Many electric vehicle enthusiasts find that they eventually want to leave gasoline behind altogether. Those who use outdoor power equipment may find that a challenge. Although almost every device one might need has at some time been available in an electric drive model, the sad truth is that these efforts haven't sold well.

Today, when production of most consumer products is in the hands of a few large companies, and these companies are under constant pressure to maintain "shareholder value," few outdoor equipment manufacturers are willing to produce any machine which won't attain larger sales than the model it replaces. This means that electric drive equipment has become scarce.

A few electric yard machines are in production. Electric push mowers, while not very common, can be found in both corded and cordless models. Electric chain saws, string trimmers, and small yard blower/vacs are fairly easy to find. However, no one seems to make large electric vacuums, and it's quite a challenge to locate electric chipper-shredders and tillers.

The good news is that many of the older electric machines are still around, sometimes gathering dust in garages. Many were (and are) well made, and have stood up well. With some searching, it's possible to find small electric tiller/cultivators, chipper/shredders, and even electric tractors.

Although there is one (barely) surviving manufacturer of electric utility tractors, Canada's Electric Tractor Corporation, the best known electric tractors are the ones built by General Electric in the late 60s and early 70s. The Elec-Trak was built mainly with golf car components, and offered reliable service with low noise and zero exhaust emissions. It received glowing reviews -- and meager sales.

The sales were probably slow because of the cost. EVs of all kinds always have trouble competing with gasoline vehicles on price because they are produced in small numbers -- and they are produced in small numbers because they are sold in small numbers, and they sell in small numbers because they cost so much. This chicken-and-egg problem is likely to continue until some external force, such as a huge price increase for gasoline, makes them competitive -- or until an activist government decides that they are a good thing and promotes them sufficiently to greatly increase production.

But to continue with the history of the "ET":

In the mid 1970s, with sales well below targets, General Electric cut the ET division loose. The employees tried to purchase the division, but weren't able to do so before it was sold to Wheel Horse.

Wheel Horse continued production of the Elec-Trak under their own name, altering the design to make it easier to build on the same line as gas tractors (with both positive and negative effects). They stayed with electric tractors less than five years, then they too stopped production.

Twenty-five to 30 years later, these tractors still have a loyal following. Many of them are still cleanly and quietly cutting grass, plowing and throwing snow, tilling large gardens, moving loads, and sweeping parking lots.

While they do have some weaknesses, ETs are substantial and sturdy enough to be worth keeping in repair. Fortunately, a reliable source of parts still exists: Technical Service and Parts in Edgerton, Wisconsin (608 868-6220). The owner, Bill Gunn, has adapted assemblies for other tractors when possible, and has even had new components fabricated from the original drawings.

The ET shown above, an E-15 model, dates from about 1970. I am not a collector, so it's the only one I have. It plows the driveway in the winter, tills the garden in the spring, and cuts the grass on our 2 acres all summer. The only season it rests is autumn. I tried the powered sweeper accessory for autumn leaf gathering, but our property is too hilly and uneven for it to perform well.

I'll admit, this ET isn't especially handsome. I haven't invested much time in painting it to get rid of the surface rust. It's a working machine, and why have a tractor that's so nice that one is hesitant to put it to work for fear of chipping the paint?

But it works reliably and well. It's quieter than a gas tractor (though hardly silent), and never fills my lungs with exhaust fumes from a cheap, inefficient gas engine. I could hardly ask for more.