The surprising reasons that more golf carts are becoming car replacements
In recent years, a surprising trend has begun gaining momentum across the US: Golf carts are being increasingly adopted as primary modes of transportation in communities, beach towns, and other areas. The traditional image of golf carts as mere mobility aides for silver-haired retirees to traverse the greens is shifting rapidly. If you’re skeptical, I can’t blame you. But the times are changing, so let’s dive deeper into why golf carts are making excellent car replacements for so many people.
Embracing the simplicity and efficiency of golf carts
For starters, golf carts are the epitome of simplicity and efficiency when it comes to four-wheeled electric vehicles. They are designed to move people around and little more. Forget the heated seats or the infotainment systems (though to be fair you’ll find high-end golf carts with those features, too).
These mobility buggies are compact, easy to operate, and consume significantly less power compared to conventional cars. That makes them an ideal choice for short, regular commutes such as neighborhood errands or trips to nearby recreational spots.
Moreover, electric golf carts are an eco-friendly alternative to gas-guzzling cars. They can help reduce your carbon footprint by operating on rechargeable batteries that sip away at energy compared to conventional combustion-powered engines that burn through gas and pollute the air we breathe. This shift toward sustainability, coupled with increased vehicle costs and higher gas prices, makes golf carts even more attractive from the economic side, in addition to their simplicity and ease of operation.
Versatility and customizability
Golf carts are also incredibly versatile and customizable. They can be adapted to carry not just passengers, but also cargo, making them useful for a number of different tasks from hauling groceries to transporting gardening tools.
In fact, many golf carts are actually used for more utility-oriented tasks instead of just as people movers. There are entire lines of utility-focused golf carts that come with truck-style beds.
The janky buggies of yesteryear have also been majorly upgraded with features that make them feel more like traditional cars, at least from the perspective of comfort and features.
These mobility alternatives are no longer confined to basic golf course navigation or cruising Del Boca Vista quickly enough to be first in line at dinner for the early bird special. Today, they come with various optional features such as rain covers and removable doors, upgraded upholstery, entertainment systems, custom paint jobs and even lift kits. Lifted golf carts are one of the fastest growing categories and are even finding popularity among younger users.
We’re also starting to see more street-legal golf carts that meet the requirements of low-speed vehicles (LSVs) and thus can be registered, tagged, and insured for road use. All of this variation means users can personalize their carts to reflect their style and needs.
Accessibility and community
Golf carts are easily accessible and foster a sense of community in many areas that have adapted their towns and communities to widespread cart use. In many towns and retirement communities, they promote slow-paced living and encourage more face-to-face interactions. Cities like Peachtree City in Georgia have become famous for massive adoption of golf carts and the inclusion of specific roads just for them. Island communities like Key Biscayne have also seen a huge uptick in golf cart usage, to the point where many homes have a second smaller garage door and section of the garage just for a golf cart. The island has even had to revamp its local laws to address the ballooning number of carts on its roads.
Such heavy golf cart use helps reduce the physical barriers that come with traditional vehicles, providing an open and friendly mode of transportation.
Additionally, for the elderly or those with mobility issues, golf carts provide an easy-to-access mode of transportation. The low speed combined with the ease of getting in and out of the vehicle make it a convenient and safe choice for many drivers who have given up their keys and no longer feel comfortable driving conventional cars.
Economic considerations
While the initial purchase price of a golf cart might seem steep, it’s important to factor in the long-term cost savings. Many people are shocked by the price of these vehicles, which generally start at around US $8,000 and can quickly increase to $12,000 or more when including nicer accessories.
Golf carts have major cost advantages though, including that they are less expensive to maintain and operate than traditional cars. When you consider the cost of gas, insurance, and regular car maintenance, a golf cart can often be a more economical choice.
Safety and regulation
While golf carts are generally safe to operate, it’s important to understand local laws and regulations. Many communities have embraced light electric four-wheelers, and thus, have specific rules in place for their use. While they can’t match the speed of cars, they often include safety features like seat belts, headlights, taillights, turn signals, and mirrors, making them somewhat more suitable for local, low-speed travel in light traffic areas, where allowed by law.
It is important to remember though that most golf carts are not legally allowed to operate on public roads, unless a local ordinance has made specific exceptions for them. Some manufacturers have begun producing LSV-edition golf carts that do meet federal requirements for on-road usage, and we’ll be discussing that topic in-depth soon in a multi-part LSV series next week.
One other aspect of safety to consider isn’t just that of the occupants, but also of those around the vehicle. Pedestrians and cyclists are at more danger than ever before due to the increasing size and weight of vehicles in the US. The single largest factor in determining the fatality rate of crashes between cars and cyclists/pedestrians is car speed. Slower-moving vehicles as well as lighter vehicles make everyone around them safer, and that’s another important consideration to keep in mind.
The future of golf carts
Looking forward, the popularity of golf carts as everyday vehicles doesn’t seem to be waning. As more communities adopt golf cart-friendly policies and infrastructure, and as manufacturers continue to innovate with improved performance, comfort, and safety features, the role of golf carts is set to expand.
In conclusion, it’s safe to say that the days of golf carts being just for golfers are long gone. They are an efficient, versatile, and eco-friendly alternative to traditional cars, particularly suited for short-distance travel and community living. As we tread further into an era of sustainability, these compact vehicles are emerging as a popular choice for those seeking to minimize their environmental impact, simplify their lives, and strengthen their local connections.
They might not be appropriate for everyone, but many communities with local golf cart laws and with light traffic roads could serve as perfect locations to replace many vehicle trips with golf carts. So next time you’re considering a new vehicle, why not give the humble golf cart a second look?
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Traditional painted houses overlooking sea ice in the Old Nuuk district near the Sermitsiaq mountain in Nuuk, Greenland, on Thursday, April 3, 2025.
Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images
A global scramble to exploit the Arctic’s untapped resources appears to be kicking into overdrive.
In a push to break China’s mineral dominance, countries around the world are increasingly turning to the thawing and sparsely populated northern polar region, seeking to seize its raw materials and benefit from new commercial trade routes.
U.S. President Donald Trump, for example, has repeatedly underscored the importance of Greenland, a vast Arctic territory, calling U.S. ownership of the island an “absolute necessity” for economic and national security reasons.
Canada has recently sought to ramp up Arctic investment as part of a push designed to unlock its resource potential, particularly amid strained diplomatic ties with the U.S.
Russia, which has a sprawling Arctic coastline, has long recognized the region as a strategic priority. Indeed, President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday lauded the construction of a new nuclear-powered icebreaker ship to navigate Arctic waters, saying “it’s important to consistently strengthen Russia’s position” in the region.
“The Arctic is seen as a source of a lot of different raw materials, not only oil and gas, but a lot of strategic materials and rare earths,” Marc Lanteigne, associate professor at the Arctic University of Norway in Tromso, told CNBC by telephone.
“Greenland, right now, is a repository of a lot of base metals, precious metals, gem stones, rare earths, uranium … it’s all there. The problem is that up until recently, it was seen as completely unviable to actually mine them,” Lanteigne said.
“But with climate change and the ability to navigate the Arctic Ocean much more frequently, especially during the summer months, Greenland is starting to be looked at much more carefully as a potential alternative source for a lot of these strategic materials to China.”
Greenland has been transformed by the climate crisis. A major analysis of historic satellite images, published last year by researchers at the U.K.’s University of Leeds, showed parts of the autonomous Danish territory’s ice sheet and glaciers have been replaced by wetlands, areas of shrub and barren rock.
For mining companies, the major ice loss has inadvertently made some of the island’s strategic minerals more accessible.
Tony Sage, CEO of Critical Metals, which is developing one of the world’s largest rare earth assets in southern Greenland, said there has been a notable upswing in investor interest in Greenland in recent months, particularly since Trump returned to office and raised the prospect of seizing control of the territory.
“I remember in his first term, in around 2018 and 2019, he made a big song and dance about the strategic value of rare earths in Greenland, so even back then,” Sage told CNBC by telephone.
Perception vs. reality
Alongside Critical Metals, mining and exploration company Amaroq is also working to exploit some of Greenland’s resources. Amaroq CEO Eldur Olafsson said the firm’s recent discovery of high-grade rare earths in southern Greenland “means a lot to us.”
The project, which will take several years to develop, marked the firm’s first foray into the rare earths space as it expands its interests beyond gold and other strategic minerals.
Just one week after unveiling its rare earths discovery, the company on Nov. 11 confirmed commercial levels of germanium and gallium at its west Greenland hub, a development that Olafsson said could prove to be even more strategically significant.
“The germanium, gallium piece is, in my opinion, much bigger news than people understand,” Olafsson told CNBC by video call.
This aerial view shows icebergs floating in the waters beaten down by the sun with buildings in the background off Nuuk, Greenland, on March 11, 2025, on the day of Greenland, the autonomous Danish territory, legislative elections.
Odd Andersen | Afp | Getty Images
Germanium and gallium are essential components to a wide range of goods, from electric vehicles to semiconductors and military applications.
China, which is the primary global producer of these metals, imposed initial export controls on germanium and gallium in 2023, before singling out the U.S. with an outright ban late last year in response to curbs imposed on its chip sector by Washington. Beijing has since suspended its ban of gallium and germanium exports to the U.S., although the metals remain subject to restrictive measures.
“That is a mineral that the U.S. and the European Union need now. The rare earths are being processed by Lynas and MP Materials. That is something that you can access, I wouldn’t say easier, but you can access it … Germanium and gallium, if you don’t have them then that is a massive problem,” Olafsson said.
“We now have a short-term solution in mining terms to mine zinc, lead, silver and germanium and gallium, while we are then developing exporting the rare earths as well.”
Olafsson said it was important for the company to generate cashflow through its portfolio of gold and other strategic metals while it seeks to deliver on its rare earths potential, noting that the rare earths market is still relatively small.
Asked whether the race for the Arctic’s resources could be compared to a gold rush, Lanteigne said: “This is where perception and reality tend to kick in.”
He added: “There has been a lot of discussion about a rush to develop mineral resources in Greenland, for example, but I can say having been there quite a few times that if you are going to set up a mine then you need to bring in literally everything.”
Even in ideal conditions, Lanteigne said logistical challenges, such as Greenland’s harsh climate and remote landscape, means it could take 15 to 20 years before companies start to turn a serious profit.
Arctic Sweden
It’s not just Greenland. The scramble for the Arctic’s minerals includes some of the northernmost areas of Sweden, too.
State-owned mining firm LKAB is currently racing to develop one of Europe’s largest known deposits of rare earths. The discovery of the so-called Per Geijer deposit, which was announced in 2023, sits in close proximity to the firm’s massive iron ore mine in the Arctic city of Kiruna.
Rain falls as a general view taken on August 21, 2025 shows the LKAB iron ore mine and a sign bearing the company’s logo in Kiruna, northern Sweden.
Jonathan Nackstrand | Afp | Getty Images
Niklas Johansson, senior vice president public affairs and external relations at LKAB, said the company is currently in discussion with European lawmakers to ensure that it will be economically viable to develop its resources.
“We’ve already got the material up to the ground. That’s all been paid for by the iron ore. Still, it’s not a given that this is a business case. It looks like it is for us at the moment, but it’s not something that you’d say, ‘oh it’s a no brainer, just run for it,'” Johansson told CNBC by telephone.
“I also tell them that if it looks like this for us, who has most of the infrastructure and everything in place, how do you think it will look for others in Europe?”
The German city of Karlsruhe is setting an example for sustainability in waste management by deploying a fleet of 18 Mercedes-Benz eEconic electric garbage trucks that are helping make the streets cleaner, quieter, and a lot less stinky.
Since the end of September, the city of Karlsruhe has been relying on Mercedes’ fully electric waste collection vehicles throughout, with none of the area-specific restrictions or limited rollout strategies for one or two trucks at a time that typically accompany stories like these. Instead, the city is using the Mercedes eEconics for the same stuff they’d use the diesel versions for: residual waste disposal, paper collection, and bulky waste collection.
Normal garbage duty, in other words. And, in such daily use, they do a great job. The trucks cover an average route distance of around 80 km (about 50 miles) on 112 kWh battery packs (usable capacity is ~97 kWh) which can be reliably completed in single-shift operation without intermediate charging — thanks, in part, to Mercedes’ efficient electric motors and regenerative braking that shines in the trucks’ typical stop-and-go duty cycles.
More than a single shift, in fact. The fleet managers report that after “a good 80 kilometers with around 60 stops on its daily route,” energy consumption was only around 35% of the battery capacity, meaning the charge level dropped from 100% to 65% and 64% respectively.
At the same time, CO₂ emissions are significantly reduced: depending on the area of application, each eEconic can save between 150 and 170 tons of CO₂ per year. This results in a total potential annual saving of around 1,200 tons of CO₂ emissions.
The purchase of the electric vehicles was funded by the Federal Ministry of Transport (BMV) as part of the guideline on the promotion of light and heavy commercial vehicles with alternative, climate-friendly drives and the associated refueling and charging infrastructure (KsNI). The funding guideline was coordinated by NOW GmbH, and applications were approved by the Federal Office for Logistics and Mobility.
Electrek’s Take
Look, you know me. There is absolutely ZERO chance that I’ll be able to remain objective about anything that’s putting down more than four thousand lb-ft of torque. Make that thing quieter, cleaner, and generally better for me and my community, and there’s even less of a chance of me saying anything critical about it.
Here’s hoping more cities go electric rather sooner than later.
SOURCE | IMAGES: Daimler Truck.
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Electreon just took a big step toward expanding wireless EV charging. The Israel-based company signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to acquire the assets of InductEV, a Pennsylvania-based firm known for its ultra-fast, high-power static wireless charging systems used by heavy-duty electric transit and freight fleets.
If the deal closes after due diligence and regulatory approvals, the combined company would bring together Electreon’s dynamic wireless charging tech – the kind that can charge vehicles while they drive – with InductEV’s high-power stationary systems. That would create one of the most complete wireless charging portfolios on the market, covering everything from passenger EVs to vans, buses, heavy-duty trucks, and even autonomous vehicles.
Electreon and InductEV together hold around 400 granted and pending patents, and have a lot of field experience across their respective projects. Electreon says that pairing its manufacturing capabilities and global footprint with InductEV’s ultra-fast tech will help streamline and speed up fleet electrification.
Both companies already work with major vehicle OEMs, which Electreon asserts will make integrating wireless charging into future vehicle platforms easier.
Electreon CEO Oren Ezer said the deal would combine the two companies into “a truly global powerhouse for wireless EV charging.” He added that “the decision by InductEV’s shareholders to invest in Electreon is a tremendous vote of confidence in our shared vision.”
InductEV CEO John F. Rizzo said, “Together, we’re combining world-class innovation with real-world experience to deliver even greater value to our North American and European customers and accelerate the shift to wireless power for sustainable commercial transportation.”
Read more: Michigan installs the US’s first wireless EV charging public roadway
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