[GolfCart]

[QUOTE=jimbo2012;499673]You need to recheck your math on that, and panel specs.

Ok I will do that

volts X amps = watts
58volts x 4amps = 232 watts

This was an example not an actual panel but was around the same wattage.
You can figure out the actual amount from the specs!

I will take an extension cord and charger and plug in somewhere ( public bathroom ).

I am not spending 900 dollars for this. I could get a 6000 watt generator for half that and charge in a few hours while i'm at the bar drinking.

[GolfCart]

Originally Posted by jimbo2012

Yes you will get about 50-60 miles but we're still testing with new panel to see the distance.

Understand I'm doing this cart with a person that does solar engineering this is not on the back of napkin.

He may after satisfactory testing do it as a business here, I'm just just along for the ride.

It doesn't matter if he uses the front of the napkin its just silly.

[jimbo2012]

Originally Posted by thekeithfan

$900.00 holy moly. Does anyone know the daily electric rate for an average charger? What would the payback be on this?

Yes the figure is calculated at about $700 a year to charge your batteries

If you follow this thread it is detailed.

Most folks don't realize that.

[jimbo2012]

[quote=GolfCart;499693]

Originally Posted by jimbo2012

You need to recheck your math on that, and panel specs.
Ok I will do that
volts X amps = watts
58volts x 4amps = 232 watts

Wrong, but since you are attacking everything I say, I'm not giving you the info, you are super rude.

I am not spending 900 dollars for this.

First it's not sale at this point second no one is twisting your arm.

Are you in the golf cart biz or something why are you attacking my idea?

[GolfCart]

No need to get defensive
I wanted to do the same thing, but I did the math first! and it did not work out. Carts can use hundreds of amps at a time. Now for maintaining a charge it would be nice but the price just isn't there yet.

Again if your going to drive a few miles and park it for hours it will add something, and for 200 to 250 dollars maybe.

[aljetmet]

Originally Posted by jimbo2012

Yes you will get about 50-60 miles but we're still testing with new panel to see the distance.

Understand I'm doing this cart with a person that does solar engineering this is not on the back of napkin.

He may after satisfactory testing do it as a business here, I'm just just along for the ride.

The increase in range is most appealing. Seems to me for those who live way north or way south in TV will be very sensitive to range with electric. (My lot is in Fernandina)
It would be a great bonus over the life of the cart the solar panel paid for itself but not mandatory for purchase. As long as it works!

Good luck and hope it works. IMHO it would be a bonanza in TV.

[thekeithfan]

$900 for the solar unit, plus electricity to supplement the charging, plus batteries every 4 years. I'm glad I have a gas cart. I'm saving a ton of money and my range is what 250 miles?

[jimbo2012]

Originally Posted by thekeithfan

$900 for the solar unit, plus electricity to supplement the charging, plus batteries every 4 years. I'm glad I have a gas cart. I'm saving a ton of money and my range is what 250 miles?

Are you sure you're saving?

Gas
Oil change every 250 hours, about $35
Do you have an hour meter?
If you use the cart every day that would be every 3 months or so. $125 year
Must check oil
Now if you forget and blow the engine, to replace it must be $2500
Oil & grease leaks in driveway or garage
On going maintenance Oil filter air, gas & air spark plug tuneups and yes your battery.
higher insurance.
Smell higher emissions (aka Carbon footprint), harder to have conversations with passengers.
Electric motors are far simpler in design and construction than a conventional internal combustion engine. Besides the far fewer moving parts and much quieter operation It takes time and you are going out of your way to get to gas station, they aren't on the golf cart paths to fill-up and have to take their cart in for the scheduled oil changes and other service.

I'm certainly not saying that electric will be flawless. Doubtlessly, given new elements in the technology the starting point for operating an electtric is probably far more advantageous to the owner than is generally speaking in terms of a gas cart.

Electric

No noise, quiet
Solar will extend battery life well beyond 4 years because they are always being charged and maintained.
Lithium batteries will be coming down in price lasting 12-15 years.
Low cost of repairs if any.
There are gauges available to indicate state of charge ie: miles to go.
No regular maintenance cost of time out of service.


It cost about 15 cents a mile to run a gas cart plus the maintenance costs, the $900 or so dollars in solar add on pays for itself in under a year.

Most days you will not plug in to supplement the power, my friend has one that has needed to be plugged in for the last two years.

I have one on my RV works great batteries on on their 6th year.

Is it for everybody absolutely not.

[thekeithfan]

Originally Posted by jimbo2012

Are you sure you're saving?

Gas
Oil change every 250 hours, about $35
Do you have an hour meter?
If you use the cart every day that would be every 3 months or so. $125 year
Must check oil
Now if you forget and blow the engine, to replace it must be $2500
Oil & grease leaks in driveway or garage
On going maintenance Oil filter air, gas & air spark plug tuneups and yes your battery.
higher insurance.
Smell higher emissions (aka Carbon footprint), harder to have conversations with passengers.
Electric motors are far simpler in design and construction than a conventional internal combustion engine. Besides the far fewer moving parts and much quieter operation It takes time and you are going out of your way to get to gas station, they aren't on the golf cart paths to fill-up and have to take their cart in for the scheduled oil changes and other service.

I'm certainly not saying that electric will be flawless. Doubtlessly, given new elements in the technology the starting point for operating an electtric is probably far more advantageous to the owner than is generally speaking in terms of a gas cart.

Electric

No noise, quiet
Solar will extend battery life well beyond 4 years because they are always being charged and maintained.
Lithium batteries will be coming down in price lasting 12-15 years.
Low cost of repairs if any.
There are gauges available to indicate state of charge ie: miles to go.
No regular maintenance cost of time out of service.


It cost about 15 cents a mile to run a gas cart plus the maintenance costs, the $900 or so dollars in solar add on pays for itself in under a year.

Most days you will not plug in to supplement the power, my friend has one that has needed to be plugged in for the last two years.

I have one on my RV works great batteries on on their 6th year.

Is it for everybody absolutely not.

Jimbo looks good on paper but here are the facts:

Oil: I change it twice a year $4.00 a change it takes 1 quart of Mobil 1. It's so simple a child could do it. By the way I change the oil in my diesel truck 10 quarts and filter for $35 if someone is charging you $35 for a golf cart oil change they must have a gun in their hands!

Tune Up: kit purchased at The Villages Golf Carts for $18.00 includes a spark plug, air filter and fuel filter. I do this once a year. Again so simple my grandson who is 5 could do it.

Gas: Once a month its usually $15. Sometimes a little more if i'm golfing farther from home.

Battery: I replaced it twice (about every 5 years) the last time it was $25 at Walmart.

My cart is 12 years old runs great, maintains 23 MPH, and I added the extra seats in the back.

If you change the oil in a gas or diesel engine it will never blow! If you know of anyone who paid $2500 for a new golf cart engine it was neglected and they were fools to replace it!

It does not leak oil but i'll tell you what about every electric cart owner I know the batteries sometimes leak and eat the paint off your garage floor.

If my cart lasted another hundered years it would never cost as much as electric. Those are the facts.

[collie1228]

jimbo, if a person was to read your comparison with no other source of information, they would be convinced that electric is good and gas is bad. It's not so simple. I have done a lot of research to get ready to buy a new cart this summer, and I think you left out some compelling factual information. For instance, you mention you have to check the oil on a gas cart, but you don't mention that you also have to check the water in your batteries on an electric cart. And you come up with a figure of $125 a year for oil changes. From my research on Yamaha gas carts, they hold one U.S. quart of oil in a filterless splash type system. So the annual cost of oil changes should be only the cost of three quarts of oil, assuming you do it yourself. If I were to pay someone to do it, I wouldn't give him $35 for the fifteen minutes required to change one quart of oil with no filter. You make no mention of the huge range advantage currently enjoyed by gas carts, and no mention that over half of U.S. electricity is produced in coal burning plants which DO have a carbon footprint. I am leaning toward electric for some of the reasons you state, but I think your data is slanted toward electric.

[jimbo2012]

Well one thing I see here you and I are one of the few DIY here, I know that you can do an oil change for less but Mobil one is not $4,

What about the oil filter? How about oil & filter $10-12 sound about right?

Folks that take their cart to stealer for service do pay about that.

Also if you change it once a year that means you do less than 250 hours a year. Because that is the requirement.

So if you use $15 a month in gas (4 gallons) you are using it about 160 miles a month or 4 X 40 mpg.

That just over 5 miles per day you hardly use it, in your case electric would have served you well.

Cost of new replacement engine is about $1800 plus installation.
Any engine can blow even if maintained.

As far as cost a new gas or electric cart, they cost about the same.

Keith as I said electric & solar is not for everyone.

The subject of this thread is not gas v electric it is Solar, perhaps if that is the debate you wish to discuss a new thread should be started.

.

[ajbrown]

Jimbo, stay focused on your solar testing. There are plenty of us sparkies out here reading and interested

[jimbo2012]

Originally Posted by collie1228

jimbo, if a person was to read your comparison with no other source of information, they would be convinced that electric is good and gas is bad. It's not so simple. I have done a lot of research to get ready to buy a new cart this summer, and I think you left out some compelling factual information. For instance, you mention you have to check the oil on a gas cart, but you don't mention that you also have to check the water in your batteries on an electric cart. And you come up with a figure of $125 a year for oil changes. From my research on Yamaha gas carts, they hold one U.S. quart of oil in a filterless splash type system. So the annual cost of oil changes should be only the cost of three quarts of oil, assuming you do it yourself. If I were to pay someone to do it, I wouldn't give him $35 for the fifteen minutes required to change one quart of oil with no filter. You make no mention of the huge range advantage currently enjoyed by gas carts, and no mention that over half of U.S. electricity is produced in coal burning plants which DO have a carbon footprint. I am leaning toward electric for some of the reasons you state, but I think your data is slanted toward electric.

I didn't know Yamaha is filterless, kinda odd?

I do my my own oil changes too, but folks here I see have more services done by others than I imagined. So I used that $35 for a stealer to do the service.

Now as to carbon footprint there is another thread a few weeks old that I went into it in detail, rather than repeat it herein please do a quick search the data there is very compelling for electric.

As to range advantage think about just how far you normally would go in day? You're not going to go 250 miles, the average might be 30-60, solar will do that, with power to spare.

.

[jimbo2012]

Originally Posted by ajbrown

Jimbo, stay focused on your solar testing. There are plenty of us sparkies out here reading and interested

Thanks

I know I'm getting PM's

[Bill-n-Brillo]

Gas versus electric - pros and cons to each. Everybody gets to assess their own priorities and make their own decision about what works the best for them. At the end of the day - - - analyze the info/insights which are available and buy what you like. It's that simple.

To me, it's a lot like politics: Everybody has their own perspectives.......and I doubt a case will ever get presented that will cause another person to change their perspectives.

Bill