{
  "id": 2252676,
  "title": "How landscape gardening is being electrified",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/20/how-landscape-gardening-is-being-electrified-2252676",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-08-20T23:12:38.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "BBC Technology",
    "slug": "bbc-technology",
    "url": "https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cpq3w3v19veo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Southern California's landscape is being transformed by the rise of electric gardening equipment. Noise pollution from petrol-powered tools is driving cities across the US to ban or encourage electric alternatives, which also reduce carbon emissions and worker exposure to pollution. During a training session with the American Green Zone Alliance, a journalist found electric backpack leaf blowers surprisingly lightweight and intuitive to use. Despite being quieter, these tools still produce a high-pitched buzz compared to traditional petrol machines.\n\nThe shift to electric power has attracted new companies to the market. US aerospace startup Whisper Aero, known for its aircraft propulsion systems, developed electric fans for leaf blowers after noticing an increased sensitivity to noise following the pandemic. Their blower lasts up to 50 minutes on a single charge and is priced at the upper end of the electric leaf blower market. Despite the initial cost, the benefits include reduced noise pollution and potentially quicker work due to less weight and faster charging.\n\nHowever, petrol-powered machines remain popular, particularly for professional landscapers, due to their raw power and longer runtime. For example, heavy-duty petrol backpack blowers can generate 50 newtons of blowing force. Another challenge is the upfront cost of transitioning to electric equipment, which can reach around $10,000 for a business. Despite these hurdles, major power tool manufacturers like Stihl are investing heavily in electric solutions. The company aims for 35% of its sales to be battery-powered by next year and 80% by 2035, opening a dedicated battery and tool plant in Romania. Stihl's new battery system, featuring high-performance \"tabless\" cells, charges faster and is lighter, addressing some of the limitations of current electric equipment.",
  "summary": "The switch to quieter electric equipment is not going as fast as some would like.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "BBC Business",
        "title": "How landscape gardening is being electrified",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/20/how-landscape-gardening-is-being-electrified",
        "published": "2026-08-20T23:12:38.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}