Club Car’s fancy new electric golf cart looks like a living room on wheels
Club Car is one of the country’s biggest golf cart makers, and now the brand has just unveiled a slick new line of high-end electric vehicles that are more like open-air electric cars. Just don’t call the Club Car Cru a “car.”
In fact, these technically aren’t even golf carts either. They’re what’s known as low-speed vehicles (LSVs).
They may look like fancy golf carts, but LSVs are their own class of motor vehicle. They face lower regulatory scrutiny in exchange for being street-legal with a maximum speed of 25 mph (40 km/h). They’re still required to have a number of DOT-regulated safety features like proper seat belts, automotive windshield glass, backup cameras, pedestrian noisemakers, and other safety equipment.
These pint-size electric vehicles make up a small but growing industry in the US, where new LSV companies are starting to crop up with lower-cost alternatives compared to expensive electric cars.
They’re rarely as good-looking as these, though. The Club Car Cru was designed by BMW’s design studio Designworks to totally rethink what an open-air street-legal LSV could be.
The design isn’t entirely open-air, or at least not on the street side. The left side of the vehicle has a glass enclosure. The right side and rear remain open for air flow and easy access to the curb.
The Club Car Cru has an electronically limited top speed of 25 mph (40 km/h), which keeps it street-legal as an LSV. That means it is allowed to drive on most public roads with speed limits of up to 35 mph (56 km/h).
In many densely populated urban areas, that includes nearly every road in city centers as well as many beach communities, islands, and retirement areas. This certainly can’t replace a family car that regularly travels on 50 mph roads, but it should be perfect for cities and planned communities.
That’s what Club Car is banking on, pitching the Cru as an efficient alternative to larger and pricier electric cars.
At an entry price of $27,000 though, it’s not that much cheaper than bargain electric cars these days. It comes in at several thousand dollars more than another popular LSV: the GEM. It’s also around three times the price of newcomers like ~$10,000 Wink electric LSVs from Wink Motors, which offers similar performance but with an enclosed cabin featuring heating and air conditioning like a traditional car.
But the Club Car Cru has something the others don’t have: luxury points. The design features a living room-style interior with swivel front seats that can turn around to face the rear seats when the Cru is parked.
And L-shaped bench in the back and a table make it easy to share a meal or just relax with the entire family. The rear bench fits four kids (unbuckled when parked) or three adults (buckled).
The idea was to allow owners to bring the comfort of an indoor hangout into the outdoors, and essentially carry their living room furniture with them. For planned communities, it allows retirees or other drivers to meet up for impromptu visits in the comfort of their own plush chairs.
The open design of the Club Car Cru likely limits it to warmer areas of the country, which is exactly where the company is focusing its early sales efforts.
As LSV options continue to grow and these types of small electric vehicles become more widely used, you might just see a few cruising your own city soon.
via: Fast Company
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Environment
Hyundai’s new Kona Electric is even cheaper to lease than the gas-powered model at $169/mo
The newly designed Hyundai Kona Electric is better in every way, with more range, faster charging, and a bold new style. Hyundai’s new 2024 Kona Electric is even cheaper to lease than the gas-powered model, starting at $169 per month.
Hyundai Kona Electric cheaper to lease than gas model
Hyundai revealed the 2024 Kona Electric at the NY Auto Show last April with a sleek new “EV-derived” design.
You can instantly see the upgrades with a modern style closer to its IONIQ 5 and 6 dedicated EVs. The inside is nearly 6″ longer, with an additional 3″ legroom in the second row. A flat floor design creates more head and shoulder space than the previous model.
Hyundai included its next-gen dual 12.3″ infotainment system with a faster, more intelligent user face. It also comes with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay as standard.
The 2024 Kona EV features a slightly bigger battery with faster charging and up to 261 miles range. Starting under $33,000, the 2024 Kona Electric is already one of the most affordable EVs in the US.
2024 Kona EV prices
It’s available in three trims: SE, SEL, and Limited. The base SE model includes a 48.6 kWh battery for up to 200 miles range. The SEL and Limited feature a 64.8 kWh battery, good for up to 261 miles range.
2024 Hyundai Kona electric trim |
Starting Price (not including a $1,335 delivery fee) |
| SE | $32,675 |
| SEL | $36,675 |
| Limited | $41,045 |
With an up to $7,500 featured cash offer, you can lease the 2024 Hyundai Kona Electric SE for as low as $169 per month.
The deal is for 24 months, with $1,999 due at signing. It also includes the $7,500 EV Lease Bonus for a net capitalized cost of $25,370.
If you’re looking for the higher-range SEL trim, it can be leased for as little as $199 per month. That’s also for 24 months, with $1,579 due at signing. With the EV credit, the net capitalized cost is $29,419.
However, you may have to act fast. Hyundai’s website shows the deal ends in five days on April 30, 2024.
Are you ready to drive off in your new Hyundai Kona Electric at some of the lowest prices yet? We can help you get started. You can use our link to find deals on the 2024 Hyundai Kona Electric near you today.
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On the Electrek Podcast, we discuss the most popular news in the world of sustainable transport and energy. In this week’s episode, we discuss all the news coming out of Tesla’s earnings, Model 3 Performance, Mercedes-Benz electric G-Class, and more.
Sponsored by SplitVolt: The Splitvolt Splitter Switch automatically shares power from your existing 240V dryer socket with your Level 2 EV charger. Learn more here.
The show is live every Friday at 4 p.m. ET on Electrek’s YouTube channel.
As a reminder, we’ll have an accompanying post, like this one, on the site with an embedded link to the live stream. Head to the YouTube channel to get your questions and comments in.
After the show ends at around 5 p.m. ET, the video will be archived on YouTube and the audio on all your favorite podcast apps:
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Here are a few of the articles that we will discuss during the podcast:
Here’s the live stream for today’s episode starting at 4:00 p.m. ET (or the video after 5 p.m. ET):
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Rivian has promised free NACS adapters will be sent out to its owners, and it’s starting that process now.
Rivian officially got access to Tesla’s Supercharger network last month, but in order to use it, non-Tesla cars need an adapter. Most other EVs come with a CCS plug, but Tesla’s plug is now called NACS, after it opened its charge standard in 2022.
Third party adapters have been available, but several of the automakers that have announced they’re switching to NACS have committed to sending out adapters to owners as soon as they’re available. We saw the Rivian adapter design leaked in February.
So far, Ford and Rivian have Supercharger access, with GM, Polestar and Volvo coming this spring, and others coming later. Tesla previously announced that GM would get access in February, so we imagine that is coming imminently (we heard reports on social media today that GM adapters are now available, but GM communications told us that those reports are not accurate, and that they will be available “later this year”).
In February, Ford did start sending out adapters, becoming the first automaker to do so. This is fitting, given that Ford was the first domino that led to basically the entire industry adopting NACS.
However, delivery of Ford adapters has been a little slow, with delivery estimates being pushed back by Ford.
Now, Rivian is becoming the second automaker to send out adapters.
Rivian owners have started to receive emails from the automaker asking for their shipping address, according to a thread on rivianforums.com. The original poster has a low VIN number, as do some other forum users who got the email, so we imagine they might be high on the list, with other owners with higher VINs getting their emails soon.
The email states:
Hi there,
Good news! Your complimentary NACS DC adapter is ready to be shipped. Please follow the link below to let us know your preferred delivery address within 60 days of receiving this email.
Please Note: Unfortunately, we cannot support shipping to PO Boxes or any addresses that are outside the United States or Canada at this time.
So – if you’re a Rivian owner, keep your eyes on your email, because it sounds like adapter shipping is imminent (and make sure you’ve responded to the April 4 email to opt-in to receiving the adapter).
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