Neighborhood Electric Vehicles

[mikester]

Big Golf Carts basically - well - more than that really but I don't think much more.

anyone got one?

What's the maintenance like? Kind of makes sense as she does most of her driving within a few miles radius of the house taking kids to school and activities and what not.

Makes more sense probably than refreshing the Prius to the plug-in hybrid to get the EV capabilities there...

It's trendy around here right now. She supports my Porsche habit among other things. I am doing a cost analysis and spending a few grand on one of these beats a $30k car purchase every day of the week...

[slodave]

There are two real estate agents that drive around in a golf cart in my parents neighborhood. I know where one of the guys lives and that's also where they keep the golf cart. I've seen them a good distance away from the house. My parents are in the hills, so that thing has to go up and down a lot. Not sure about maintenance, but I have heard that the one guy keeps a spare battery on a charger and if they are out too long and get stuck, he calls his wife and she brings the spare battery.

[81Kremer930]

My dad has a Mitsubishi IMIEV, its got nav, electric windows and locks, ice cold a/c, alloy wheels, etc... He loves it, no real maint. to speak of, just plug it in every night and don't plan on going any farther than 90 miles a day

[wdfifteen]

A lot of them are golf carts. There are a number of communities that allow golf carts with certain safety modifications on 35 mph streets. Yellow Springs Ohio is one. The town has about 3500 residents and a dozen or so golf carts creeping around.

[mattdavis11]

I don't know how well batteries last these days, but when I worked at a golf course and the carts were powered by 6 lead acid batteries, we'd have no problem running them 36 holes. Those carts were a few years old then. That's at least 10 miles due to the golf course yardage, probably about 15-17 miles for a 2some and 2 rounds. It wasn't very hilly there, but rarely would would we get a call to bail someone out because of a dead cart.

The players were because of tires, it was usually the Marshall with the dead one, and he'd lapped the course several times before it was done. That was sometime ago though.

Maintenance was low, hit the zerk fittings once in awhile, plug a tire, fill the batteries with distilled water, etc... Now if the cart needs new batteries, that can get a tad expensive.

[scottmandue]

Originally Posted by 81Kremer930

My dad has a Mitsubishi IMIEV, its got nav, electric windows and locks, ice cold a/c, alloy wheels, etc... He loves it, no real maint. to speak of, just plug it in every night and don't plan on going any farther than 90 miles a day

I have been looking at one of these^^^

[nota]

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

A lot of them are golf carts. There are a number of communities that allow golf carts with certain safety modifications on 35 mph streets. Yellow Springs Ohio is one. The town has about 3500 residents and a dozen or so golf carts creeping around.

Our city and the next one over allow unlicensed street golf carts gas or el
if the driver has a license and ins on the cart a $60 lifetime sticker is issued

so I am building a hotrod Yamaha g-1 2 stroke with a snowmobile motor
and an old el ez-go converted to gas v-twin B&S 500cc 16hp power

el carts are slow short ranged and heavy and big bucks to get to go fast
gas are 1/2 the weight with eazy cheap motor swaps

[tcar]

Originally Posted by 81Kremer930

My dad has a Mitsubishi IMIEV, its got nav, electric windows and locks, ice cold a/c, alloy wheels, etc... He loves it, no real maint. to speak of, just plug it in every night and don't plan on going any farther than 90 miles a day

You're back at $30k plus with these though. (In Europe it's a Peugeot.)

It's a car, not a golf cart.

[djantlive]

Lease a smart electric. My friend just got one for $85 a month w $500 down. Super cheap

I heard a Prius is $100 a month.

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by nota

Our city and the next one over allow unlicensed street golf carts gas or el
if the driver has a license and ins on the cart a $60 lifetime sticker is issued

so I am building a hotrod Yamaha g-1 2 stroke with a snowmobile motor
and an old el ez-go converted to gas v-twin B&S 500cc 16hp power

I understand the urge to build something bigger, faster, and louder. I would. I just hope it doesn't put more restrictions on street EVs or get them banned altogether. There is a lot of tension between the greenies who want community EVs and the dino fiends who think they are too slow, quiet, and PC.
Here, we have to license them as regular vehicles, have a windshield, brake lights, headlights, seat belts, and turn signals. The licensing and windshield are a direct result of the efforts of an anti-EV group trying to make it harder to have one.