Tidbits By Tony: PICKING THE RIGHT CART - GAS VS. ELECTRIC
Greetings everyone. My name is Tony Hallam and I’m the owner of Carts Gone Wild. This is my first blog. We plan to begin posting beneficial information regarding the golf cart industry on a weekly basis. Please let us know if there is a particular subject you would like to hear about. Thanks for tuning in!
This seems to be a million-dollar question……Gas or Electric? Customers come into our showroom all the time not knowing the answer. Many times, it’s even difficult for us to answer because there might be a difference of opinion between husband and wife. Our approach is to carefully listen and understand the customer needs FIRST! Everyone has a problem or a need to fulfill by riding a golf cart. It might be for pleasure or even health related. We’re able to take this information and put customers into something that will provide years of happiness. We do have people come in the door saying they ONLY want one or the other, but in reality, the cart they picked is NOT a good fit. I wanted to take this time to provide our insight as experts in the golf cart industry. Here’s our opinion regarding the question of gas or electric.
This is the #1 most important question we always ask first. How often do you plan to use the golf cart? If it’s going to sit for 6 months unattended, then electric will not work for you. Golf cart lead acid batteries need to be cycled. They need to be periodically discharged and fully charged back to 100% state of charge. Batteries that sit around without this cycling tend to sulfate, which is a chemical reaction. This is basically a mold like substance that builds up on the battery plates. As it grows, then the battery becomes weaker. If you think of it as a loaf of bread, then once the mold starts, it’s impossible to stop. People who use their golf carts on a normal basis and keep them properly maintained will get much more life out of their batteries. Carts that sit unattended or sit dead won’t have a long life and customers end up frustrated with their shortened battery life. Another problem is that most of today’s battery chargers won’t even kick on to charge a fully discharged cart. They will have to be jump-charged by an expert. This really hurts battery life. We plan to provide future blogs about battery maintenance, but here are 3 things needed when it comes to battery maintenance. None of these take much time to complete. Keep cables clean & tight, keep water levels correct, and keep them charged. Doing these 3 things on a regular basis will really improve the life of your batteries.
Ordinances. These are the next limiting factor. Many golf courses, campgrounds, other places have certain ordinances that ONLY allow certain types of carts. If this is the case, then you have no choice. We always ask that customers do their homework up front to ensure that they don’t buy something which doesn’t meet these the rules. We’ve even had cases where someone made a purchase and had to immediately trade it due to not meeting the rules.
Kid usage. We get this all the time. Customers who allow their grandkids or children to ride around on the carts all day. We DON’T recommend turning the keys over to young children, but we do realize it happens. Unless you like pushing or towing, then you better get yourself a gas golf cart. Kids will tend to ride until it dies. Then you are deep into your football game on Sunday afternoon and you get the call “Grandpa, come help us. The golf cart is dead.” Anyone allowing kids to ride an electric cart will tell you that they’ve gotten this call before. Kids will be kids. LOL. Go the gas route.
Subdivisions. If you are just riding around a subdivision or a quiet town, then we recommend electric. The electric carts are SOOOO nice and quiet. You can talk and truly enjoy the riding experience. There are no pesky fumes to smell. There’s no vibration from the engine running. It’s just good old peace and quiet. The technology on electric carts are lightyears ahead of where it was even 10 years ago. They are very reliable and have good riding range due to more efficient designs.
Town riding. As mentioned earlier in this blog, many towns have ordinances. Most allow both types of carts, but some do prohibit the use of one or the other. Town riding is kind of split and depends on the situation. Flat style roads lean towards electric. Hilly towns lean towards gas. There towns that are very quiet in nature, which lean towards gas. If you plan to load up the cart with 4 people and go up and down hills all day, then you probably should think gas. We live in a small town called Haubstadt, Indiana. It’s very flat in town and it’s quiet. The obvious choice is electric. It’s just SOOOO nice and quiet. I believe there’s something to be said about riding around in silence. The overall experience is much more inviting.
Campgrounds. This is an important one. Many campgrounds have rules in place allowing one or the other. We recommend looking at the campgrounds you most frequently visit and pick one that will meet your needs. However, if both are allowed, then I suggest electric, because again, it’s SOOOO quiet. Just make sure that there are proper outlets to conduct your overnight charging. Visiting with neighbors in the campground is easier to do on electric due to their quiet nature and lack of smell.
Vacation property. This is an important one that I mentioned earlier in this blog. If it’s a vacation home that you frequently visit year around, then either will work for you. If you go long periods without using your cart, then you will need gas. It’s a simple matter of use. Again, take terrain into account. We visit the Kentucky Lake region all the time and it’s VERY hilly, so gas is the obvious choice.
Hunting. We have a large customer base using their carts for hunting. If you are getting the cart to sneak up on your kill, then you best go electric. Even a quiet gas cart still puts off a great deal of fumes that most animals will recognize. We are asked all the time about 4wd golf carts. We recommend staying clear of 4wd golf carts. The technology isn’t proven and the products available at this time are simply not reliable. Plus, they are expensive to repair. A normal electric lifted golf cart will meet 90% of people’s needs.
Golfing. Almost every golf course has some type of rules. ALWAYS make sure and understand these rules before cart shopping. Most times they have strict policies. It may require gas or electric. It might require the cart looking exactly like their club carts, so that everyone looks the same and this is quite common. You can add some bells and whistles, but it better look the same. Many courses don’t allow aggressive tires and lift kits. We are indifferent on golfing, because it usually depends on the type of course and the person riding the cart. We sell about 50/50 gas and electric for golf course usage. Most cases they are getting regular usage, so either will work fine. Even our 4 and 6 seater carts can hold your golf clubs with various brands of golf bag attachments. Many of these come off the cart when not in use. Verdict is that either gas or electric might work for you on the course. Best place to start is asking the course Golf Pro. They usually know the answers.
Both electric and gas have their clear advantages. Technology is closing these gaps at a rapid pace. Some of the gas carts (like Yamaha) offer quiet technology and you can’t hardly tell them from electric. Some of the electric carts run 50-70 miles on a single charge. Both offer good speed & torque options. Understanding the difference and making the correct choice is important.
THAT’S A WRAP FOLKS! We’ve tried to explain the most common usages for golf carts and what we recommend when it comes to PICKING THE RIGHT CART. We hope this information is useful for everyone. While we can’t make the decision for you, we can help steer you in the right direction. If you should have further questions, please then feel free to call or email with any questions. We love to help!
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