The practice of keeping a manicured grass lawn is possibly the least eco-friendly habit you have. Not only are you denying native flora and fauna its natural habitat, but you're importing water from remote locations to keep that lawn alive, spreading all sorts of nasty chemicals into the local water supply and food chain and trimming it with a nasty gas-powered mower and, if you're anything like us, a two-stroke trimmer.

This concept eliminates at least one of those sources of pollution, operating purely on electricity; it's also built from recycled materials. That's the green crap out of the way; let's look at the power.

The Panthera Leo is actually two ride-ons in one, combining features from Husqvarna's Rider and Zero-Turn. It uses three individually suspended cutting decks run by five brushless electric engines for a vast swath — 33" to 47" of variable cutting width — of perfectly controlled trim. Sensors are employed to analyze the condition of the lawn, recommending a speed and height through the LCD display monitor. The concept gets two hours of cutting time on the lithium-phosphate battery and then, unfortunately, requires overnight charging for the next two hours. Husqvarna says it could have something similar on-sale within five years.

The press release follows:

"Husqvarna Panthera Leo demonstrates our innovation capacity and ambition to develop high performing products with less environmental impact," says Magnus Yngen, President and CEO of Husqvarna.

Husqvarna Panthera Leo is a hybrid made up of two ride-on mowers, Rider and Zero-Turn. A battery that can be charged at any electrical outlet has replaced the traditional gas engine. Five powerful electrical motors partnered with a sound absorbing cutting deck, allow the Husqvarna Panthera Leo to glide effortlessly and silently across your lawn. The three individually suspended cutting decks enables this mower to mow smoothly over bumpier parts of your garden, avoiding lawn scalping. The cutting decks each have razor sharp blades for a close cut finish and can be controlled to suit wide or narrow lawns (from 85cm up to 120cm).

All functions are managed via paddles on the steering wheel. Via an LCD-display gardeners are told everything they need to know to achieve a perfect lawn, from how fast they are driving, cutting height, cutting width, remaining battery time, service needs and warns the user about objects that are too close. With the help of sensors, Husqvarna Panthera Leo can recommend the most suitable speed and cutting height for the perfect lawn.

Husqvarna is the leader in several areas in terms of products with reduced environmental impact. The Group's new engines comply with the strictest exhaust-emission criteria in the US and Europe.
Features

* Equipped with zero-emission technology
* Produced from recycled materials
* Rechargeable Lithium-phosphate battery
* Plug-in product, charged at any electrical point
* Five brushless electrical engines, easy and clean to maintain
* Three separate cutters equipped with razor sharp blades
* Cutters individually suspended to glide smoothly over bumpy terrain and prevent lawn scalping
* Variable cutting width (85-120cm)
* Zero-turn functionality
* Lifting cutting deck (90 degrees)
* Ergonomic steering wheel
* Easy to control dashboard
* Cutting time 2 hours, overnight charging
* Detailed LCD display monitor (featuring cutting height, width of cutting deck, speed, service information, steep hill warning, objects that are too close)

[source: Husqvarna]

It comes in three versions: Schumacher/Ferrari red, all white and the John Player Lotus black-and-gold pictured above. All that's missing is a riding-mower version. Anyone think they can actually build it?[CG Forums via Autoblog]

"I just wanted to let you know we finally have video of MowZilla on our web site...We ended up blowing up our first mower before we had the chance to make a vid."

Related:
Got the NOS Mower, Brah! [internal]

One summer, we had a job cutting the grass for several hookers who rented a house around the corner from our local middle school. We never confirmed they were hookers, but they voluntarily paid three times our normal mowing rate, and guys in suits often "visited" via a side entrance. Their unkempt yard had been attracting unwanted attention from the neighbors, and we slaved over their tangle of crabgrass, weeds and briars for a week before the place looked as well-tended as the other houses on the block. We netted $150, which was more than enough for an Atari. If we'd been true entrepreneurs, we'd have invested in a Dixie Chopper, had they been invented back then. We could have cornered the suburban whorehouse landscaping market.

The world's fastest lawnmower - 990cc and 15mph [Gizmag]

Related:
Big Block Snowblower [internal]

Ah, the new-school power of nitrous oxide blended with the jet set trash and no star world of Cherry Bomb mufflers, all wedded to a hand-me-down lawnmower. The hooligans at Callie's Customs came up with what should by all rights be a massively overcarbureted mower (an Edelbrock 750? WTF!?!), but apparently the things spins up to a 12k redline, which is absolutely ludicrous from a garden-variety one-lunger like this. Nutzoid. [Thanks to Jason for the tip.]

Our Mower [Callie's Customs]

Related:
Hello, Mowto: Lawnmower Racing Tosses Turf, Bad Puns [Internal]

Take one Memorial Day celebration among friends, add sufficient quantities of alcohol and lawn implements and one craggy yard, and you've got yerself the res-pee of some hoon-like conduct. Really, what's a lawn tractor good for when you've got no lawn? That's right. Racin'. [If you've got a video worthy of Jalopnik's Hoon of the Day, don' be shy, send the link to tips@jalopnik.com.]

Memorial Day 2005 [Google Video]

Related:
More Hoons

We've always dreamed of owning a Honda riding mower stuffed with a CBR XX Blackbird motor in it. Unfortunately, right now we're a bit short short of acreage in the lawn department. Plus, the thing would probably eliminate more grass with its rear tires than it would with the blade. But still, boys dream of one day owning a riding mower, and men dream of someday racing one against other men on them. Well, some men do, especially if they're partial to monikers like "Geronimow," "Sodzilla" and "Prograsstinator."

These are the people of the Lone Star Mower Racing Association, and they take their low-buck mower racing seriously. Well, as seriously as one can while riding under the name of "Mr. Mow it All." Still, a pretty decent full-race machine can be had for under 3 large if you're a good parts scavenger, which makes it one of the cheapest forms of motor racing known to man. Needless to say, Jalopnik fully backs the repurposing of lawn and garden equipment as competition machinery, even if they do refer to themselves as "The Grateful Dead of Motorsports." Eep.

A Cutting Edge Sport: Lawn Mower Racing [Fort Worth Star-Telegram]

Related:
Bomb-Throwing Lawnmower Man Arrested After Pursuit [Internal]