Greenworks’ MaximusZ electric riding mower has five motors and a few compromises
Greenworks has released the MaximusZ, a five-motor electric riding mower designed to replace internal combustion models for large-scale lawn maintenance. While it offers high performance and a 54-inch cutting width, it comes with a premium price tag and relies on a complex battery ecosystem.
Why it matters
It illustrates the ongoing electrification of heavy-duty landscaping equipment and the challenges of battery compatibility in the consumer EV market.
The current EV market is flush with variety. I’ve driven single-motor economy-minded machines, dual-motor EVs with all-wheel drive, tri-motor vehicles that dial up the performance stakes, and even wild quad-motor performance cars, like the Rimac Nevera.
But this is the first time I’ve ever driven a five-motor EV, one with the agility and speed to turn a 360 even more smoothly than an electric G-Wagon. It also makes quick work of terrible turf.
This is, of course, a lawn mower, and it only uses two of those motors to drive the wheels. The other three turn a trio of blades that cut a 54-inch-wide swath in a single pass. It also promises four acres on a charge and is positioned as the ultimate mowing machine. For $8,799, it had better be.
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