Ryobi 80v zero turn REAL cost of ownership 

Sounds like a fuel leak.

@@sumguy2858 I would have thought the cost for three acres would have been closer to $6, but I don't have 3 acres, nor a diesel.

I use generally 30L to do 5 acres, that's about 8 gallons.

Mowing 4 acres with a gas z9 Deere we typically use 3.5-4.5 gallons depends who’s mowing. Yes gas is cheaper than diesel but you use more of it. To go through 11 gallons of gas would more than likely be an entire 8-10 hours on the machine…

Electricity in my area is about 10 cents per kWh. But the cost of these electric Riding Mowers are still too high…

I picked up the 30" last year so I could fit through the fence gate in my yard. I've been very happy with it and I'm glad I picked it up.

At $0.13 and $0.06 per KWH for the 53 months I've owned my RM480e, it has saved $517 in gas, which is about one year from saving enough to replace all four batteries in the mower. At $0.29 per KWH, that savings would be about $105, making it take something like 30 years to save enough to replace the batteries. At $899/ 80 volt pack, one should not expect to ever replace these lithium battery packs.

I only have to put a fresh set of blades on at the end of mowing season when I clean the deck for winter storage. The 80 volt mowers have three clips that hang the deck and an electrical connector for each deck motor. Lower the deck to the surface, remove the clips, disconnect the electrical connections, and slide the deck out from the mower. Then the deck can be turned over for service. Each blade is secured with a single nut. The user manual details this procedure. You don't have to lift the deck to do this.

My old craftsman started the season barely able to move, hard to start, and then the engine would cut out on blade engagement. I took it in and after 3x hiring a service I got it back. The drive belt blew up and destroyed a belt keeper and the engine pulley. I replaced all of that and then as I was cutting my lawn, I noticed the clippings sticking to the right side of the frame in the engine housing. Yeah, it was spewing oil. I cut my lawn but there is no more fixing that thing. I've been changing the drive belt on that thing annually of late -- no more.

Electric generation charges can vary all over and that's why a potential buyer should know what they are when making a buy decision. I pay $0.06/KWH because my county lets customers choose their generation supplier. My electricity is 100% renewable generated (wind & solar). The neighbors on my street pay $0.13 to $0.17 per KWH because they have chosen different suppliers that are using coal, natural gas, and nuclear generation. My mower costs $0.24/hr. to run after 145 hours of use. It still will mow for over two hours after 382 charge cycles.

Forgot to mention the batteries have had 2,100 charge cycles, and no boost charging. All charge cycles were run to completion so the ant-sulfaction process built into the charger could run at the end of the charge cycle. My mower has a lifetime Routine Depth Of Discharge percentage of 10.24%.

I have an RM480e with 161hrs, replaced the batteries last year for about $800. I just replaced the mower with the 54" zero turn. I used to have to worry about the GFCI tripping in the middle of winter, stopping my charger and freezing the lead acid batteries. I dont have to know about depth of charge or sulfaction. Plus I think the Li-Ion batteries will last a good deal longer and be less headache.

I agree. My 38" RM480 is just under 16x less expensive to run than my neighbors' similar sized V-twin gas mowers after 58 months and 160 hours. It did save enough in gas and maintenance (none for the electric rider) costs to cover the cost of four replacement batteries in 54 months.

Finally pulled the trigger on the Ryobi 54... been a year, reviews are strong... and price is down $3k (IIRC it was around $8k last year, paid $4999).

I was just getting ready to say the same thing. Replacement batteries from Ryobi are going for $899 a piece, I believe I saw 3 of them on this machine.

@@David-fv7zg Funnily enough, Home Depot's Spring Black Friday deal actually made the ZTs price competitive with gas, so if you trust the batteries, you can make the case. Of course that deal was, iirc, $2000 off the regular price. They still haven't discounted the garden tractor 80v like that, so they are still significantly overpriced relative to gas.

Aaaand now I've gone to the dark side. With the close out sale HD is running at $799-999 depending on the model, I figured that at that price is worth the gamble. Managed to grab a 30" ZT tonight (after a hassle for one at another store). Even if I have to replace the batteries in a couple years, it's still cheaper than a new gas machine. But anything more and I wouldn't have pulled the trigger.

​@@603me. I was looking for this comment. I picked up a 42" for 899 and thought even if I have to buy new batteries it'll be worth it.

@@coachmrfoster the 40v rear tine tiller was on a deep discount yesterday too; $500 with 4, 6aH batteries. At that price, it's worth it for the batteries alone. But I wonder if Ryobi is realizing that they need to expand the 80v line to make it economical. Clearly the ride ons and 30" push mower alone aren't cutting it. Tillers and snowblowers are obvious use cases for the 80v battery, as well perhaps a brush mower or walk behind yard vacuum/blower. I would seriously consider an 80v snowblower if it isn't ridiculously expensive. The 40v snowblowers already run $1500ish, but they wouldn't have been able to handle the cement I've been getting here in NH. Even my gas machine struggled with that stuff. But looking at the battery cables for the 80v, it seems like they can probably push some amperage, and maybe give the power really needed to handle the heavy stuff.

Great your mower has lasted nearly a quarter century ! The mower reviewed here uses two 80 volt, 10 ah. packs which cost $899 each, plus two 40 volt, 12 ahr. packs which cost $399 each. Battery replacement in electric mowers is analogous to maintenance costs in ICE powered mowers. So how does the cost of batteries and electricity compare to the cost of gas, oil, filters, belts, and other wear out items? The issue is almost no one keeps track of what they put into their ICE mowers, so comparison is nearly impossible. I have maintained detailed use and cost data for my Ryobi 38" electric rider over the five years of ownership. I know weird, but I wanted to know the same thing you asked. The SLA/ AGM batteries lasted 58 months before I replaced them (4 in series to make a 48 volt pack) and cost $660 total for them. That was 165 hours of run time and 2,082 charge cycles. The mower is 16 times less expensive to run than my neighbor's 600-700 cc V-twin ICE mowers. The mower saved $715 in 58 months and the batteries cost $660. By my data, my mower would save enough in about 6-7 years to pay for one 80 volt battery. No one knows how long the lithium packs will last at this point in time.

The key point is how much money have you put into the ICE mower in gas and maintenance over those 24 years. Nobody records that, so looking at battery cost without that knowledge is tough to do. I did look at ICE mower operation cost and my Ryobi 48 volt mower saved enough in 54 months to replace the batteries.

I paid off my Snapper mower 24 years ago. I use about 5 gallons of gas per year. I haven't had to change my oil in 3 years. It is still clear. I sharpen the blades every year and replace them every 5 years now. The reason I purchased such a large mower I had to mow my father-in-law's 4 acre yard every 2 weeks. His grass would get up to 8-14" high. Since then he has passed away and I don't have to drive 150miles every 2 weeks. I also had another yard to mow which was about 3 acres but I have someone to do that work now. My yard at my house takes me from the time I get the lawn mower out of the shed, mow the front and back yard, wash up the mower and put it back in the shed takes me 20 minutes. As for going with an electric mower and the cost of it makes a gasoline mower look inviting. Any commercial lawn company still uses gas mowers. They are tougher in use than an electric mower. When you have employees that don't take care of your equipment and you are not there to watch what they are doing these gasoline units work the best. Thanks. @@jfrye6057

I paid off my Snapper mower 24 years ago. I use about 5 gallons of gas per year. I haven't had to change my oil in 3 years. It is still clear. I sharpen the blades every year and replace them every 5 years now. The reason I purchased such a large mower I had to mow my father-in-law's 4 acre yard every 2 weeks. His grass would get up to 8-14" high. Since then he has passed away and I don't have to drive 150miles every 2 weeks. I also had another yard to mow which was about 3 acres but I have someone to do that work now. My yard at my house takes me from the time I get the lawn mower out of the shed, mow the front and back yard, wash up the mower and put it back in the shed takes me 20 minutes. As for going with an electric mower and the cost of it makes a gasoline mower look inviting. Any commercial lawn company still uses gas mowers. They are tougher in use than an electric mower. When you have employees that don't take care of your equipment and you are not there to watch what they are doing these gasoline units work the best. Thanks.@@jfrye6057

@@jfrye6057 the 80v battery pack is warranted for 5 years, but comparing to other similar lithium ion battery packs should last about 8 years with normal use.

Two more questions. What is the fuel cost to run an ICE powered mower for 145 hours? Maintenance cost for that period?

The batteries are warranted for 5 years, but should last 8 years with normal use.

I'm skeptical about states trying to go after fuel taxes for lawnmowers. They are definitely chasing electric cars but not off road vehicles. Farm and construction vehicles can be fueled with untaxed diesel (at least in my state) and occasionally 5-0 shows up at construction sites and inspects the fuel in the worker's automobiles to make sure the workers are fueling their rides with taxed fuel.

It’s not supposed to auto center I think that’s more of a cruise control affect

As of March 2024 they're down $1,000.

My RM480e is 55 months old and the only maintenance it has had is a pair of blades and a couple of cans of deck release spray. It has saved $517 in gas after deducting the $40.60 in electricity. So far it will still mow for the advertised 2 hours and currently I'll need $720 to replace the batteries. The battery pack is approaching 2,000 charge cycles.

My BIL did the 100 hour service on his 42" ICE rider. Parts totaled $130 retail. Since my mower has 151 hours on the clock, I added that to the spreadsheet costs and along with the fuel savings the mower has saved enough to pay for four new 100 ahr. batteries at this time. The original batteries are beginning to show their age so I'm going to order the new ones. Upgrading from the 75 ahr. batteries to the 100 ahr. set should provide reduced DOD and thus longer lifespan.

The first generation of Ryobi electric riders have held up pretty well considering the number of units sold.There are four RM480s and one RM300 on my street of 16 homes. All are running without issues. Two of the RM480s are nearing five years old with hundreds of hours of operation. I would think that these new mowers' design would build on the sound engineering of the first gen. machines and perform even more reliably. I just can't wrap my wallet around the prices for them. I paid $2,500 for my RM480e new. We still don't know the lifespan, nor the cost of the 40 volt and 80 volt batteries used in these machines and lacking that knowledge would stop me from even considering one of these. The batteries in my RM480e should last well beyond the break even point. They have 325 charge cycles and have already saved $525 in gas and four replacement batteries will cost $640.

I agree and I have for my RM480e. It will cost $640 and the mower has already saved $525 in gas in 50 months with no maintenance costs. Those batteries are rated for 1,500-1,700 charge cycles by the battery maker and I'm at 325. The big issue with these new 80 volt mowers is that Ryobi hasn't stated the cost, nor the charge cycles for these 80 volt and 40 volt battery packs. So until that happens, there's no way I'd even consider one of these 80 volt mowers.

If you assume that the Ryobi lithium packs have similar cycle counts as Ego's and others (1,000), then you could estimate that they might last ten years or more. Based on my experience, that would save over $1,000 in gas. Would that be enough to replace the batteries in a particular model of these 80 volt mowers?

Opps, typo. I'm at 386 charges now.

$60 dollars for 3 acres? I cut 3 acres with a zero turn cost me about $8 dollars! 😂

I read somewhere that the 80v batteries were about $1k each... so not cheap when they need replacement (and IMO that's the real cost of use rather than the electricity which is very low). It's also not clear how long the batteries will last... but the batteries would need to last a very long time to match $3k in fuel on my 3 acres (which takes about 2.5-3g of diesel to mow). So I suspect the Ryobi will cost me more per year to run than my Cub Cadet diesel has... but there's also the convenience of no fuel and dramatically lower maintenance... that may bet worth it all by itself if you ask me. Also the batteries will likely get less expensive over time.

I used a Poniie PN2000 meter ($30) to measure the electrical consumption of my mower. 146 hours of operation plus 5 winters of storage has cost me $40.50 in electricity. I did spend $28 for a second set of blades that I swap out each fall when the mower gets put up for winter storage. That is the only maintenance cost so far.

The 80v batteries have a 5 year warranty on them and you can buy them from homedepot. Right now I see them listed at $899 per

My SIL has an ICE CubCadet 42" zero turn mower and he was doing the specified 100 hour maintenance and he said the retail cost of the various things used for the maintenance was about $130.

For what it's worth, the load on the batteries in the mowers is actually somewhat low. Load can be approximated by how long it takes to drain the full battery bank, and the mower lasts far longer (1.5 - 2 or so hours) than my 18V angle grinder, heat gun, or shop vac (particularly high draw tools) will on a battery. It does pull a fair bit of wattage, but that gets spread across a rather large battery system in the mower, so the amperage across each cell is on the modest to low end. If the batteries take 2.3kWh to go from rated 0% to rated 100%, and if it took 2 hours to drain that, that's 1150W on average. Higher than any 18V power tool by far, but that's split across 4 huge batteries, and you could add two more to up runtime and lower average cell draw. I did a calculation, and that's showing to be something about 3.6 Watts per cell on a 2 hour run time, or about 1-2 amps per cell on average. Ryobi sometimes uses different cells, but they are all rated for at least 15 amps.

Earlier, I made a miscalculation on the breakeven point. My mower is 21% wider in cut than the mower described. Therefore, the break even point becomes 7.5 years for one 80 volt pack and 15 years for the two 80 volt packs this mower uses.

Just mowed my 10,000 sq.ft lawn in 33 minutes. Cost to recharge the RM480 mower was $0.07. Gas rider would have likely used $1.55 in 87E10.

My RM480e has saved $517 in gas in 56 months of operation and ownership and has had over 2,000 charge cycles. The cost to replace its four batteries is currently $720. The 80 volt lithium packs in this mower are $899 each and the 40 volt, 12 ahr. packs are not available yet, but the 40 volt, 8 ahr. packs are $279 each. The lithium batteries used in these mowers will have to last many, many years to break even on cost of ownership.

That's the rub. Ryobi hasn't published the prices for the 80 volt, 10 ahr. and the 40 volt, 12 ahr. batteries. They also haven't stated the charging cycle counts for them either. The 80 volt battery was listed for a short time on the Gardener parts web page for $1,300, but it's gone now. I suspect the Covid issues in China are playing havoc with availability and pricing. Wouldn't consider one of these until that information was known.

Comes with it. I own both the 54 and the 30 and really like them. The 54 is very nice compared to the 30 in terms of the suspension and larger wheels and of course the large welded deck.

At my electric rate, 2.2Kw would cost $0.13, which is what a 10% DOD is on my 75 ahr battery pack. 22Kw would be $1.32 at the $0.06/KWH that I pay.

What are your setting for wheel and blade speed?

The description says "up to 4 acres". Coverage is highly subjective based on ground speed, turf density, blade speed, amount being cut off, etc. It may take some time to learn the sweet spot for your lawn. FWIW, my RM480e is rated for 2 hours or 2 acres on a charge. It will mow for 2 hrs., but won't do 2 acres. I didn't buy it to mow 2 acres, but sometimes do 26,000 sq.ft of lawn at a time.

Added thought on mowing coverage. Mowing pattern has an effect on run time. If I mow my 10,000 sq.ft. lawn in a circular pattern, It will take up to fifteen minutes less than mowing it in a diagonal pattern.

The most basic comparison would be the cost per hour to run the mower. It's going to vary somewhat based on where you live. My Ryobi RM480 has a lifetime (59 months) cost per hour of $0.223/hr. The 600-700 cc V-twin mowers my neighbors use burn about a gallon of 87E10 per hour (avg. $3.80/gal. for the last 5 yrs. here). This usage has also been verified to me by two lawn mower dealerships (JD & Toro), and several lawn service operators.

It has a 5 year warranty on the mower and the batteries. Even with a more reasonable 20$ in gas for a lawn like his electric parts for itself. The cost over a similar gas ZTR is 1500-2000$. If you mow 20 times a year you will make up that amount in gas alone. Not to mention oil, belts, etc. If you buy something like this I bet you mow more than 20 times a year, especially if it costs like 10-15 centsan acre.

I have the Ryobi troubleshooting manual for my RM480 mower and the electronics are pretty easy to diagnose with the usual electrical meters that you can buy almost anywhere. I am guessing the same may be for these new 80 volt mowers. I used to have a Ryobi service center a mile and a half away, but they got sold to a new owner and that company is not a service company for Ryobi. The access to the service center was one of the reasons I purchased the mower. I could use them for parts if needed. FWIW, the nearest Ego service center is 70 miles away which made purchasing their products not very attractive.

While I tend to stay away from first generation products the idea that electric is not the future seems a bit unrealistic. Certainly this is a huge step over their lead acid battery mowers. I own two Ryobi 40 volt push mowers and have never been happier to not have to deal with gas and carbs...When my gas rider finally gives it up this is definitely my next riding mower. As far as Ryobi dependability, I own many 18 volt and 40 volt tools. I've had issues with exactly one battery on each platform. Not bad for all the use they get.

You have to remember how dead simple electric motors are. This mower compared to a more traditional mower has just a fraction of the amount of moving parts. And electric motors are insanly reliable. The only real major upkeep cost on this mower will be the 80v batteries, which are $900 a piece right now. But they are fully guaranteed for 5 years.

To those who say they aren’t tested, or this version isn’t tested. Ego and Greenworks have had a similar battery set up, and as far as performance, I’m not aware of any person or review that has said their performance has gotten worse yet. They’ve existed for almost 3 years now

Based on my experience, I'd say that's a bit of a stretch. My RM480e has saved a documented $525 in gas after electric cost in 51 months, 225 mows, 389 charges, and costs $0.24/hr. to run with no maintenance costs. The lithium batteries may be more efficient and use less electricity over time, but the one thing Ryobi hasn't told us is what the cost of the batteries are and what their life span (charge cycles) are. I can replace all of the batteries in my mower for $640, so in another year it will likely have saved enough in gas to pay for a new set if needed, but they are supposed to be good for 1,500-1,700 charge cycles. Based on other manufacturers (EGO for one) stated data, the Ryobi lithium packs might be good for 1,000 charges. Again this comes back to the replacement cost. CubCadet lithium packs cost $4,000 and require a tech to replace them (i.e. labor cost). Ego's 56 volt, 10 ahr. packs cost $450 each and at least four are required to run their 0turn rider.

Ryobi's 80 volt, 10 ahr. packs were listed on the parts web site for a short time at $1,300 each. Part listing is gone now. Still don't know what the cost of the 40 volt, 12 ahr. packs are.

​@@jfrye2475 Where do you live that you average 4 mows per month? I know that here in NH, the mowing season is at best, 6 months long. It would take a long time up here to break even on the purchase price, never mind battery replacement.

@@603me. My recorded data shows a typical 8 month long mowing season and anywhere from twice a month in the fall to every four days in the spring here in NWOH. I have 146 use hours on my RM480e and should hit the breakeven point for battery replacement this fall. So far it's saved over $517 in gas in 55 months compared to my neighbor's ICE mowers. Replacement batteries (4 12 volt 100 ahr. SLA/AGM) currently cost $720. Cost of gas and electricity and hours used will dictate the breakeven point. Gas here has averaged $3.80/gal. and I pay $0.054/KWH for electricity (all green generated). The breakeven point for the lithium powered machines will be far greater. When I bought my mower, I bought a recording wattage meter and started a spreadsheet to record usage and costs as a hobby since I had no idea what this technology would cost. I didn't consider purchase cost ($2,500), but focused on operating costs.

Great job!

Those batteries are expensive. How many years will it take to see a profit? This is the problem i'm having. I have a half acre. Dumping my 15 year old ~$100 gas mower which uses ~0.3 gallons per cut for electric just doesn't make financial sense. It would be $229 for the cheapest Ryobi mower or $399 for a step up....even at the cheapest i'd need to purchase another battery and i'd probably want to get something better than the horrible 4 Ah battery the cheap one comes with, plus looking at the advertised runtime it wouldn't work....long story short 3 cuts cost me about a gallon of gas which is $3.30 today. That's 70 cuts to break even, and i'm not including the cost of charging the batteries. I cut my grass about 15 times a year, which is about 4 and a half years to break even....make it 5 years to offset for the cost of charging batteries. Maybe when my gas mower dies I'll get electric but until then i'd rather invest my money other ways. Lastly, will these Ryobi batteries even last 5 years? If not i'm going to have to spend another $100+ on a new battery which further increasing the time it takes to see a real profit, if ever. Bottom line, the price for the batteries has to come down and the cost for a plastic shell of a mower with an electric motor shouldn't be 200+ dollars, there's zero reason for that.

So you estimate a net savings of $7 per mow? How many times do you mow per year?

Probably, but it is covered by a five year warranty. My guess is $200-$300.

I tracked electric and maintenance costs of my RM480e against comparable ICE mowers. It only had a three warranty and the batteries were covered by a one year warranty. Fast forward 57 months and the savings ($675) have covered the cost of four new 100 ahr. batteries. I bet if you tracked your savings with this mower, after warranty costs won't be a major concern.

Is it an hour of just push mowing (not counting weed eating)? If so, the 30” rider should cut you down to about 30 minutes or less, depending on how many obstacles you have to work around.

@@mmaimmortals wife timed me yesterday it took 2hrs 5mins to just mow. then 1 hour to do everything else. the problem is $5000 is a pretty penny. at that point I think it makes more sense to hire a company.

@@tumtumice Thanks for the response. I have about an acre to mow at home, and I mow as a side business. My personal recommendation is that if you can tolerate the time and equipment you have, just stick with it. It sounds like you probably have half an acre or so to mow. I push mow city lots with a gas powered, self propelled 21” mower, and it takes around 25 to 30 minutes or so for most of them, not including weed eating and blowing. If yours becomes too much, and you need to improve your speed, there are better options than paying someone or buying $5k worth of equipment. This video doesn’t really do the cost breakdown between battery op and gas power justice. My 1 acre takes around 1 gallon (or less) for each mow with a 48” ZTR mower. That is $4 or less per mow. Which means I spend at most around $80 per year on gas. Compare that to paying someone in my case around $100 per mow, or about $2,000 per year. I totally agree that it doesn’t make sense to buy a $5k machine to mow if you have less than a few acres. But a good alternative is to buy a $2k gas riding mower. Homeowner ZTR versions are available for around $2k to $3k. The difference in cost between battery and gas is not at all what this video makes it out to be. The larger battery packs can easily cost $400 to $500 dollars, and they often only come with a 3 year warranty. Per my comments above, I have only spent $240 in gas in those 3 years. Your yard seems to be in the $60 dollar range (or your mower is really slow). Which implies you would pay up to about $1200 per year for a service. You only need to own a $2k mower for 2 years to break even on that deal, gas included. When I first bought my house, I tried to mow with a push mower, but quickly realized that wouldn’t work. I ended up buying a $2k John Deere conventional riding mower. I’ve now had it for about 10 years, and it has had pretty minimal maintenance this whole time. The ZTR I have is considerably faster than the JD, but not a necessity for a homeowner. It takes probably an hour and a half to mow on the JD, and less than an hour (as little as 45 minutes if I’m aggressive) on the ZTR - both are 48”. I hope this helps, but I am curious why you’re only considering battery. That technology is just not where it needs to be to compete with gas power. It probably costs me less than $1 in gas to mow and weed eat a city lot (one tank is about 1 quart and can mow 2+ yards). And we haven’t even talked about DIY maintenance on an electric system.

I used to use a Honda 21" self propelled walk behind to mow my 10,000 sq ft lawn and it would take an hour and a half. I bought a RM480e 38" mower and mowing time dropped to about 40 minutes average. I overlap wheel tracks, so am cutting less than 38" with each pass.

Ryobi hasn't posted the price nor the availability of the 80 volt, 10 ahr. or the 40 volt, 12 ahr. batteries. Deck motors for the 48 volt mowers are about $225 each. Drive motors are likely a bit more. Blades should be $30-40 a set. Ryobi's parts web site should have prices. Everything has a 5 year warranty for these mowers. The motors and electronics for the 48 volt mowers have been very reliable over the last five years. My RM480e has 145 hours on it and has saved $525 in gas over 52 months of ownership after deducting the cost of electricity ($39.87). No parts or maintenance cost yet.

@@jfrye2475 the bigger batteries i would imagine would be close to $1k the pricing for the smaller ones around $400 each.

@@glenbirnie588 The 80 volt, 10 ahr. packs were briefly listed on the parts web page for $1,305 each, but that listing has disappeared. I would guess the 40 volt, 12 ahr. packs to be at least $419 or more.

The issue with battery replacement cost with the electric riders (and maybe walk behinds) is the cost of operation vs. a comparable gas mower. My Ryobi RM480e has saved $517 in gas alone in the 53 months I've owned it and that's factoring in the cost of electricity ($40.47 to date). I estimate that one more year of operation will have saved enough to replace all four batteries ($640). Those batteries are supposed to be good for 1,500-1,700 charge cycles and mine are at 440 now. The issue with the lithium technology is will they last long enough to at least reach the breakeven point?

CubCadet rider lithium packs cost $4,000 plus labor to replace and it's one pack, so if something goes south, you have to replace the entire battery pack. Can you imagine how long it would take to save $4,000 in gas?

If the big batteries are close to $1000, how is the $600 going to replace them?

So many “not”s to keep track of but hopefully, I got it. If you’re afraid to charge these batteries, what other avenues are closed off to you due to this anxiety?

What is LVC for these Ryobi mowers?

It happened on 10/13/2022. Before there were literally hundreds of all models available and then none of any. Quite possibly another HD IT data management screwup, but don't expect any change until Monday.

Counts are back to what they were on 0/12/2022.

Again, how did you replace all four batteries for $700 one you also just stated that a new 80 V battery is $900? I don’t know if I’m getting confused reading your reviews but it’s not making sense.

No pricing on the 12 ahr., 40 volt packs.

I have an RM480e with the SLA/AGM batteries. Total replacement cost is currently $640 with a life expectancy of 1,500-1,700 charge cycles. After 54 months of ownership, 458 charges including winter storage, and 145 hours of run time, the total electric cost is $40.56 and it has saved $517 in fuel cost after subtracting the cost of electricity based on my neighbor's comparable gas mowers. By this time next year, the fuel savings should be enough to replace all four batteries if needed, but lithium chemistry cost is going to take a far longer ownership period to break even. Now your electric cost is going to factor greatly and mine has varied from $0.06 to $0.13/KWH. This is why I've asked Ryobi for the charge cycle life span of the 40 and 80 volt packs, because you can't make any real purchase decision until you know the breakeven period. Ego states 1,000 cycles for the 56 volt packs, they are the only ones to state that for lithium. Tesla has stated 1,600 cycles for its current battery design, but that's 300K-500K miles.

@@jfrye2475 Yes this is the kind of conversation that must be had when talking the Real Cost of Ownership. However we'd be remiss if we failed to factor in the convenience and ease of use of E-power. This certainly is what make it so attractive especially when cost are of no concern. I don't put much weight on the charge cycle stats because there are several other factors that also impact on battery life. Batteries are subject to chemical degradation over time inspite of how many times you use them. I purchased my Snowjoe 80v in 2018. On average I used it 5 times a year and now the batteries are trash. That is about 25 charge cycles, 50 top to be sure. It still goes but when you put it under the load of blowing snow it will cut off.

Charge cycle life span is also dependent on the routine depth of discharge. The SLA/AGM batteries in my mower are rated for 1,500-1,700 cycles at 30% DOD, which is what the Ryobi system limits the pack to. At a DOD of 50%, the cycle count drops to 500-600 charges. My mower has a lifetime DOD of 10%, so the batteries should last well beyond the breakeven point. Nobody has stated how these new mowers manage the battery pack and that adds another variable for purchasers to consider.

Been reading battery web sites about charging cycles and DOD for SLA/AGM batteries. Seems that a DOD of 10% will typically give five times the number of charge cycles as a DOD of 50%

It also doesn't account for obsolescence. Yes, Ryobi has been great with backwards compatibility on the One+, but power tool companies are pretty notorious at switching up their battery formats. What are the odds that Ryobi doesn't change the 40v and 80v form factor for the next 15-20 years? I've already seen where the newer 40v batteries don't physically fit some older tools, even if the connection is the same.

The key question remains: What is the lifespan or number of charge cycles for thes pe battery packs?

And Ryobi will not specify the number of charge cycles any of their lithium battery packs will do. My only Ryobi lithium experience is my first 18 volt lithium One+ pack lasted 13 years in rotation use with five others.

I just replaced the four 75 ahr. SLA/AGM batteries in my 57 month old, 158 hours, 2,082 charges RM480 mower with 100 ahr. batteries for $660.

I doubt that claim. I have Ryobi 40 volt lithium batteries that are over three years old and perform like new. I have multiple Ryobi 18 volt batteries that are over 13 years old and still work. Where is your data the 80 volt packs lasting only two years? And the packs are $900, not $800. Heck the SLA/AGM batteries in my Ryobi 48 volt mower lasted 58 months and were still usable when I replaced them.

The 80v batteries have a 5 year warrantee . Ryobi is know for honoring their warrantee claims.

$60 sounds odd as hell to me too.

Why would they sell it if it's still under warranty?

New batteries are 2K.

CubCadet lithium battery packs cost $4,000 and require replacement by a CC technician (labor cost). CC won't state how many charge cycles they will do. Ego 56 volt, 10 ahr. packs cost $450 each (4 required for the 0turn mower) and have a stated 1,000 charge cycle count.

The four onboard controllers in my RM480e run from about $150 to $215 each and are easy to troubleshoot with Ryobi's manual and normal electrical tools. There isn't anything that could break (other than the frame maybe) on the mower that would render it a throwaway. I don't know about these new models though.

Bet you have one failing battery, not four. I had one fail at 11 months and now at 50 months and 375 charge cycles, the mower still runs like new. Mower is currently 16 times less expensive to run than a gas mower.

And it has saved $516 in gas over those 50 months. One more year and it will have saved enough to replace all four batteries.

I have a neighbor with a RM480ex. He uses it all year round and plows snow in the winter with it. His mower is 48 months old, has close to 400 hours of use and has just replaced one battery that would not hold a charge under load. Still runs like new.

The neighbor's 400 hours of run time in 4 years equals over $1,300 in gas savings and that's almost the cost of two complete battery replacements.

Those older models are Lead Acid and are terrible at holding full charge capacity over their lifespan . You can't really compare that to these batteries which theoretically should be a lot better. That said, they are pice gauging these (again) and adding yet another $1500-$3000 for absolutely no reason.