As a passion that probably fits nicely in between my car-free lifestyle and my love of strange electric off-road work vehicles, I’ve got a bit of a thing for electric tractors. And so when an awesome little retro electric lawn tractor known as the General Electric Elec-Trak popped into my algorithm, it sent me down one of the most enjoyable rabbit holes I’ve explored in quite some time.
Some of my followers may even know that I spend a lot of time on my NESHER electric tractors, designed for homesteaders, landowners, and average folks like many of us who want right-sized electric work equipment for our properties. But did you know that General Electric was already in that space, building consumer-focused electric tractors over 50 years ago?
That’s right. If you dig a little deeper into the strange niches of off-road EV history, you’ll stumble across something pretty cool known as the GE Elec-Trak, an all-electric riding lawn tractor built in the 1970s that was way ahead of its time.
Yes, you read that right. In the age of bell-bottoms and disco balls, General Electric built a fully electric, zero-emission lawn tractor that could mow your grass, blow your snow, and quietly haul gear around your property – all without a single drop of gasoline. And the best part? Many of them are still running today, thanks to simple engineering, robust components, and a surprisingly devoted fanbase of backyard EV enthusiasts.
The Elec-Trak debuted in 1969, back when the idea of electric anything outside of a toaster was still pretty radical. It was designed by a team inside GE’s Outdoor Power Equipment division, and the company didn’t hold back. These weren’t stripped-down toys, they were legitimate utility machines. The lineup ranged from compact residential tractors like the E8 all the way up to heavy-duty models like the E20, which could outpull a gas mower of the same size.
Power came from a 36V lead-acid battery system using six deep-cycle 6V batteries wired in series. The drive motor on the E12, for example, produced about 1 to 1.5 horsepower (or around 750 to 1,100 watts), though the actual power was often higher climbing hills. Each blade in the mower deck had its own 1/3 horsepower motor. Add in electric lights, horn, power take-off (PTO), and even attachments like a front-end loader or snowblower, and you’ve got yourself a real workhorse with absolutely no tailpipe emissions.
They could mow three acres on a single charge, or an auxiliary battery was offered that could extend the mowing range to five acres.
But what really made the Elec-Trak special, especially looking back through a modern lens, is how practical and modular it was. GE offered over 30 electric attachments, including implements like tillers, sickle bars, rotary sweepers, and even a mini electric chainsaw that plugged right into the tractor’s accessory port. It was an entire electric ecosystem, designed long before anyone was saying words like “electrification” or “sustainability” at garden tool conferences.
So, how well did it sell? GE produced over 30,000 Elec-Traks during its run from 1969 to 1975, which isn’t a huge number by modern standards, but it’s respectable for a weird electric tractor sold during an era when gas was still 40 cents a gallon and nobody was asking for cordless anything. The oil crisis of the early ’70s gave it a short burst of relevance, but ultimately GE shelved the program, and the rights were later sold to a few smaller companies who tried to keep it alive for only a few more years.
GE wasn’t alone. Sears, John Deere, Cub Cadet, and others all offered their own similar electric lawn tractors, but none are as prolific as GE’s. Today, the Elec-Trak has something of a cult following. There are still thousands of units in garages and barns around the U.S., many lovingly restored and upgraded. Some owners have swapped in modern lithium-ion batteries, others have added solar charging, and a few have even built custom Elec-Trak trailers and implements. There are active communities online that trade parts, advice, and just generally enjoy talking shop about interesting electric lawn tractors.
I’ve ridden a lot of modern electric mowers and utility vehicles, and while they’re great in their own ways, there’s something uniquely satisfying about seeing a 50-year-old electric tractor fire up (silently) and start cutting grass like it was built yesterday.
The Elec-Trak isn’t just a quirky piece of history; it’s proof that electric utility vehicles don’t have to be futuristic, flashy, or over-engineered. Sometimes, a few batteries, a motor, and a little ingenuity are all you need. And if GE could figure that out in 1969, maybe we’re finally just catching up.
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