Combining Golf Car and Hybrid Vehicule

[Michael G.]

We are concerning our 1st golf car and own a SUV with one driver in our house.
We also don't know anything about Hybrid cars.

I came up with this idea:
Wouldn't it be feasible to just buy a hybrid car (any size) which uses battery's for
short trips, same as an electric golf car?

Pros:
Maintaining one vehicle instead of two.
There would be one insurance premium to pay.
Garage one vehicle.
We would be in AC all the time.
Available for longer road trips.
Carry more grocery's.

Cons:
Couldn't use it on trails or golf courses.
If there were two drivers that needed transportation, this wouldn't work.

We would get the best of both worlds.

Your Thought Please

[tophcfa]

We are concerning our 1st golf car and own a SUV with one driver in our house.
We also don't know anything about Hybrid cars.

I came up with this idea:
Wouldn't it be feasible to just buy a hybrid car (any size) which uses battery's for
short trips, same as an electric golf car?

Pros:
Maintaining one vehicle instead of two.
There would be one insurance premium to pay.
Garage one vehicle.
We would be in AC all the time.
Available for longer road trips.
Carry more grocery's.

Cons:
Couldn't use it on trails or golf courses.
If there were two drivers that needed transportation, this wouldn't work.

We would get the best of both worlds.

Your Thought Please

To each his or her own, but if I had to choose between a golf cart and a car for the Villages I would definitely take the golf cart. During my 3 1/2 month stay last winter I used the car five times, once to look at the new golf cart we bought in Webster, twice to bring our bikes south of 44 to ride on the pathways, and twice to get some fresh seafood at the lighthouse fish market on 466. Other than that it was 100% golf cart use, including swimming laps at every sports pool in the Villages, playing every Championship course in the Villages, and playing about 2/3 of the Executive courses. No problems doing all shopping, dinning out or getting takeout, going to town squares, etc… all with a cart. Granted, I might think differently living south of 44, but living north of 466 there is really no reason to have a car for daily needs. The only reason I feel a need to have a car is to have access to decent health care if unexpectedly needed, so I could go to Gainesville. I put about 100 hours on the new quiet tech and about 50 hours on the old Yamaha EFI over the winter and probably less than 100 miles on the car.

[VApeople]

The only reason I feel a need to have a car is to have access to decent health care if unexpectedly needed, so I could go to Gainesville.

OK, that is a very valid reason for having a car.

If you have enough money to afford two vehicles, I guess you would prefer to have a golf cart for the second vehicle. A lot of people do that.

[VApeople]

Wouldn't it be feasible to just buy a hybrid car?


Sure it would. A lot of people have hybrid cars.

Any other questions?

[Keefelane66]

We”re on our third hybrid over 15 years, our 2013 Prius we leave up north for or son to use, our new 2022 Carolla Hybrid gets consistently around 68 mpg around the villages fill up about once every 2 months including trips to Orlando. Also a 2015 golf cart.

[MrChip72]

I've been driving 3 different hybrids in total since 2010 as my primary vehicle. It's not clear from your post what your goal is, but you can't really compare a hybrid vehicle to an electric golf cart even if it's a plug in hybrid. Hybrid cars have better efficiencies over regular cars because they can take advantage of storing excess power in the batteries (coasting downhill, regenerative braking, etc) and then at other times assisting the engine with that excess power. It's really not so much about the rare occasions when driving while under 25 MPH in electric only mode where the fuel savings is made.

[banjobob]

If you are not golfers a golf cart is just fun transportation, your auto will fill your needs perfectly.

[MidWestIA]

doubt you would make up the cost of making the change from what you own now

[Remembergoldenrule]

If you do not golf, you don’t need a golf cart. I personally hate riding around in a golf cart. In summer have to put on sun screen to go any where and feel hot and sweaty when I get there. In winter it is cold. The spring and fall it is alright to drive, but I still have to do the sunscreen and feel grimy from the dust. I would rather take the $15k and have two hybrid cars if both need transportation. Only reason in my opinion to have a golf cart if you don’t golf is because you have a one and half garage like we do.

[Keefelane66]

If your vehicle is relatively new and in good condition down grading to a hybrid may not be worth it. We drive about 15,000 miles annually and do see savings on fuel. To just drive around the villages stick with a golf cart.

[Pugchief]

If you do not golf, you don’t need a golf cart. I personally hate riding around in a golf cart. In summer have to put on sun screen to go any where and feel hot and sweaty when I get there. In winter it is cold. The spring and fall it is alright to drive, but I still have to do the sunscreen and feel grimy from the dust. I would rather take the $15k and have two hybrid cars if both need transportation. Only reason in my opinion to have a golf cart if you don’t golf is because you have a one and half garage like we do.

I agree with this. It all depends on your usage. We recently bought a house with a 2.5 car garage. We don't play much golf, but we both often participate in activities at rec centers that are 20 minutes by car (45 minutes by golf cart) so it is more practical for us to have 2 cars. If we ever start playing a lot of golf, I will probably also get a cart.

A full plug-in EV like a Tesla will work great for TV, especially if your other car is gasoline for longer trips. EVs are a real pain if you're going more than 75 miles.

[ThirdOfFive]

Interesting question. Would a hybrid car be your best option? Boiling it down to dollars and cents it might seem so at first glance. It costs about half as much for gasoline to run a hybrid than a regular car (according to Walletburst dot com, $2,376.00 per year for an all-gas vehicle vs. $1,188.00 per year for a hybrid based on an estimated 13,500 miles driven per year), and while that is significant it doesn't even come close to covering the whole ball of wax. Examples:

1. The fuel savings for hybrids come from electricity generated by the gasoline engine as well as by non-gas - related actions such as regenerative braking, coasting, etc., which is then used to power the vehicle in place of gasoline. In non - plug-in hybrids those are the only sources of electricity. The gasoline engine only kicks in when the battery descends to a point of charge (10%?), but if most of your trips are, say, the two-mile trip-to-Publix variety then your battery is going to be used most often when it is on the lower end of charge, and this is hard on the battery. According to hybridautomotive dot com, "Maintaining proper battery life begins with using the battery. To help the battery “remember” its capacity, it is best to regularly drain the battery and then recharge it to full capacity." In other words if you're going to run your car with a consistently low battery your battery will die a lot quicker than it otherwise would.

2. You can, of course, get a plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV) and keeping the battery topped off via an outlet in your garage. But that electricity isn't free.

3. Hybrids are costlier to insure than all-gas cars: something like 10% or so per year more. The website didn't explain why.

4. Maintenance on hybrids costs more, often a lot more. even ignoring the costliest single item--replacing the battery in a hybrid, which is a notorious dollar-eater--it stands to reason that the hybrid is going to cost more for upkeep because you're essentially maintaining TWO power plants (electric motor and gasoline engine), not just one.

5. If all of your eggs are kept in one basket (i.e. a hybrid car) what happens when it needs maintenance? Depending on the length of time needed to do the repair(s) you could be without wheels for a long time.

My preferred choice of action? Get the hybrid as well as a reasonably-priced used gas powered golf cart for use when the hybrid for whatever reason isn't available. Golf cart operating expenses are very low compared to just about any automobile--we gas up ours maybe twice a month, totalling maybe $35.00, and use it probably 90% of the time. Maintenance costs are also comparatively low. Plus, anyone who knows a box-end wrench from a hacksaw can do all of the routine maintenance needed for a golf cart, plus even some major repairs if ever needed.

[BlueStarAirlines]

[QUOTE=ThirdOfFive;2227480]

My preferred choice of action? Get the hybrid as well as a reasonably-priced used gas powered golf cart for use when the hybrid for whatever reason isn't available. Golf cart operating expenses are very low compared to just about any automobile/QUOTE]

I would say this is your answer if finances are a concern. We use the golf car exclusively for any location in TV from Lake Sumter south. We only use the car for trips to Costco or when we leave the bubble.

[Vermilion Villager]

Interesting question. Would a hybrid car be your best option? Boiling it down to dollars and cents it might seem so at first glance. It costs about half as much for gasoline to run a hybrid than a regular car (according to Walletburst dot com, $2,376.00 per year for an all-gas vehicle vs. $1,188.00 per year for a hybrid based on an estimated 13,500 miles driven per year), and while that is significant it doesn't even come close to covering the whole ball of wax. Examples:

1. The fuel savings for hybrids come from electricity generated by the gasoline engine as well as by non-gas - related actions such as regenerative braking, coasting, etc., which is then used to power the vehicle in place of gasoline. In non - plug-in hybrids those are the only sources of electricity. The gasoline engine only kicks in when the battery descends to a point of charge (10%?), but if most of your trips are, say, the two-mile trip-to-Publix variety then your battery is going to be used most often when it is on the lower end of charge, and this is hard on the battery. According to hybridautomotive dot com, "Maintaining proper battery life begins with using the battery. To help the battery “remember” its capacity, it is best to regularly drain the battery and then recharge it to full capacity." In other words if you're going to run your car with a consistently low battery your battery will die a lot quicker than it otherwise would.

2. You can, of course, get a plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV) and keeping the battery topped off via an outlet in your garage. But that electricity isn't free.

3. Hybrids are costlier to insure than all-gas cars: something like 10% or so per year more. The website didn't explain why.

4. Maintenance on hybrids costs more, often a lot more. even ignoring the costliest single item--replacing the battery in a hybrid, which is a notorious dollar-eater--it stands to reason that the hybrid is going to cost more for upkeep because you're essentially maintaining TWO power plants (electric motor and gasoline engine), not just one.

5. If all of your eggs are kept in one basket (i.e. a hybrid car) what happens when it needs maintenance? Depending on the length of time needed to do the repair(s) you could be without wheels for a long time.

My preferred choice of action? Get the hybrid as well as a reasonably-priced used gas powered golf cart for use when the hybrid for whatever reason isn't available. Golf cart operating expenses are very low compared to just about any automobile--we gas up ours maybe twice a month, totalling maybe $35.00, and use it probably 90% of the time. Maintenance costs are also comparatively low. Plus, anyone who knows a box-end wrench from a hacksaw can do all of the routine maintenance needed for a golf cart, plus even some major repairs if ever needed.
Lithium ion batteries do not have a "memory" and driving 2 miles versus 60 miles has no effect on the battery at all. If that was the case the battery in your cordless drill would die after about two weeks. I have a 2004 Toyota Prius with 635,000 miles on it and it still has the original lithium ion battery. You then make this assumption even though you admit you don't know that maintenance on a lithium powered vehicle is more expensive than gas. Then explain why the villages car golf cart annual maintenance for a lithium powered golf cart is roughly half of the price of the gas powered golf cart? :mornincoffee:

[Marsha11]

Hybrids are not what you need at all. The car is more expensive than gas, batteries like your golf cart will be replaced for much money

[Battlebasset]

Like others here, not sure what you are trying to accomplish. If you have a gas vehicle, are you saying you want a vehicle for local trips, but don't want to use it on the golf course, and are ok with limited speed/range?

If you don't golf, then an alternative might be one of the electric golf carts that can be outfitted as a LSV (low speed vehicle). I believe they can have a top speed of 30 to 35 MPH. They are fully enclosed, can have AC/Heat, and have windshield wipers. The only one that comes to mind locally is Atomic, but I know there are others. There is probably an Atomic club in the Villages, you could reach out to them for more info on that.

If you are wanting something you can put on any road, and can go highway speed, maybe look into a used Nissan Leaf? It is fully electric, and until recently, had a range of 80 miles. You can pick up a used for around $10,000. Has all the features of any car, including safety, because it is a car.

Something to be aware of, however, is that depending on the age, the battery pack may have lost its ability to charge as much, and that range might be down to 50 miles or less. If you really only want to use it for a grocery getter, never going more than 30 miles or so round trip, that might work for you. However, at some point the battery pack could get to the point where it barely recharges at all. Then you have a paperweight with wheels. Again, do your research on this option.

Good luck!

[retiredguy123]

We are concerning our 1st golf car and own a SUV with one driver in our house.
We also don't know anything about Hybrid cars.

I came up with this idea:
Wouldn't it be feasible to just buy a hybrid car (any size) which uses battery's for
short trips, same as an electric golf car?

Pros:
Maintaining one vehicle instead of two.
There would be one insurance premium to pay.
Garage one vehicle.
We would be in AC all the time.
Available for longer road trips.
Carry more grocery's.

Cons:
Couldn't use it on trails or golf courses.
If there were two drivers that needed transportation, this wouldn't work.

We would get the best of both worlds.

Your Thought Please
I'm not an expert on hybrid vehicles, but I don't think you can operate most hybrids on 100 percent electric power for short trips. You need gas.

[Vermilion Villager]

I'm not an expert on hybrid vehicles, but I don't think you can operate most hybrids on 100 percent electric power for short trips. You need gas.

There is the new variant of hybrid now called "plug-in hybrids" or PHEV. With these you can operate on 100% electricity for a short distance...usually 20-55 miles. I know of a woman in the villages who has a older plug-in hybrid Prius which was one of the first ones out. She said she gets about 26 miles on a charge, which according to her was sufficient range for about 75% of her inside the villages travels.

[Pixelpups]

My husband and I went from an SUV and a truck to an SUV and a gas golf car once we moved to The Villages. We plan our week on who needs the SUV and who can make do with the golf car. We live south of 44 and golf car accessible businesses are finally starting to propagate. Pro's: insurance is less, more garage space, most of our hobbies are 10 minutes by golf car. Con's: we have to plan. (When you live south of 44, many of the established clubs meet in Rec. centers that would take too long to drive by golf car and the same is true of shopping.)

[Pixelpups]

If you live south of the 44, you need a car. Two reasons come to mind: businesses that are golf cart accessible haven't propagated enough (think shopping) and if you join established clubs, most of the rec. centers are too far north for an easy golf car commute. However, quite a few of our recreation activities like swimming, billiards, pickle ball, etc. are a 10 minute golf car ride away. We just have a car and a golf car; sold our truck - save on insurance, save on gas, and have more space in the garage. We just share the car for any long trips.

[Blueblaze]

What do hybrids have to do with a decision to buy a golf cart?

Whether or not you can get by with just a golf cart has more to do with where you live than what powers it. Where I live on the North side, Walmart and our doctors are a 45 minute drive by golf cart. We also have kids we like to see more often than just their annual trek to Disney.

So we have a cart, but it's a luxury. The SUV is a necessity. Neither is electric, but that's a whole other discussion.

However, if we had to, we could get by with just a golf cart. That's part of why we live here -- for when we get too old to drive. Judging from the number of times incompetent drivers have taken out our mail center and street lights in our neighborhood, I'd say there are a lot of folks here who haven't figured that part out yet.