In recent years a surprising vehicle trend has quietly gained momentum across the US. Believe it or not, electric golf carts are becoming a popular choice as “second cars” for many American families.
These compact, efficient, and versatile vehicles are increasingly being seen far beyond the confines of the country clubs, zipping around neighborhoods and making regular appearances in local commutes. So what’s behind this surge in popularity?
Firstly, we need to recognize the huge strides made in electric vehicle (EV) technology over the past decade. Unlike economics, EV advancements in electric cars actually do trickle down.
Electric golf carts have reaped the benefits of this technological revolution, becoming far more than just golf course cruisers. Today’s models boast improved battery life from compact lithium-ion batteries, increased power with higher quality brushless electric motors, and a surprising array of creature comfort options. Want a lifted electric golf cart with a sound system? That’s no longer a custom job – you can buy fancy carts right out of the dealer catalog.
Modern electric golf carts now offer smooth and silent rides with ranges sufficient to cover daily short commutes comfortably. There’s no gasoline engine to require regular maintenance. There’s no little red gas can to keep around the garage. And there’s not even the old problem of the cart dying in the middle of the street because the old-school lead acid batteries went kaput. Today’s electric golf carts are a significant step up with quality lithium batteries and high-power motors.
That convenience, combined with the increasing popularity of ordinances that scores of towns have passed to make golf carts legal on smaller public roads, has helped many families replace the need for a second car.
I recently visited Babcock Ranch in Florida, a planned town where a large number of the homes are actually built with golf cart parking. Check out the home below, which features a second smaller garage designed for a golf cart. Planners already knew that residents would likely be getting around by cart and built the homes accordingly. The town square has nearly as many golf carts buzzing around as cars, and the local supermarkets and restaurants have parking lots full of carts.
It’s just one example showing that it may be difficult to entirely wrestle cars away from Americans, but what were once two-car families are often turning into one-car and one-golf-cart families and saving money along the way.
There are several shining examples of cities that have jumped in with both feet to legalize golf carts as everyday vehicles, making them more convenient as car replacers.
Peachtree City in Georgia is perhaps one of the most famous, with its tens of thousands of golf carts that roam the street. The city even removed the golf clubs from its city logo after deciding that it was “more of a golf cart city than a golf city.”
The city allows golf carts to be operated on many of its public roads but also has smaller multi-use paths designed for these small vehicles as well as for bikes and scooters, providing shorter routes and avoiding traffic from larger vehicles.
Many residents still own a typical car for longer trips but opt to use their golf carts as much as possible in town.
Ethan Luster, the owner of a golf cart dealer in Clearwater, Florida, explained that many of his customers are people moving down to Florida. In these communities, such small and convenient little vehicles are seen as a standard, normalized form of transportation around town.
For newcomers to the area, these convenient vehicles are often one of their first purchases, Luster explained:
Some of our out-of-state customers, they haven’t even been to their new house yet and they’ve purchased a golf cart on their way over.
The affordability of electric golf carts is another crucial factor driving their popularity as second cars. With prices significantly lower than the average car, and operating costs that are just a fraction of those for cars (whether gas-powered or electric), electric carts present an economically appealing alternative.
The reduced maintenance needs, coupled with incredibly low “fuel” costs, make them a sensible choice for budget-conscious consumers. A typical re-charge can cost as little as one dollar, and takes place in owners’ garages instead of needing to stop at a gas station for a fill-up.
While often not the main motivation for many people opting for an electric golf cart instead of a second car, the environmental factor plays a role in their rising popularity. As awareness about climate change and the environmental impact of fossil fuels grows, many Americans are consciously seeking out greener alternatives. Electric golf carts align perfectly with this mindset, producing zero tailpipe emissions and having a far smaller environmental footprint than conventional cars. Even issues like tire wear releasing cancer-causing particles into the environment are further reduced by using smaller and lighter vehicles like golf carts.
But it’s not just about saving money or the planet. The practicality of electric golf carts in certain contexts is unbeatable. For short trips within the community – such as to the local grocery store, the community center, or a friend’s house – they are incredibly convenient. They’re compact, making them easy to park, and their 20-25 mph speed is adequate for residential areas.
Many communities across the US, particularly in retirement areas like Florida and Arizona, are already golf cart-friendly, with dedicated lanes and parking spaces. But it’s not just the retirees who are enjoying these fun little vehicles. Many families are finding that golf carts are a fun and efficient way to handle school drop-offs, visit local parks, or simply enjoy a leisurely drive around the neighborhood.
Legal regulations have also evolved to accommodate this trend. Many states now have laws allowing golf carts to be driven on public roads with speed limits of up to 35 mph, provided they meet certain safety requirements. Manufacturers have also modified many of their models into LSVs, or Low Speed Vehicles. The LSV category is a federally approved category of motor vehicles that allows 25 mph vehicles that meet certain safety regulations to operate on roads with speeds limits of up to 35 mph. Golf carts that meet these regulations don’t require any special local ordinance to be legally operated on roads – they’re already covered by federal guidelines that are adopted by nearly all states. This regulatory support further boosts the viability of golf carts as second cars.
Safety might be a concern for some, given that golf carts do not offer the same protection as cars in the event of an accident. However, when used appropriately – that is, primarily for short, slow-speed trips within communities, and not on high-speed roads – the risk is substantially mitigated.
Many golf cart manufacturers are also adding safety features like seat belts, mirrors, and efficient braking systems to their models, all of which are requirements for LSVs. And as many communities create multi-use paths that are accessible to golf carts, these smaller vehicles can be further protected from dangerous full-size cars.
The rise of electric golf carts as “second cars” in the United States represents a fascinating convergence of technological advancement, environmental consciousness, economic sensibility, and practical convenience. As the trend continues to grow, it promises not just a transformation of our local commutes, but also a greener and more sustainable future for all. These humble carts, it seems, have driven far beyond the golf course and straight into the hearts of American families.
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Renewables and nuclear provided 40.9% of the world’s power generation in 2024, passing the 40% mark for the first time since the 1940s, according to a new global energy think tank Ember report.
Renewables added a record 858 TWh in 2024, 49% more than the previous high in 2022. Solar was the largest contributor for the third year running, adding 474 TWh to reach a share of 6.9%. Solar was the fastest-growing power source (+29%) for the 20th year in a row.
Solar has doubled in just three years, providing more than 2,000 TWh of electricity in 2024. Wind generation also grew to 8.1% of global electricity, while hydro – the single largest renewable source – remained steady at 14% of global electricity.
“Solar power has become the engine of the global energy transition,” said Phil MacDonald, Ember’s managing director. “Paired with battery storage, solar is set to be an unstoppable force. As the fastest-growing and largest source of new electricity, it is critical in meeting the world’s ever-increasing demand for electricity.”
Ember’s sixth annual Global Electricity Review, published today, provides the first comprehensive overview of the global power system in 2024 based on country-level data. It’s published alongside the world’s first open dataset on electricity generation in 2024, covering 88 countries that account for 93% of global electricity demand, as well as historical data for 215 countries.
What drove the rising power demand
The analysis finds that fossil fuels also saw a small 1.4% increase in 2024 due to surging electricity demand, pushing global power sector emissions up 1.6% to an all-time high.
Heatwaves were the main driver of the rise in fossil generation, accounting for almost a fifth (+0.7%) of the increase in global electricity demand in 2024 (+4.0%), mainly through additional use of cooling. Without these temperature effects, fossil fuel generation would have risen by only 0.2%, as clean electricity generation met 96% of the demand growth not caused by hotter temperatures.
“Amid the noise, it’s essential to focus on the real signal,” continued MacDonald. “Hotter weather drove the fossil generation increase in 2024, but we’re very unlikely to see a similar jump in 2025.”
Aside from weather effects, the increasing use of electricity for AI, data centers, EVs, and heat pumps is already contributing to global demand growth. Combined, the growing use of these technologies accounted for a 0.7% increase in global electricity demand in 2024, double what they contributed five years ago.
Clean power will grow faster than demand
Ember’s report shows that clean generation growth is set to outpace faster-rising demand in the coming years, marking the start of a permanent decline in fossil fuel generation. The current expected growth in clean generation would be sufficient to meet a demand increase of 4.1% per year to 2030, which is above expectations for demand growth.
“The world is watching how technologies like AI and EVs will drive electricity demand,” said MacDonald. “It’s clear that booming solar and wind are comfortably set to deliver, and those expecting fossil fuel generation to keep rising will be disappointed.”
Beyond emerging technologies, the growth trajectories of the world’s largest emerging economies will play a crucial role in defining the global outlook. More than half of the increase in solar generation in 2024 was in China, with its clean generation growth meeting 81% of its demand increase in 2024. India’s solar capacity additions in 2024 doubled compared to 2023. These two countries are at the forefront of the drive to clean power and will help tip the balance toward a decline in fossil generation at a global level.
Professor Xunpeng Shi, president of the International Society for Energy Transition Studies (ISETS), said: “The future of the global power system is being shaped in Asia, with China and India at the heart of the energy transition. Their increasing reliance on renewables to power demand growth marks a shift that will redefine the global power sector and accelerate the decline of fossil fuels.”
Read more: Made-in-America solar just got a big win in Louisiana
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The next-gen LEAF is almost here, and it’s looking better than ever. This isn’t the electric hatch you are used to seeing. Nissan’s new LEAF EV has more range, a fresh crossover design, and yes, it can finally charge up at Tesla Superchargers with an NACS port. With the official reveal just around the corner, someone already spotted the new LEAF at a Tesla charger in Canada.
Nissan is launching the new LEAF in the US and Canada
A little over a week ago, we finally got our first look at the third-generation LEAF. Nissan’s iconic electric hatch has grown into a “sleek and spacious family-friendly crossover.”
The US and Canada will be the first to see the reimagined LEAF later this year. It will join the Ariya in Nissan’s North American EV lineup as it looks to spark growth in one of its most important markets.
Based on the CMF-EV platform, the same one underpinning the Ariya, Nissan promises the new LEAF will have “significant range improvements.” Although no other details were revealed, Nissan’s vehicle programs chief, Francois Bailly, told TopGear.com that it’s expected to have WLTP driving range of up to 373 miles (600 km).
It will likely be lower on the EPA scale, but anything even close to 300 miles would be a major improvement over the current 212 EPA-estimated miles offered on the 2025 LEAF SV Plus.
The next-gen LEAF will also be Nissan’s first EV to feature an integrated NACS charging port. With its official debut later this year, the new model is out for testing and was just caught testing at a Tesla Supercharger in Canada.
If you didn’t know what vehicle it is, the LEAF is hardly recognizable. The new image from KindelAuto gives us a closer look at the new crossover design. It almost looks like a Tesla sitting in front of the charger.
The new LEAF is one of 10 new and refreshed Nissan vehicles set to launch in the US and Canada. It will arrive later this year, followed by the fourth-gen Rogue in 2026, which will be available as a PHEV for the first time.
Nissan also plans to build a new “adventure-focused SUV” at its Canton, Mississippi, plant in late 2027. The teaser shows what appears to be a rugged electric Xterra. We’ll have to wait for more details on that one.
Nissan will reveal additional info about the upcoming LEAF mid-year. Check back soon for more updates.
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The Port of Barcelona launched the Ecocat Tres, a highly efficient, all-electric commuter ferry powered by Molabo’s ARIES i50 electric motors.
Ecocat Tres is the latest zero-emission ferry in Bus Nàutic’s growing electric fleet, providing clean transportation between the Drassanes and Llevant wharves. In just its first three months, the Bus Nàutic service logged over 125,000 sustainable trips. Operated by ALSA and backed by the Port of Barcelona, the initiative offers locals and visitors an eco-friendly way to travel, cutting down on road congestion and air pollution in the bustling city.
Built by Spanish shipbuilder Metaltec Naval, Ecocat Tres is a 15-meter aluminum catamaran that carries up to 84 passengers. It even includes a rooftop deck, offering extra seating and a breezy ride across the port. The ferry runs every 15 to 30 minutes for at least 12 hours each day, with the entire trip taking about 10 minutes.
Under the deck are two powerful 48V Molabo ARIES i50 motors, enabling the electric ferry to hit a top speed of 12 knots. Cruising at its regular operational speed of 5 knots, Ecocat Tres can run efficiently for up to 21 hours on a single charge, making it highly reliable for daily commuters.
Molabo’s motors have a low-voltage setup, which makes them safer to maintain compared to traditional high-voltage electric systems. Passengers also enjoy a smoother, quieter ride thanks to significantly reduced noise and vibrations onboard. Azimut Marine supplied the full propulsion and energy system, which includes two ARIES 50 kW electric drives, 36 batteries providing a total of 216 kWh, fast chargers, and integrated solar panels. Impressively, solar power alone can cover up to 40% of the ferry’s energy needs.
Ecocat Tres will cut around 90 tons of CO2 emissions each year, making a positive impact on Barcelona’s ambitious climate goals.
Port of Barcelona president José Antonio Carbonell said, “This 100% electric, zero-emission passenger ferry is helping us reshape mobility in the port and accelerate the decarbonization of our operations.”
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