RE: (ET) Mother Earth News

["Hazen, Dwight L" <hazen indiana edu>]

 With thinking like that from Mother Earth we would still be driving gas 
hog
cars from the 60'es. So when did big oil take over Mother earth?

   Dwight 



Dwight L. Hazen, Indiana University, UITS 
Bloomington, In. 47408-7378 Phone 812-855-5367 hazen indiana edu
http://php.ucs.indiana.edu/~hazen/ Ham Radio wb9tlh arrl net




> -----Original Message-----
> From: Pestka, Dennis J [SMTP:Dennis Pestka mkg com]
> Sent: Monday, September 18, 2000 6:50 AM
> To:   Elec-Trak Email Discussion List
> Subject:      (ET) Mother Earth News
> 
> After subscribing to the Mother Earth News for over 20 years, I was 
> really
> disappointed with the response to a question from one of the readers.
> There are so many inaccuracies in this that I don't know where to begin.
> I am writing my response to this and I would encourage everyone else to 
> do
> the same.
> www.motherearthnews.com
> 
> Dennis
> 
> 
> Dear Mother, 
> Do you know of any company making electric garden tractors.
> 
> Will
> Coarsegold, CA
> 
> We don't know of a commercially viable electric tractor being made by an
> established firm today. The cost of high-capacity motors and batteries is
> just too high to compete with gas engine-powered models. The obvious
> environmental advantages alone won't convince enough buyers to pay ten
> times
> what a zippy little John Deere lawn or garden tractor costs.
>   General Electric made the Elec-Trac lawn-tractor/riding mower in the
> 1970's but lost their shirts on every sale and discounted the line years
> ago. You can find used Elec-Tracs for sale at well under $1000. They were
> robustly made, and parts are still available. But they were slow and
> heavy,
> underpowered for attachments, too low slung to use in the garden row, and
> lack the run time to mow a big lawn on a single charge.