Gas or Electric Golf Cart for a Run-About?

[HickoryNut]

While cleaning or replacing the battery pack, you will eventually drop a wrench on the lugs. Save your nerves from that lightning bolt, find an old 1/2" wrench to dedicate for battery maintenance and wrap it in a thick layer of e-tape.

 

[CrownHawg]

Gas is great. Do not understand your remark about battery life and cost?

Deep Cycle 6v should last 5-10 years for our use plus dealers discounts electric carts vs gas more than the cost of your second set.

I guess I have been misinformed, but when I was looking for one, I was told that depending on use, the batteries "may" need replacing more often. My brother has an electric, and he loves it. After hearing all these success stories of electric carts, I see I was wrong. I still love my gas cart. However, when folks look at it (jacked up with big mud tires) and say "Boy! I'll bet that thing will go anywhere", I still have to say, "Nope, it's still just a golf cart! I got a Polaris RZR that WILL go anywhere though!

 

[Gale Hawkins]

I guess I have been misinformed, but when I was looking for one, I was told that depending on use, the batteries "may" need replacing more often. My brother has an electric, and he loves it. After hearing all these success stories of electric carts, I see I was wrong. I still love my gas cart. However, when folks look at it (jacked up with big mud tires) and say "Boy! I'll bet that thing will go anywhere", I still have to say, "Nope, it's still just a golf cart! I got a Polaris RZR that WILL go anywhere though!

Mr. Bingham of SS Carts about 20 miles west of Lexington, KY to me today when we picked up our 2007 EZGO PDS electric cart that most come in asking for gas but leave with electric due to experiences with the older technology electric cart or just have been given wrong information.

The PDS (Precision Drive System) came out in 2001.5 in the EZGO electric carts and 2009 was the last year they produced the older Series wound electric motor that had lack of torque issues when in the hills, etc.

PDS has four programs from 11 to 18 MPH and two of the programs provides motor "braking" on steep hills by turning the drive motor into a generator and letting it charge the batteries.

From the 'chip' for max braking/hill climbing that he handed me today it just look like different pins are wired together to get different motor features.

Initally an electric cart leaves $1000 in the pocket of the buyer vs the same cart with a gas engine. This will buy a set of batteries and more.

I agree there are environments where only gas makes sense. One case is when the cart is housed in a building without electricity.

 

[CrownHawg]

It's funny you mention that last part, since on my gas cart, I keep it plugged in on a trickle charger all the time! LOL! I have learned that a trickle charger on ALL my vehicles make the batteries last much longer.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

It's funny you mention that last part, since on my gas cart, I keep it plugged in on a trickle charger all the time! LOL! I have learned that a trickle charger on ALL my vehicles make the batteries last much longer.

The owner of the local Interstate Battery Dist center told me in some cases using a trickle charger doubles the life of the battery.

Any battery that goes a few days not that is not 100% charged is damaging to some degree I have read. While it was reported our 4 year old batteries just tested good using a tester that costs like over $1000 it would be nice to get other 4 years out of them.

The 36 volt BatteryMINDer was not cheap ($150 with shipping) I like the fact that it can charge a battery as well as to keep the plates clean of damaging build up 24/7.

It was 27F last night when I took it down the hill and back up (1/4 mile total) and an pulled back up just fine but with the windshield not installed I did not do so fine. :laughing:

This weekend I am going to install the EXTREME hill chip and test it. While it cuts the top speed to 11 MPH but I think it may climb vertical walls.

The big feature that I am interested in is that chip (simple jumper wire) turns the motor into a generator when going down hill given you some serious braking and a little charge to the battery.

 

[CrownHawg]

The owner of the local Interstate Battery Dist center told me in some cases using a trickle charger doubles the life of the battery.

No doubt! I have two batteries in my boat that are 8 yrs old and are in perfect shape. I installed a 2 bank, charger/maintainer and keep it plugged in at all times. A little maintenance now can save big bucks later!

 

[jayste]

Gale, we were talked into buying a golf cart last year and haven't regretted it a bit! We were looking for an electric and didn't want to spend more than $1500. We came across this one for half that due to the seller just wanting to get the cost of the newer batteries out of it. He was selling due to taking advantage of the government encentives of buying electric cars and all. After he told me he'd take $750 for it, it was all I could do to dig out the cash. Had we waited 10 minutes we might have missed the deal all together! It's a true blessing to us. We've got 40 acres and our shop is about 300 yards from our house as well as we feed in other pastures and it make feeding a breeze. Ours is a 1995 36v EZgo and I'm in the process of adding a bed to the back. I'll probably start a thread on that when I get a little farther along. Anyway, I think you'll really enjoy your cart. They are so easy to get in and out of and quiet. Like others have said and you've found out just keep the maintenance up on them and they'll last.

 

[sodamo]

Have to say, I'm impressed with the reports on the electric carts. Can anybody post any numbers as to charging? Anybody ever plug in a KillaWatt type meter to monitor? As said in an earlier post, we are completely off grid so sensitive to our usage. That said, we don't livea denial existance. Our house has all the usual gadgets and we have a sizeable pool. Pool pumps run mostly when we run the genset, so if that proven sufficient for a golf cart, that would be very little cost. I'd even look to mounting a PV dedicated to the cart if that seemed reasonable.
Sooo, anyone have any numbers to share?

 

[Heywood Jannockitov]

If you are off the grid, wouldn't a gas cart be the logical choice?

 

[sodamo]

If you are off the grid, wouldn't a gas cart be the logical choice?

That has been my thinking along with the suitabilty to our property issue. Now I'm expanding my thinking.