[raggedy-andy]

Originally Posted by Blueblaze

OP, why do you care? If you're trying to decide between gas and electric, that's not the decision point. You're not going to drive a cart 40 miles. The question is whether you want to pay now or later. Electric carts are cheaper now, but more expensive in 5 years, when they need new batteries, and then more expensive in depreciation when you sell it. But the convenience and reliability seem like big offsets. It's just personal preference.

But to answer your question, the limit of the exec courses I will drive a cart to is about 8 miles -- 45min.

Ok, let's think about that on a routine maintenance level. And for the sake of argument, let's say that you're an average guy who isn't necessarily handy and won't do the maintenance on their own in their garage. For your gas car, how often do you need the routines -- oil, fluids, engine parts, etc.? Every 3 months? 6 months? What is that cost? Then what is the cost per mile for each? Even if I tank with gas and do so at Villages Golf Cars -- non-Ethanol at say $4.60/gallon -- and I get as high as the 50 mpg stated elsewhere, how does that compare to the cost for the kWH for home charging? (Hint: The Electric will likely be less on both of these counts).

If you roll that cost forward for X years -- meaning however long it takes to either replace a gas engine or a Lithium battery -- you are probably going to find that the up-front cost of the electric cart is more due to the battery cost, but the ongoing running cost for the gas cart will be more over time because of the required additional maintenance. And the cost for electrics or Lithium/LFP batteries will likely follow the standard technology lifecycle where the price decreases as the technology improves.

Not trying to make this a "Gas vs. Electric" argument, but I think Blueblaze had the costs aligned backwards in that the Electric will require a larger up-front investment and a lower ongoing cost until you reach the replacement point for a Lithium battery (3,500 full cycles? Are people driving 60 miles every day where a Lithium will require a full-cycle to charge?)