Husqvarna Shows New Solar/Battery Automower at CES

5 January 2009

Husqvarna is showing its new Automower Solar Hybrid at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The Solar Hybrid is a fully robotic lawn mower powered by a combination of batteries and a solar panel.

Automower Solar Hybrid. Click to enlarge.

The Solar Hybrid model joins three other Husqvarna Automower battery-powered units. The Solar Hybrid mower has a maximum working area capacity of 2,220 m² (0.65 acre).

The size of the area mown by the Solar Hybrid mainly depends on the available sunlight, but also on the condition of the blades, the type of grass, growth rate and dampness. The shape of the area is also significant.

When there is daylight available, the 12W solar cell panel enables the mower to extend its cutting periods before requiring a recharge of its 4.4 Ah, 18V NiMH battery.

A small wire is staked to the ground below the grass level, or buried just beneath it, around the perimeter of the lawn to be mowed. The on-board navigation system monitors its position relative to the wire keeping it in the area to be mowed. The irregular pattern of movement, the long battery life, and its ground speed enables it to effectively mow all parts of the lawn.

Obstacles or other areas within the lawn that should not be mowed are handled in one of two ways: if the object is rigid and at least six inches tall like trees or fences, the mower gently bumps into it, reverses, and starts off in another direction; other areas, like a flowerbed, are excluded from the cutting area by using the perimeter wire.