News > Going Green: Electric Lawn Mower Delivered to Lynx National Golf Course

Going Green: Electric Lawn Mower Delivered to Lynx National Golf Course

June 1, 2023

Stearns Electric Association, Great River Energy and Mean Green Electric Mowers partner to provide commercial-grade electric lawnmower to local golf course.

Stearns Electric Association, in partnership with its wholesale power provider Great River Energy (GRE), leased a 74” electric lawnmower from Mean Green Electric Mowers to replace a diesel-powered machine at Lynx National Golf Course in Sauk Centre. The new electric mower will spend the summer in Central Minnesota, mowing daily.

“As Electric vehicles and equipment become more popular, we are committed at Stearns Electric to learning more about the different options available to our member-consumers. Through this pilot project, we will track the weekly hours and energy used, charge time and user experience for this electric lawn mower at the Lynx National Golf Course,” John Pantzke, business development representative at Stearns Electric, said. “This local, real-time data and end-user feedback will benefit us as we help other commercial and residential members with their electrification needs into the future. Additionally, we anticipate the data will benefit Mean Green Electric Mowers, too.”

This pilot project is the first of its kind for a golf course through Mean Green Electric Mowers, which developed its electric lawn mowers over a decade ago. This model, however, is the first commercial-grade, electric, zero-turn mower that can last all day on a single charge. The battery is made of lithium and fixed to the machine.

“The EVO mower offers up to eight hours of continuous mowing time, a 74-inch mowing deck and speeds up to 13 miles per hour,” Mike Magolan, regional business development manager of Mean Green Electric Mowers explained. “Its horsepower is comparable to a 40-horsepower diesel motor.”

“Mean Green is very excited about this opportunity to partner with Stearns Electric and Lynx National Golf Course,” Magolan continued. “As an organization, we are always looking to work together on projects like this – testing is how we continue to grow, educate and better our products.”

“When we first started the idea for this project with Great River Energy, I anticipated having a harder time getting a golf course on board,” Pantzke said. “But that was not the case.”

“When John from Stearns Electric called us up about this pilot project, I said ‘why not?’” recalled Tim Hinnenkamp, owner of Lynx National Golf Course. “We are excited to see if this machine truly can cut the grass on our different slopes and terrains while maintaining a charge all day. I am excited to try this all-electric mower for the summer and see how it impacts business.”

“By rough calculations, using the electric mower for eight hours per day will save about five to six gallons of diesel fuel daily,” Hinnenkamp continued. “Additionally, the electric lawn mower will allow us to use even less oil on the golf course. The less oil on the course, the better!”

“This project would not have been possible without several partners. We are excited that Great River Energy, Mean Green Electric Mowers and the Lynx National Golf Course joined us in this exciting pilot program,” Pantzke concluded. “We look forward to seeing even more Mean Green machines throughout our service territory in the coming years.”