The Kress Commercial platform of battery-powered landscape maintenance equipment is now AGZA Field Tested Certified (AFTC), according to the American Green Zone Alliance. This includes the full suite of Kress 60V handheld equipment and the Kress Commercial CyberSystem, which charges commercial-grade batteries in eight minutes. The AFTC designation marks the culmination of a four-year effort working with Kress engineers, tool designers, and product managers with visits to Florida and California.
As a first step, Kress product developers teamed up with AGZA and gathered information from current users of gas and electric equipment to understand the specific needs of North American operators. The Kress platform underwent a consistent process of rigorous testing with AGZA’s network of commercial operators nationally, including daily use of tools and battery storage/charging in high heat and cold temperatures. Additionally, drop tests on batteries and tools as well as workload use in challenging Spring and Fall clean ups were documented.
“AGZA appreciates the patience and cooperation of the entire Kress team to allow us the time and resources needed to vet the Kress platform with the same process and standard as other AFTC companies have gone through,” said Dan Mabe, AGZA founder. “Even though the relationship with Kress began years ago, we feel we are just getting started working together to help the industry explore and implement battery electric operations.”
Kress Commercial officially launched in North America at the Equip Exposition in Louisville, KY in October 2022. The Kress Commercial 8-minute CyberSystem™ battery platform was engineered and designed specifically to meet the demanding needs of commercial landscapers. The system features both 4Ah and 11Ah battery packs with the ability to recharge each 60V battery pack to 100% charge in 8 minutes or 80% charge in 5 minutes. Each 60V CyberPack battery is capable of producing up to twice the power output of standard lithium-ion batteries.
In The Future
AGZA has held initial discussions with Kress to now pivot to independent testing of Kress Robotic Mower Systems powered by a proprietary Kress real-time kinematic (RTK) network. AGZA understands robotics is rapidly becoming a viable mowing option for the commercial OPE industry. After gathering some initial independent data and firsthand demonstrations by Kress field reps, AGZA is eager to get started on the AFTC testing process for the Kress Robotic Mower System.
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