John Deere partners with Chervon to sell battery-powered equipment

John Deere will sell products made by Chervon North America subsidiary EGO as part of a freshly inked deal with the outdoor power equipment and tool manufacturer. 

The partnership, announced last week, enables John Deere to sell EGO-branded battery products through John Deere dealers and retail outlets, Joe Turoff, chief marketing officer of Chervon, told Equipment Finance News. John Deere, Chervon and EGO will collaborate on future product development, he said.

 EGO brand products will be available through John Deere’s dealer network this fall, Turoff said. John Deere Financial (JDF) expects to offer financing options on EGO products when they hit stores, a company spokesperson told EFN. 

“Whether dealers can finance EGO products through JDF, approvals are not yet complete, but the expectation is EGO products will have finance programs similar to those offered through JDF for Stihl,” the spokesperson said.  

Customers can add Stihl and Honda equipment, parts and attachment, insurance, and equipment service plans to commercial mower and turf equipment loan and lease packages, according to Deere’s website.  

John Deere had about 1,550 ag dealers in the United States and Canada at the end of last year, according to company records. JDF had $51.7 billion in managed assets at the end of the second quarter, according to the company’s earnings report.  

The growth of electrification at every level in the agriculture sector is part of Chervon’s focus in the outdoor power equipment space for customers, Turoff said. 

“A decade or two ago, [customers] really weren’t asking for electric vehicles or electric lawn care equipment; they were asking for power and performance,” he said. “What we realized is that we could do it, but we could do it in a very environmentally conscious way, and, in many regards, we could take a clean sheet of paper and reengineer how you would want to do it.” 

Chervon’s commercial future 

Chervon and EGO plan to continue expanding their commercial line of products, which was launched last year. 

“It’s going to be about all-day power, effectiveness and unique ways of keeping your products charged and running all day long,” Turoff said. 

John Deere dealer network’s access to residential and commercial customers provides an opportunity to Chervon, which had attempted to partner with Deere before the launch of the EGO brand in 2014, Turoff said.  

“Our discussions with John Deere go as far back as 2013 before we launched the EGO brand, so from our perspective, it’s nice that it’s come full circle,” he said.