The ACT Government is charging up Canberra’s rapid response mowing team who are now equipped with new electric ride on mowers.
“Following a successful trial of one electric mower last season, the ACT Government has this season replaced four diesel powered mowers with electric mowers which will support the ACT Government’s commitment to achieve zero net emissions from Government operations by 2040,” said Minister for Transport and City Services Chris Steel.
“The four replacement electric mowers will join the existing fleet to mow over five thousand hectares of grass each mowing cycle.
“The electric mowers require minimal maintenance, with no grease points or belts and tubeless tyres which help to achieve excellent cutting results and rider comfort.
“Charge time for these mowers is approximately six hours, providing eight hours of run time. The mowers are also lighter than other machines in the fleet which reduces the chance of them becoming bogged.”
The effectiveness of the mowers will continue to be monitored over the next three seasons.
The mowing season generally runs from September until March.
Last season, the mowing team spent more than 35,000 hours on machines mowing across Canberra.
After a busy couple of seasons with high rainfall, this season is not expected to be as wet. It will still be a busy one, however, as a well-watered landscape will provide plenty of moisture for strong grass growth in the coming months.
“The team are well prepared to tackle grass growth across the city and will have the additional support of the rapid response mowing team. The rapid response team of 10 extra staff and eight additional mowers will continue to help bolster mowing capacity with a focus on higher priority areas such as line of sight safety issues,” Minister Steel said.
The community can keep up-to-date on when their suburb will be mown with the mowing map displayed on the City Services website at cityservices.act.gov.au
