Do you realize that Yamaha has been making both gas and electric carts for some time now ? What is new is that they now offer lithium-ion batteries in addition to lead-acid batteries in their electric carts. Approximately 80% of the golf cart market is electric.

This ^

I am what I'd call a motorhead and enjoy fast cars and motorcycles, there's nothing like a car running down a 1/4 mile track or a motorcycle (or dinky roadster) carving through the hills or canyons. I've enjoyed many Yamaha motorcycles, ATVs and jet skis, I think Yamaha (and Honda) make the very best small engines in the world.

All that said I recently bought an Evolution d5 golf cart, it will go 75 or 80 miles on a charge and that's more than enough for me in a day. Its fast, quiet doesn't stink and has all the needed options to make it comfortable. It was nearly half the price of a Yamaha or Star cart so if it self destructs in a few miles I wont have lost much, I hope it has a long trouble free life but only time will tell. If it lasts 7 or 8 years and needs a 4k battery I'll still be 6 or 7k ahead of the other brands.

I will continue to enjoy my v8 powered f150 until a 'good' electric vehicle comes along and at that point I'll probably make the change but not just yet.

Or maybe the salesperson has other brand electric carts on site and wants to close the deal vs ordering you a Yamaha electric and risk you changing your mind.

Depreciation
 

A little off topic but, I just saw a video from a retired car salesman and his son. They claim the EV car market in some cases are losing over 50% depreciation on new cars. The example they used was the cash offer price on a 2023 vehicle with 500 miles. Who knows if any of it's true but something to think about. Not sure if this would play into the golf cart market also.

That statistic might be correct for short distance use like golf course rentals, but certainly not for other applications requiring driving significant distances. Just walk around Lake Sumter Landing any busy Saturday evening and take note of the mix.

The Villages is a unique environment and probably one of the few places where gas carts outnumber electrics, for now. I was responding to your post where you said " letting their competitors hang themselves chasing the electric market and competing amongst themselves". Nobody is "hanging themselves". They are responding to market demand.

Yamaha Carts
 

Why make a "good electric cart" when Yamaha make the BEST gas model.
Focus on what you do best.

The comment wasn't about the quality of Yamaha electric carts. I believe you will find the electric carts are of just as good a quality as the gas carts. I believe the poster wants Yamaha to offer a larger battery for additional range. Perhaps they will.

While I understand many of the arguments for and against electric golf carts IMHO it will have very little effect on your smelling exhaust. I have a Yamaha gas cart, and the only time I smell the exhaust from MY cart is when I am backing up.

For me the electric golf cart makes a lot of sense since the 50 mile range seems to be more than enough for a day and then just recharge in your garage overnight. The EV autos are a little different if you want to drive long distances with the extra time and limited infrastructure. As technology increases the range and speed to charge will increase and more and more we will switch to owning an EV.

Waiiiiit... Mods, an IP check please, this sounds suspiciously like another frequent poster here - I'm suspecting a ghost account to bypass any imposed posting restrictions.

Went golfing yesterday, drove back home and then went to Spanish Springs for lunch. Then went to Southern Trace for groceries. Then went to Brownwood to the Square and home, without worrying about range. This is what I call living The Villages Lifestyle!

Reside at Linden, play all of the courses up north without any issues.EZGO Lithium.

Maybe Yamaha is content with the 50 miles and uses LIGHTER batteries which jmprove handling, acceleration, and deceleration when compared to the brands that use heavier batteries. Higher weight can be a disadvantage. And Yamaha has a reputation for quality that they want to protect, so I would give them the benefit of any doubt.

Or perhaps Yamaha is targeting golf course rental fleets as their target electric cart market, where the need for range is less important than coming in at a certain price point. That would give them a competitive advantage for electric fleet vehicles while they already are the clear leader in the gas personal transportation vehicle market.