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Take a look at the following link of the new Ariens Amp 24 battery snowblower:

Electric Snow Blower

Says it runs one hour one a singe charge; that would work great for someone with a small driveway No gas involved! :thumbsup:

Wayne195 said:

Take a look at the following link of the new Ariens Amp 24 battery snowblower:

Electric Snow Blower

Says it runs one hour one a singe charge; that would work great for someone with a small driveway

No gas involved! :thumbsup:

Click to expand...

WOW, thanks for sharing the story, I have a long driveway but an hour of running time is more than enough...I couldn't find anything in the link about the weight of the machine but I have a 5 hp 23 inch dual stage Craftsman that weighs about 160 pounds, most likely the weight of the engine on mine would be comparable to a battery or two on the Ariens and the weight of the electric motor would add maybe 35 pounds...say a 190-205 pound machine.

Lets see now, Grandpa walks into the showroom and spots it, he has an older pull type two-stage blower that he can barely pull over to get started, he spies the Ariens, loves the color, what's the first thing he asks the salesguy?

"Does this thing have ELECTRIC STARTING.....?" :laughing::laughing:

This thing costs $1700 and weighs 240 lbs. Battery pack cost $355. The motor is $610.

SEVENTEEN HUNDRED DOLLARS !! That's just SHOCKING !!

This looks like a lot more machine than the corded electrics...
If you had a rather small residential drive I can see the advantage of this over a gasoline model.

I however prefer the diesel powered ZTR with a heated cab... But I am doing a lot more drive...
:smile:KennyV

indypower said:

This thing costs $1700 and weighs 240 lbs. Battery pack cost $355. The motor is $610.

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That seems like a lot of money if you only have a short drive to deal with. If you don't have that much area, why not just use a shovel?

Maybe I don't get it because I live in the South.:smile:

Two-Stroke said:

That seems like a lot of money if you only have a short drive to deal with. If you don't have that much area, why not just use a shovel?

Maybe I don't get it because I live in the South.:smile:

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I agree with you that it is a bit of a joke, for most people anyway. After all, it can only run one hour on a single charge! May be good for small driveways, but not for me!:confused2:

The big problem with the electric "revolution" going on now is the batteries. Just look at the cars. Chevy Volt, Nissan Leaf and such. Both have a range of about 40 miles on a charge. The AMP series from Ariens, both the snow blower and the riding mower, have a 1 hour use time. If companies want electric power to become more the norm, they will have to figure out a way to make a battery that will go longer on a charge and/or a motor that uses less power. Plus, they will have to reduce the price on the products. $40,000 for a car that can only go 40 miles on a charge, $1700 for a snow blower or mower that only runs for 1 hour on a charge.

indypower said:

The big problem with the electric "revolution" going on now is the batteries. Just look at the cars. Chevy Volt, Nissan Leaf and such. Both have a range of about 40 miles on a charge. The AMP series from Ariens, both the snow blower and the riding mower, have a 1 hour use time. If companies want electric power to become more the norm, they will have to figure out a way to make a battery that will go longer on a charge and/or a motor that uses less power. Plus, they will have to reduce the price on the products. $40,000 for a car that can only go 40 miles on a charge, $1700 for a snow blower or mower that only runs for 1 hour on a charge.

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Agree with you 100 percent...the electric products are revolutionary and a great idea, BUT how many of us can afford to buy them? THey make a big deal about electric power as a source, but the majority of the outlets that power such cars, mowers, etc. are getting the electricity for the plug in generated by burning coal, another fossil fuel. As much as I support the concept, for the majority of consumers such as myself, cars like the Volt are impractical. I would have one if somebody GAVE me a Volt, as I only drive 40 miles a week at most. Yet who can afford to buy a 40 grand car and only use it once or twice a week?

NOT ME. :thumbdown:

JDgreen said:

NOT ME. :thumbdown:

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NOR ME:laughing:
I guess the electric revolution is supposed to reduce the need to depend on other nations for petroleom imports, but who wants to pay for a $1700 snowblower or a $40,000 Chevy volt? I must say, the Chevy Volt is certainly a great invention, but I won't have one till the price comes down!

I just did some research on electric vehicles and found that the government had been giving a $7,500 tax credit for the purchases of electric vehicles. I guess that's the only way to make them practical to more people, but they would still cost 30,000+, which is still out-of-reach for most buyers. I don't know if that is still in effect, but it certainly would look appealing for someone that is interested in purchasing an electric vehicle.

Anyway, we've gotten a bit off the main subject

Just so the casual reader dose not get the wrong idea...
The Chevy Volt is not limited to a 40 mile range...
"The Chevy Volt's technology has leapfrogged standard hybrids like the Toyota Prius. This well-equipped, five-door, four-seat hatchback operates as an electric car for its first 40 miles after a full charge and then uses gas to extend its range. It burns no gasoline during the first 40 miles after a charge, drawing energy from a lithium ion battery pack. When the battery is depleted, a 1.4-liter engine kicks in to power a generator that sustains the battery charge enough to give the car another 260 miles of range."
(Almost ALL railroad TRAINS run on electricity generated in real-time using diesel).

The MAJORITY of todays commuters are driving far less than 40 miles each day.
The electric car or snowblower is NOT intended to replace all the gasoline/diesel machines out there.
It, like the other models of electric transportation are in development... This is NOT the end product.
It is NOT intended to be a cross country vehicle. OR clear the interstate roads of snow.

The price... Remember the first IBM pc ... $10k to $20k+ Huge improvement today for a pc and it's under $1k...

For those that don't get how electricity from the grid is better than individual hydrocarbon engines...
this is not equivalent to bringing your battery powered device home and plugging it into your portable generator.
:smile:KennyV

The Nissan Leaf is a fully electric car. Price starts at $33,720 and you can get tax credit of up to $7500.
Range is from 68-138 miles depending on driving conditions & outside temp. Charging the battery: "Your home charging dock will need to be installed by a professional electrician. But first, we will assist you with a home assessment which will help identify what is needed to make your home Nissan LEAF ready." Expensive.

Heard on Rush today that the State of Washington is considering adding a tax ( excuse me, "Fee") of $100 per each electric car to make up for the lost gasoline taxes.

jross said:

Heard on Rush today that the State of Washington is considering adding a tax ( excuse me, "Fee") of $100 per each electric car to make up for the lost gasoline taxes.

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Well I'm glad I don't live there! That well just increase the already high price of electric vehicles, but I guess they're concerned about losing thier money...:confused2:

jross said:

Heard on Rush today that the State of Washington is considering adding a tax ( excuse me, "Fee") of $100 per each electric car to make up for the lost gasoline taxes.

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That is the height of stupidity but typical of how government operates, exactly how many electric cars are going to be sold on Washington anyhow? Why penalize the drivers who are trying to reduce our dependence on imported oil?

Here in Michigan they were proposing DOUBLING vehicle registration (license fees) because people were driving less and therefore paying less in gasoline taxes, which are a major source of road repair funding. By doubling registration fees, they would be hurting the people who use the roads infrequently. Why should I, who am retired and drive less than 2000 miles a year, pay 2X the license fees to subsidize those who pile up 70,000 miles a year on Michigan roads? Who would cause more depreciation to the roads, me or Mr. Multi-Mile? Typical government BS here too.

indypower said:

This thing costs $1700 and weighs 240 lbs. Battery pack cost $355. The motor is $610.

Click to expand...

all of this for something like 2-3 hp snowblower? is there any specs?

Ariens and Amp websites doesn't contain any tecnical data and specs - links showing rider, not blower

looks like oem doesn't want to share tec. details - like some obscure spamming site, exploiting people hopes and spreading negligence

p.s. a few lead- acsid batteries plus sticking whashing-machine motor insrtead of engine ...
they nod diskovered or pioneered anyting new here - el. loaders, etc. machines been here forewer - what easier implimentation of el. motor than in snowblover can be?
well, they just riding the wave and making money...

All this battery powered technology sounds good in the short term. The question I have that I hear very little about is "How are we going to deal with all the dead batteries that will eventually be stacking up?" Batteries can be really toxic for the environment!

Harriet said:

All this battery powered technology sounds good in the short term. The question I have that I hear very little about is "How are we going to deal with all the dead batteries that will eventually be stacking up?" Batteries can be really toxic for the environment!

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They're also expensive to replace.

Isn't shoveling -- with a real shovel -- the most eco-friendly?

But that's easy for me to say speaking from the Deep South.:laughing:

Harriet said:

batteries that will eventually be stacking up?"

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Lead acid batteries are melted down and the lead is reused...

I'm getting ready to melt about 1000 pounds of them, going to make tractor weights... :smile:KennyV