FireFly Automatix, a manufacturer of autonomous mowers, debuted its first all-electric mower at the recent Turfgrass Producers International (TPI) convention in Michigan.

The  M100-AV is a commercial reel mower that cuts a 100-inch-wide swath. It features a LiFePO₄ battery pack. The company says it can mow up to 25 acres per charge at speeds of 7 acres/hour, and recharge in 2 hours. The company says it can decrease fuel costs by 87%, and maintenance costs by 65%, compared to a fossil-powered mower.

The M100-AV can operate without on-site supervision and includes LiDAR-enabled obstacle detection and avoidance for safety. It provides intelligent path planning, so no boundary wires are needed, and mowing patterns are optimized for maximum efficiency.

Four independent electric drive motors are synchronized with two independent steering motors. The drive motors are engineered for 100,000+ hours of life.

FireFly is currently accepting pre-orders, and anticipates delivering the first production models this fall.

“I am highly impressed by the innovative FireFly reel automatic mower,” said Scott DeBuck, owner of the farm that hosted this summer’s TPI host farm. “Its cutting performance produces beautiful results, and the capability to program various mowing angles is astonishing. Owning a mower like this would be a dream come true, and I believe that the industry as a whole would greatly benefit from such a remarkable invention.”

Source: FireFly Automatix