On National Golf Cart Day (seriously), here’s 10 ways they beat cars
Golf carts are no longer just for cruising the country club. In fact, these days, they’re more commonly found zipping through neighborhood streets or joy-riding around beach communities. These smaller, more efficient alternatives to traditional cars might just be a good choice for your ‘second car’, believe it or not.
Thanks to US golf cart maker E-Z-GO, which partnered with National Calendar Day to help establish National Golf Cart Day in celebration of the brand’s 70th anniversary, we can now all celebrate these pint-sized car replacements with their own holiday.
Once powered by polluting combustion engines, these days, most golf carts use quiet and emissions-free electric motors, charging up their batteries for mere pennies and offering plenty of around-the-town range. Several manufacturers have also created street-legal versions of their golf carts, usually signified with “LSV” in the name (for the Low-Speed Vehicle designation), which can be legally driven on most public roads posted with speed limits of 35 mph (56 m/h) or lower.
Here are 10 compelling reasons why golf carts might just be the better choice for your local transportation needs.
1. Eco-friendly transportation
Electric golf carts produce zero emissions during use, making them an environmentally friendly option. They also use less materials, produce less tire particulates, and generally score higher on just about every environmental metric, even compared to electric vehicles. Ultimately though, these ARE electric vehicles, they just aren’t $50,000 Teslas.
And with many golf carts available for a small fraction of the cost of a new electric car, this is one of the most cost-effective ways to get into a four-wheeled electric vehicle. This is especially true for those who choose not to ride an e-bike or must carry several children or other passengers.
2. Cost-effective operation
Golf carts are significantly cheaper to operate than cars. The cost of electricity for charging an electric golf cart is much lower than the price of gasoline. A typical 5-7 kWh golf cart battery can be charged for less than one dollar in most states.
Additionally, golf carts require significantly less maintenance, which translates into major savings on repairs and upkeep.
While most golf carts aren’t cheap, usually between US $8,000 to $12,000 depending on luxury features, they’re still much more affordable than a new car. Buying used can help lower costs, but there are also interesting new additions to the market such as the Kandi Mini golf cart, priced at just US $3,999. I’m currently testing that model, seen below towing my kayak to the lake.
3. Ease of parking
One of the biggest advantages of golf carts is their compact size, which makes parking a breeze. You can easily maneuver and park golf carts in tight spaces, avoiding the frustration of finding a large parking spot for a car.
My parents live just a few miles from a golf cart-friendly community (we’re talking about homes with an extra half-sized garage door so people can park their golf carts in the garage too). When I visit them, I regularly see golf carts from the nearby community at the local stores, often parked in areas where cars wouldn’t be able to fit, or sharing parking spaces with each other.
4. Ideal for short distances
Golf carts are perfect for short-distance travel, such as going to the local market, visiting friends in the neighborhood, or commuting within a residential area. They usually have battery ranges of dozens of miles, not hundreds, meaning they would be plenty for around-the-town trips, but the smaller batteries than traditional electric cars help save significant costs.
Their design is also optimized for low-speed travel, ensuring safe and comfortable rides for short trips. The low speed might put a limit on which roads they can take, but of course no one wants to take a golf cart on high-speed roads anyway due to the open-body design.
Another trend I’m seeing more often in the US is parents waiting in their cars at school bus stops. These parents often idle their engines while they wait to pick up their child and then drive them two minutes through the neighborhood back home. If you’re going to be a helicopter parent, or are overly worried about Timmy getting snatched in their own neighborhood, at least you could do it while driving a smaller and more fuel-efficient vehicle like a golf cart.
5. Lower speed, higher safety (seriously)
I know, I know. Most people will inherently assume that golf carts are “less safe.” But that’s not the case. Sure, they aren’t going to do as well as a Model 3 in a front crash test. But they also likely won’t be in a position where they need to perform like a Model 3.
With lower maximum speeds, golf carts are inherently safer for local travel on smaller roads where they’ll be mixing it up with less traffic. The reduced speed limits the risk of serious accidents, making them a safer option for transporting children and elderly passengers.
In fact, many studies have shown that all cars would be safer if speed limits were simply reduced in cities. Speed is the real killer. So while I wouldn’t want to go into a head-on collision with a semi while driving a golf cart, I’m also not likely ever going to be in a position where that would happen.
6. Quiet operation
Golf carts operate quietly compared to the louder engines of cars. This is particularly beneficial in residential areas where noise pollution can be a concern. The quiet operation of golf carts ensures a peaceful environment for you and your neighbors. Even the smaller wheels and tires result in less noise than a full-sized electric car’s tire roar.
This is another reason why they are so popular in beach towns and island communities. In addition to avoiding traditional forms of pollution, they also reduce the sound pollution of larger vehicular traffic.
7. Reduced insurance costs
Insurance for golf carts is typically much cheaper than for cars. Since they are primarily used for low-speed, local travel, the risk associated with golf carts is lower, leading to more affordable insurance premiums.
Theft premiums are also usually lower. If a golf cart ever has damage, the cost to repair is usually much lower than for “real” cars.
8. Convenience and accessibility
Golf carts are easy to get in and out of, making them highly accessible for people of all ages, including those with mobility issues. The open design and lower step-in height make them convenient for everyday use.
Whether it’s kids hopping on to get to practice or elderly riders using them to navigate a retirement community, golf carts are easier for everyone!
9. Customizable and fun!
Golf carts can be highly customized to suit your personal style and needs. From adding storage compartments and custom paint jobs to installing comfortable seating and advanced tech features, the possibilities are endless.
Customizing your golf cart can make local transportation not only practical but also fun. It may get fairly pricey when you look into packages for lifted suspension and major lighting accessories, but the same can be said for the entire automotive industry.
10. Community and lifestyle integration
Using golf carts fosters a sense of community. As more neighbors adopt golf carts, local travel becomes more social and interactive. The slower pace and open design of golf carts encourage friendly interactions and help build stronger neighborhood ties.
I see this often in golf cart-friendly communities, where folks tend to interact more, stop and chat on paths, and generally spend more time socializing with their community members
While cars are essential for long-distance travel and certain tasks, golf carts present a versatile and efficient alternative for local transportation. No one expects golf carts to completely replace cars, but they sure can replace many car trips, and potentially replace the need for a second full-size car.
Their environmental benefits, cost-effectiveness, ease of use, and safety make them an attractive choice for short trips around the neighborhood. By embracing golf carts, you can enjoy a simpler, greener, and more connected way of getting around. So next time you need to run a quick errand or visit a nearby friend, consider hopping in a golf cart – you might just find it’s the perfect fit for your local transportation needs.
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Tesla CEO Elon Musk said the company will remove “safety monitors” from the passenger seats of Tesla’s Robotaxi vehicles in “about three weeks,” which would mean we’d see completely driverless Teslas in the Austin area potentially by the end of the year – if that timeline sticks.
Tesla has been working on a system that would allow vehicles to drive themselves, which has been in “beta” release for over a decade now. It calls this system “Full Self-Driving,” despite the fact that the system does not currently drive itself.
That has not stopped Musk from consistently promising more and more of the system, despite its stagnating capabilities. Over the course of the last decade, Musk has consistently promised driverless vehicles within the coming year, with deadlines consistently passing by without achieving that goal.
One of those promises has been the creation of a driverless taxi network, which Tesla used to call “Tesla Network” and is now calling “Robotaxi.” The idea originally came with the promise that owners could use their cars to make money by running them as taxis, but that hasn’t panned out.
Tesla did roll out its own version of a taxi network, though, in Austin, in June of this year. While it’s done a few cool things, the cars each have a “safety monitor” in the passenger seat who can take control at any time, which means the cars aren’t truly “driverless” since there is an operator, they’ve just been moved to the passenger seat.
In the time since Robotaxi’s rollout, it’s made quite a few mistakes and had a high crash rate. But Tesla also delivered one fully unoccupied vehicle from the factory to a local buyer, which was a cool (and, as yet, still unique) stunt.
Throughout the year, Musk has claimed loudly that the system would improve rapidly, stating that by the end of the year Robotaxis would be available to half of the US population (they are not) and that Tesla’s fleet would grow by more than 10x by the end of the year (it has not).
But now we have another bold prediction from Musk, stating that the safety monitors will be out of a job by the end of the year.
During a videoconference at a hackathon event for xAI, one of Musk’s other companies (which he is trying to get Tesla shareholders to bail out), Musk was asked a question about the barriers to unsupervised full self-driving. Musk answered:
Unsupervised is pretty much solved at this point. There will be Tesla Robotaxis operating in Austin with no one in them, not even anyone in the passenger seat, in about three weeks. I think it’s pretty much a solved problem, we’re just going through validation right now.
The “three weeks” timeline is familiar to longtime Tesla followers. Over the years, Musk has often promised fixes or software updates in “two weeks,” and they often take longer than that.
Three weeks is a lot closer than the “next year” promise that we’ve heard so many times for full autonomy, but given its proximity to the oft-inaccurate two-week timeline, we’re not sure these vehicles will actually be ready in time for New Year’s Eve celebrations.
Nevertheless, it’s a closer timeline than Musk has usually given, so there may be truly driverless Teslas operating sometime soon™.
Also, reading the statement more closely, it sounds like they won’t necessarily remove safety operators from every vehicle, but some vehicles. This could be similar to the singular driverless vehicle delivery that Tesla did – a PR stunt, rather than a full rollout. We’ll have to wait and see.
Tesla’s main competitor in the robotaxi space is Waymo, which has been operating truly driverless vehicles for several years now. The company has also been operating autonomous, driverless vehicles in Austin since March of this year.
Musk went on to talk about future improvements to Tesla’s software and hardware in his answer.
The company is currently on hardware previously deemed HW4, though to cash in on the AI stock market bubble, it now refers to that system as AI4. He said that AI5 will be 10-40 times better than HW4 and go into volume production in 2027, with AI6 coming soon after.
Musk’s mention of future hardware improvements neglects one important aspect of these improvements, which is that for every hardware improvement Tesla puts into its fleet, the more vehicles it will have to upgrade later.
Tesla long promised that its vehicles had all the hardware for self-driving, which means it’s going to have to upgrade a lot of cars – and there are court cases around the world seeking to force the company to do so. Together, these lawsuits and other potential challenges could mean billions of dollars in liabilities for the company.
Musk then closed his statements by claiming that “our” goal is to “to understand the meaning of life and… propagate consciousness out to the stars,” which is not Tesla’s goal. Tesla’s actual goal is to accelerate the transition to sustainable energy. He may have been referring to xAI’s goal, but given the answer was about Tesla, perhaps he was confused (or perhaps he doesn’t care about Tesla anymore, and isn’t a good CEO for the company as a result…)
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VW’s retro-tastic minivan hasn’t been the sales success the company might have wanted, and a lot of that has to do with the van’s sky high price tag. Now, VW is asking: will a $10,000 discount be enough to create some buzz for the ID.Buzz?
Volkswagen is offering $7,500 in Retail Customer Bonus cash this month – up from the $2,500 the company offered its Black Friday customers – that, along with an additional $2,500 unadvertised dealer cash incentive that CarsDirect is reporting absolutely, definitely exists, adds up to a stout $10,000 total discount on the all-electric VW ID.Buzz … and that’s before you start haggling with your dealer over the MSRP.
It’s a lot
As much as I like the the Volkswagen ID.Buzz, its starting MSRP around $61,545 (incl. destination) puts it at nearly twice what you’d probably expect a minivan to cost if the last time you shopped for one was at a Dodge store. Still, that hefty price tag is some $20,000 higher than the baseline Toyota Sienna hybrid or Honda Odyssey.
That 50% higher price is a lot to swallow even if you do buy into the nostalgia. Still, the ID.Buzz is capable enough, and with ~230 miles of range and 282 hp on offer from its battery/electric motor combo – plus Supercharger access – it’s at least able to keep up with the minivan competition.
So, while that $10,000 discount isn’t going to turn the ID.Buzz into the second coming of the affordable, family-hauling Caravan, it does bring VW’s electric people-mover a little closer to earth. In fact, with a $50K price tag, it’s right in line with the average transaction price of a new vehicles. So, if nothing else, that reduced price could finally gives electric minivan buyers something to buzz about (I tried so hard to work that in, you guys).
If you’ve been shopping for a family-hauler and dig the retro vibe over something like the (excellent) Kia EV9, click through the link below and set up a test drive at your local VW dealer.
SOURCE: CarsDirect; images via VW.
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Peterbilt has jumped into the MD truck ring with the launch three new medium-duty electric trucks that deliver zero-emissions power, ultra-fast 350 kW charging, and proven, versatile platforms for delivery, utility service, and vocational upfitting.
The new Peterbilt 536EV, 537EV, and 548EV medium-duty trucks slot into the same versatile medium-duty segments the company’s fleets already know, but swap diesel power for latest PACCAR ePowertrain, with up to 605 hp and 1,850 lb-ft of torque available at 0 rpm. That big motor draws power from a variety of LFP battery packs and be fitted with ePTO options rated for either 25 kW (two-battery option) or 150 kW (three-battery option), making them suitable for that can be sized for daily delivery routes, urban utility work, and municipal fleets looking to cut both emissions and maintenance costs.
What’s more, the new Peterbilt’s flexible architecture allows for integration with existing PACCAR suspension bits to make 4×2 and 6×4 configurations, and any wheelbase of 163 inches or longer, and up to 82,000 lbs. gross combined weight ratings possible.
“[The new trucks are] optimized for the demands of the medium duty segment, the next generation of Peterbilt electric vehicles deliver excellent efficiency, rapid charging and versatile configurations elevating customer productivity across a wide range of applications,” said Erik Johnson, Peterbilt assistant general manager, Sales & Marketing.
In addition to all those goodies, the PACCAR EV tech continues to be top-notch, with the previously-mentioned 350 kW charging, regenerative braking, and industry-leading ergonomics.
Peterbilt’s new MDEVs ship with a blue accented crown and grille for a distinctive exterior look, as well as EV-exclusive panels on the side of the hood. The interior design features laser-etched trim panels on the EV-exclusive Magneto Gray interior, just in case the driver in the quiet, smooth, and stink-free cabin forgets they’re in an electric truck.
Electrek’s Take
Ignore the headlines. The death of the commercial EV market simply hasn’t happened, and won’t happen any time soon.
If you believe the engineers and analysts at MAN Trucks and Orange EV (and, you should), an EV like this can pay for itself in reduced fuel and maintenance costs even without incentives, then you should already know what I’m about to say: the future of trucking is 100% electric.
SOURCE | IMAGES: PACCAR.
If you’re considering going solar, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.
Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
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