Is this the Tesla of lawn mowers? Electric lawn gear is here

This winter I waited until late February to get an electric snowblower. With only two remaining snowfalls I could only wish that I had gotten it in November. Now that spring is on the way, the rain is falling and the grass will soon be greening, I refuse to make the same mistake again. My new Ego 56V LITHIUM-ION CORDLESS LAWN MOWER arrived this week before a single blade of grass has reared its head. For the first time in years, I'm waiting and watching for the grass to grow, because this time . . . I'm ready.

For about 8 years I've had a very good electric lawn mower. Eight years ago battery technology was not ready for the big stage. So, corded mowers were the only option. Corded mowers are great if you've got a yard with few obstructions, few trees, outdoor outlets and a long extension cord. They are lighter and quieter than their gas counterparts. Best of all they need very little maintenance: no spark plugs, no oil changes, no pull cords. Why mess with cords if you don't have to?

Tesla, the electric supercar, is revolutionizing the electric car market with better batteries in its high-performance nearly 300 mile range Tesla S. It's a game-changing vehicle. That same high-performance, zero gas philosophy is fueling the new electric yard tool revolution. Several new upstarts and many of the major lawn mower manufacturers are now making cordless mowers.

The Ego was extremely appealing to me because it has the most powerful battery of any on the market (56V lithium ion) and a it's pretty enough to make your wife jealous. It's truly a beautiful design. You've never seen a mower like this.

It's extraordinarily light weight, it folds and stores easily, it has an extendable handle that adjusts to your perfect comfort height and its got a set of LED headlights. Yeah, I know. Why would you want to be mowing in the dark? Nevertheless, it's nice to have when mowing at dusk and it's quiet enough that you are less likely to bother the neighbors.

As with my snowblower, I was impressed with the EGO right out of the box. It took less than 50 seconds to unpack the box and set up the lawn mower. Check out this video of me unpacking the box.

And you'll have fun watching this display of the EGO's incredible light weight as my 12 month old daughter uses it as a push cart.

So far, the battery is the most powerful in the industry. It's a lithium ion 54V with a fast charger. It will receive a full charge in only 30 minutes. It is fan-cooled and has very good indicator lights showing how much charge is in the battery and let's you know when it's complete. You can see how it works here.

This mower is wonderfully ergonomic and easy to use. You literally push a button and go. That's it. Forget about spilling gasoline on your shoes or watching the grass grow a foot-taller while you change a carburetor. Easy, quiet, and gas free.

What more can you ask for?

The EGO is not for every yard. It is ideal for smaller, flatter yards. If you typically spend an hour or more mowing then 1) you're yard is too damn big, and 2) a cordless mower is not for you (until you replace a good size part of your lawn with some native gardens).

Videos via Matt Grocoff

Photos courtesy EGO Power+