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Larkspur staff proposes $50,000 pilot for electric ride-on mower and to accelerate municipal electrification
Summary
Staff recommended a proof-of-concept purchase of an electric ride-on mower for Piper Park (cited model Optimus C72, Greenworks) as part of a broader push to electrify municipal equipment and fleet, asking CAF to help frame metrics and vendor outreach.
Staff proposed using available climate CIP funds to pilot an electric ride-on mower at Piper Park and advance municipal equipment electrification at the Climate Action Forum on May 18.
The assistant city manager described the mower pilot as a demonstration to test real-world performance for the public works crew: “For around $50,000, we could use that money to… and we could report sooner, like, how these machines are doing,” the staff lead said, identifying the Optimus C72 (Greenworks) as the model public works staff favor. Staff recommended keeping gas-powered machines as backups during the trial and asked Public Works to provide usage and maintenance data if the pilot proceeds.
Members urged staff to estimate greenhouse-gas reductions per dollar and to explore bulk-purchase discounts with neighboring jurisdictions. One participant noted Marin-region analyses that compare GHG reductions per thousand dollars across programs and recommended a simple metric to compare the mower pilot’s impact to other climate investments.
Background and rationale: staff and members said lawnmowers are a persistent source of NOx and local emissions for park maintenance, and that replacing high-mileage, heavy-use equipment could yield measurable emissions benefits if the electric models are durable and well-suited to local conditions.
Next steps: staff will request GHG and operational-hour estimates from Public Works, approach vendors (including a possible MCEP presentation from the supplier), and report back with a more detailed procurement plan and GHG estimate before spending CIP funds.
