s been a real game-changer, and for multiple reasons. Our guys prefer it, and wherever possible, we use it instead of our petrol mowers.”
It doesn’t hurt to be noticed for all the right reasons, too.
“Feedback from clients, the public, and others in the industry we come in contact with — they’re quite impressed with the machine and want to have a chat about it. We’re very proud of it,” says Brenton.
Need to see it to believe it? EcoTeq is glad to offer commercial operations a complimentary demonstration. Call 1800 100 150, or log on to ecoteq.com.au/contact-us/ to get started.
Petrol versus electric maintenance costs
| Service after 8 months | Petrol mower | Rival 100% electric mower |
| Services required after 230 hours of run time | 3 or 4 | 1 |
| Outreach to book a service | No | Yes |
| Notice required | 4-6 weeks | 1 day |
| Onsite service | No | Yes |
| Downtime | 4 days | 1 hour |
| Maintenance required | Grease points, replace seals, change oil, filters and belts. | Diff oil changed |
| Estimated savings | $0 compared to electric mower | $1,800 compared to petrol mower |