Greenworks’ MaximusZ electric riding mower has five motors and a few compromises

The existent EV marketplace is flush pinch variety. I’ve driven single-motor economy-minded machines, dual-motor EVs pinch all-wheel drive, tri-motor vehicles that dial up the capacity stakes, and moreover chaotic quad-motor capacity cars, for illustration the Rimac Nevera.

But this is the first clip I’ve ever driven a five-motor EV, 1 pinch the agility and velocity to move a 360 moreover much smoothly than an electric G-Wagon. It besides makes speedy activity of unspeakable turf.

This is, of course, a section mower, and it only uses 2 of those motors to thrust the wheels. The different 3 move a trio of blades that trim a 54-inch-wide swath successful a azygous pass. It besides promises 4 acres connected a complaint and is positioned arsenic the eventual mowing machine. For $8,799, it had amended be.

For a institution that spent overmuch of its life building white-label devices for different brands, Changzhou, China-based Greenworks has quickly leaped to the forefront of battery-powered products for those trying to shape retired soul combustion successful each facet of their lives. Opening a manufacturing installation successful Tennessee successful 2023 surely helped elevate its home cred.

The institution offers a wide portfolio of products from powerfulness devices to go-karts energized by a dizzying array of often incompatible artillery technologies. The 80-volt architecture wrong the MaximusZ mower present is the company’s latest, pinch Greenworks offering various packs of various sizes. This mower uses 4 smaller 6.0Ah and 2 large, 17-pound 16Ah packs to connection a mixed artillery capacity of 56Ah. That, Greenworks says, is capable to do 4 acres connected a azygous charge.

Charging duties are handled by a disappointingly proprietary charger. I greatly wish Greenworks engineered this point to activity pinch a modular SAE J1772 plug, aliases moreover NACS, but it is speedy astatine least, pinch Greenworks estimating a afloat complaint astatine 3.5 hours.

At astir $9,000, the MaximusZ’s costs whitethorn look extreme, but successful this abstraction it’s really competitive. With a maximum velocity of 8mph and 41 horsepower connected tap, it’s comparable to thing for illustration a Stihl RZ 552, which retails for $9,499. It moreover out-powers immoderate professional-grade machines, for illustration a $18,899 Toro 6000 Series. But is it genuinely comparable?

It has a fewer cardinal advantages, the biggest of people being its comparative deficiency of sound and vibration. Not burning state is an progressively large deal, too, arsenic is simply a deficiency of carburetors to cleanable and oils to change. Finally, the MaximusZ features a small dumper furniture connected the backmost and moreover a tow hitch.

All those reasons are why I decided to bring 1 home, but earlier I could commencement flaying the fescue, I had to prime a mowing height. That’s easy successful the MaximusZ. A pedal connected the correct lifts the full mower deck, while a grid defines its tallness successful quarter-inch increments. Step connected the pedal, put the pin successful the correct hole, past return your ft disconnected the pedal, and you’re bully to go. It’s almost crude successful its simplicity, but it useful well.

Next was figuring retired the controls. Twist the cardinal and the mower takes astir 8 seconds to footwear up. That’s conscionable agelong capable to beryllium annoying. Above the cardinal there’s a dim, 4.0-inch LCD that picks up a caller scratch each clip you look astatine it excessively hard. Squint, though, and you tin spot the existent authorities of charge, maximum mower speed, maximum leaf speed, and full runtime.

The buttons nether the show fto you toggle the leaf and mower speeds aliases participate a paper to alteration a scant fewer settings. That 1.5 acres of mowable onshore I person is divided up crossed a half-dozen mini patches, positive a larger pasture, which intends I had ample opportunity to trial some the MaximusZ’s agility and its stability. I started successful the slowest mode until I sewage the bent of things, which caps you astatine astir half the thing’s maximum cutting velocity of 8mph.

You steer the mower pinch the 2 handles. Push them isolated from each other, and the mower goes into a benignant of parkland mode. Pull them inward, and the motors are engaged. Each grip controls the corresponding centrifugal connected that side, truthful pushing the correct grip each the measurement guardant has the mower turning to the left. Pull the near grip toward you astatine the aforesaid time, and it’ll rotation connected its ain axis. Quite abruptly, if you’re not smooth.

While I wove and wobbled my measurement done the first fewer laps of my pasture, it didn’t return agelong to get the bent of things. I besides quickly realized that the handles weren’t aligned. To spell consecutive ahead, I request to clasp the correct grip astir an inch down the left. There is, obnoxiously, nary measurement to recalibrate for this, but I yet sewage utilized to it.

As I sewage much confident, I started to dial up the speed, and wrong a fewer laps I had the handles pushed each the measurement forward. I past stepped up from the mower’s slowest mounting to the middle, and yet the fastest.

Mowing astatine the fastest velocity is not the champion measurement to get a perfectly cleanable cut, but if you, for illustration me, are much willing successful getting it done than having it perfect, you tin screen a batch of crushed quickly.

In smaller areas, that tight turning radius makes for a amazingly nimble machine, but you do person to beryllium observant astir grip. Try to make a too-tight turn, and the MaximusZ tends to ray up the wrong tire, quickly tearing up the writer and making it look for illustration I was doing donuts retired successful our pasture.

The biggest challenge, though, is inclines. Officially, the MaximusZ tin only beryllium operated astatine grades of up to 15 degrees. This is simply a communal standing for this type of mower, which galore will find limiting. I person succeeded successful summiting steeper slopes than that, but grip is the limitation here. With only the rear wheels doing some the driving and the steering for this 767-pound machine, it’s easy to overpower the tires.

Running retired of grip could mean a crash, and while I ideate it’d return rather a spot to rotation this point over, having a sturdy tubular alloy rollover protection building (ROPS) overhead is decidedly reassuring. The MaximusZ has plentifulness of different niceties, too, for illustration a 2-inch hitch astatine the beforehand that’s fresh for a tow ball, and a smaller hitch astatine the backmost pinch 300-pound towing capacity.

The mini tailgate astatine the back, though, is its astir absorbing feature. At 18 inches heavy and 28 inches wide, you won’t precisely beryllium hauling a season’s worthy of mulch, but 200 pounds of capacity intends decent capability. I’ve been utilizing it to haul wood successful from the various piles I’ve made complete my spot from downed trees.

There’s moreover thing Greenworks calls an ETO, the electrical takeoff, a play connected the powerfulness takeoff aliases PTO connected astir tractors that tin thrust thing from hay balers to snowblowers. Greenworks only has a fewer accessories for this truthful far, but hopefully it will merchandise much successful the future. A chipper would beryllium perfect.

All this makes it a amazingly bully inferior vehicle, acold much applicable for day-to-day chore usage than the other, competitory mowers. They whitethorn screen much crushed connected a vessel of gas, but they’re typically only bully for cutting grass.

The spot is comfortable and has a built-in, adjustable damper system. That, though, is the only suspension connected the machine, making this a unsmooth thrust complete character roots and the like. There are integrated USB-A and USB-C ports, a slot for your smartphone, and 2 cupholders.

And what astir noise? I measured 85dB astatine maximum leaf speed, importantly little than the 90 to 100dB of a commercial-grade mower. That whitethorn not sound for illustration much, but a 10dB summation equates to a 10x summation successful acoustic force. While you tin safely perceive to 85dB for 8 hours without concern, astatine 95dB, you tin harm your proceeding successful conscionable 60 minutes.

I still deterioration earplugs to beryllium safe, but I admit the comparative quiet and deficiency of harsh vibrations. When the blades are stopped and I’m zipping up and down the driveway, it’s silent and smooth.

At its fastest speed, pinch the blades connected maximum, I tin mow my full spot successful somewhat complete 1 hour. I’ve now done that 3 times, each clip consuming astir 75 percent of the mower’s artillery capacity.

Doing the math, that intends 2 acres could beryllium imaginable astatine maximum speed. That’s short of the promised 4 acres, but again, I person a batch of small, oddly shaped patches to mow, and I’m doing it astatine apical speed. Were I mowing astatine little speeds, and if I had a single, ample pasture, 3 acres seems for illustration a safe stake without pausing for a recharge aliases artillery swap. That advertised fig of four, though, feels optimistic.

The mower has an annoying inclination to drain the 4 smaller batteries earlier tapping into the bigger packs. I fearfulness the other charging cycles these smaller packs look mean they’ll deterioration retired much quickly than if the larger packs were depleted first.

And arsenic acold arsenic charging goes, Greenworks’ estimate of 3.5 hours look fair. Mine has ever been done successful good little than three.

Again, though, there’s immoderate bad news here. The charger has a large onboard instrumentality that runs perpetually truthful agelong arsenic the mower is plugged in, moreover erstwhile afloat charged. So I ever person to make a constituent of unplugging the point aft it finishes.

While it doesn’t rather present connected the range, the MaximusZ manages capable capacity that I’m not suffering immoderate buyer’s remorse yet. The mediocre display, the uneven controls, and the unfortunate artillery discharge privilege are negatives, but nary are deal-breakers.

The biggest situation is, of course, the cost. Greenworks markets the MaximusZ arsenic thing that not only replaces a high-end zero-turn mower, but besides serves arsenic a mini inferior conveyance astir your property. Its functionality location is constricted compared to a full-size UTV vehicle, but fixed you tin easy walk $15,000 connected 1 of those, that helps skew the worth equation successful this mower’s favor.

My main mobility now is reliability, but only clip will show whether I’ll request to pat into its four-year warranty. If you’re considering 1 of these yourself, the champion proposal I tin springiness is to not salary afloat price. Greenworks perpetually has large discounts. Wait a small while and you’ll prevention thousands, which mightiness bring the value down to a constituent wherever it’s worthy the splurge.

Photography by Tim Stevens / The Verge