Let’s break down the cost of operation for an electric mower vs. the gas counterpart.
From some quick googling it seems the cub cadet zero turn uses 1.8 gallons of fuel per hour. Let’s round this down to 1.5GPH. Fuel cost in this area is $3.50/gallon, so
1.5GPH x $3.50 = $5.25/hour
Our electrified zero turn mows for approximately 1 hour on a 4KWH battery pack. The electricity price in this area is $.13/KWH, so
4KWH x $.13 = $.52/hour
But the electric zero turn costs more upfront than the gas version. The total part cost breakdown is as follows
3x Enerdel ME330-049 Energy @$480/ea = $1460
ME-1004 Double brush 48v motor = $525
Soliton Jr. Motor controller = $1750
PMP-450 pump, radiator, tubing = $250
——-Grand total——- $3985 dollars
So the operational cost difference is $5.25 – $.52 = $4.73/hour
And the payback time for the conversion based purely on fuel cost savings is…..
$3985 / $4.73 = 842.49 hours of operation
[AmpEater] spent the summer converting yard equipment from internal combustion to electric power. The conversions run from a relatively tame Wheel Horse, to an insane Cub Cadet. The Wheel Horse lost its Kohler engine in favor of a hydraulic pump motor from a crown forklift. 48 volt power is supplied by MK lead acid gel cells. An Alltrax 300 amp controller keeps this horse reigned in.
On his Reddit thread, [AmpEater] says he is especially proud of his Cub Cadet zero turn ride on mower. For those who aren’t up on lawn implement terminology, a “zero turn” means a mower with zero turning radius. Zero turn mowers use two large wheels and tank style steering to turn within their own radius. We bet this style mower would also make a pretty good robot conversion, however [AmpEater’s] zero turn is still setup for cutting the grass.
Read More of the Details on HackaDay...
http://hackaday.com/2013/10/02/electrified-yard-equipment-hauls-grass/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+hackaday%2FLgoM+%28Hack+a+Day%29
When people were able to access the Marketplaces, there was detailed information about the premiums for insurance products. One of the keys to whether the Marketplaces will work is if there is affordable coverage.
William Custer, director of the Center for Health Services Research at Georgia State University, said the premiums he has seen from Marketplaces across the country look “really affordable and are equal or less than what many people are paying now” for insurance on the individual market.
Federal tax credits to pay for premiums are a big part of that. For example, Custer said a person under 30 who is making $24,000 a year will receive about $200 a month in federal subsidies to pay for coverage.
Still, the price for insurance for many young people may be more than they are willing to pay. Custer said policies for those under 30 who are healthy are about 10% to 15% more expensive than what they can buy in individual insurance markets currently, but they will receive more benefits than are offered in most policies.
Holtz-Eakin thinks those higher prices will be a problem for getting healthy people to buy insurance. “The prices are bad news for the young and healthy,” he said.
Kathleen Doheny and Julie Edgar contributed reporting.
