Lithium Carts
 

I am back in TV for the first time since August. My wife was here in February. We have 2 rentals and each has a Yamaha gas cart. We are moving here permanantly in about 1 1/2 years, so looking at another cart at some point. One thing struck me HUGE since I have been back and that is how many less Yamaha carts are on the road. It used to be 90%, now it is more like 75-80% Seems like more than half the new carts out there are Lithium EZGO, Star, or Evolution. I talked to a guy at the Villages golf cars and he said he sells more than half of the carts as Lithium, even with the slightly higher price. I have talked to a bunch of people at the squares in all 3 Lithium carts and everyone LOVES them. They all told me they got 60 or 80 miles of range and that was plenty (I agree). So, just was wondering what everyone thought of this trend? Also, if you have a lithium cart, how do you like it? I am VERY interested in an Evolution cart because they get better reviews than star and are way cheaper. Please comment.

I have a '22 Evolution 4 seater. I bought lithium for a couple of reasons: I live South of the turnpike and they have no gas stations there. The second reason is that I it has less maintenance than the gas carts. I still work so I don't use my cart as frequently as many people do, mainly on the nights and weekends. I easily get about 80 miles to a charge and plan accordingly.

Having said that only having 80 miles does have it's limitations depending on how much risk you want to take on a trip. If going a distance and just wanting to top off the charge, it's important to be prepared and find out if you can find an outlet to charge from. In my case its nothing special, just 120V outlet will work, but none of the squares have "Charging stations" or just outdoor outlets. I am told it may be on the horizon.

The quality and performance of the cart has meet my expectations and the service I get from The Villages Discount Golf Car has been great as well.

EZ GO Elite lithium all the way. I always pay attention and know how much range I have to start. 60 miles of range is more than plenty on any given day. Quicker, smoother, less noise and vibration than any gas cart on the market. Practically zero maintenance, and you can leave in garage at 30-40% charge over the summer without problems when you return.

Make sure you are happy with the ride.............they are much stiffer.

The disadvantages I can think of on new EzGo lithium carts is higher price tag, 60 mile range before recharging, and narrower size than Yamaha. In our case the advantages were worth it: smooth powerful ride, quiet ride where you can easily hear conversation, no smelly fumes, lower maintenance, and no trips to the gas station.

Same here, over 20,000 trouble free miles in 3+ years on ours.

If on a budget, prioritize comfortable seats. (For any golf cart)

One thing to check into cost of replacing the batteries. They should last 3-4 years and the older the batteries get the mileage goes down.

Research the Hemp power batteries. Also, there are many litium batteries exploding while driving and charging. Very hazardous to the environment from mining to fires.

Evolution carts yes - due to the cool-looking low profile tires. I prefer more air between my bottom end and the road. Plenty of comments about the harsh ride of the Evolution and the expensive ways to "fix" it.

Good Questions, Test drove the Star cart and it is very quick and have a friend who has one. Loves it. I could have bought a loaded cart in 2020 for less than 10K including the governors cut.

Star cart accelerator is too close to my leg and brake needs considerable force. Not comfortable for long rides for me. Leg almost hits steering wheel. Brake pedal in the EZ Go is the best as it automatically locks up and is almost like a power brake in a car. Consider your height when purchasing. I am 6 ft 2 inches and only cart that I do not have to duck to get in is a Yamaha and they do not make a good electric cart for TV.

Waiting(hoping) that Yamaha gets a new lithium battery model. No smell, great acceleration and is not "jerky" when backing up slowly.

[QUOTE=Ritagoyer;2220483]One thing to check into cost of replacing the batteries. They should last 3-4 years and the older the batteries get the mileage goes down.[/QUOTE`

Lead acid 3-4 yrs yes. Lithium 8 yr guarantee on the EZ GO.`

And the Yamaha is wider. Sometimes good and other times not so good.

I would never buy a gas cart. I have a 23 year old electric Club Car. I installed 4 12v Lithium batteries and it will go all day without a recharge. There are very few parts to go wrong on an electric cart and almost no maintenance. Not only are the gas carts noisy & polluting, you need to either store smelly flammable gas in your garage or make trips in the cart to the gas station. My neighbor had their gas cart leak on their garage floor last year & you can still smell it. Gas cart engines are complex and need frequent maintenance. I am always seeing gas carts broke down on the trail but have never seen an electric cart in trouble. Pay no attention to the people who think that all lithium batteries are fire hazards. The media just likes to focus on the rare catastrophes for their shock value. Today's golf carts use quality cells in their batteries with built-in charging management to prevent over heating & over charging which can lead to a fire. Many people suffer from range-anxiety and are afraid of running out of juice. Believe me, unless you are doing a 24 hour run, the electric carts will run from one end of TV to the other with juice left over. My next car will be electric also.

https://www.talkofthevillages.com/fo...c-club-car.jpg

Lithium batteries last much longer than 3-4 years.

Revenge of the D students...

Tesla and others wouldn't be selling any cars if their batteries only lasted 3-4 years.

Nonsense

I'm sure there have been some Lithium Battery fires, but it certainly doesn't compare with the risk of storing a gas powered cart in your garage and maybe another 5 gallons of gas for emergencies. Gas can explode, Lithium batteries can get hot. Pick your poison.


Anyone who buys anything other than a Lithium Battery Golf Carts, is mired in the past. Lithium power is vastly superior, in most every way. There's a reason such a huge percentage of Yamaha Gas Carts are being shipped to The Villages ... golf courses don't buy them any more, they buy electric.

Personally, I think the Star is a way better cart than the Evolution, but that's only my opinion.

Evolution for one year now like a lot,
just be aware the local stealer sets the speed from factory 25 to 20 without asking.

Can't drive enough in day to deplete the battery, recharges very fast

We bought ours thru the dealer in Clearmont saved over $3,000

No maintenance for lithium carts? The life of a lithium battery is between 5-8 years then you have to pay thousands of $$$ to replace them. Then the old battery is hazardous waste which is bad for drinking water. Say you forget to charge your cart and you are in the middle of the golf course, where are you going to charge it? Gas cart, I can either carry a gallon of gas with me or keep a gallon at the house or get a lift to the nearest gas station. My gas cart doesn’t smell, is quiet, have many gas stations nearby to get gas (and I live south of 44), and I don’t have to wait hours for a charge to go anywhere. The little maintenance I have to spend on a gas cart over 8 years pales to what the cost of lithium batteries will cost and the hazardous waste of the lithium batteries is much worse than the co2 from a gas cart

I bought an EZgo lithium battery cart three years ago and loved it. At that time about 20% of sales at Villages Golf Cars was lithium battery carts. A friend of mine just bought one, and I went with her to help her trick it out. The salesman told her it is now 80%. The quiet ride and lack of exhaust fumes and extreme ease of recharging are great selling points, especially for snowbirds who won’t damage the battery by being gone six months.

Wrong. Lithium batteries last 10 years or more.

How many lithium powered golf carts have burned in TV? None? Been some gas powered ones for sure.

Look into buying an Atomic golf cart with lithium
They are air conditioned, heated

Any cart can break down for other reasons than fuel

All gas carts smell and are noisy, are you kidding?

"A gas-powered golf cart with a 10.5 horsepower engine that operates for 2.5 hours each week emits 1474.2 pounds of CO2 each year, according to a study by Princeton University."

Nobody cares thank you

I asked the service manager at golf cars of the villages and he said they've been selling lithium battery powered cars for four years and they have never replaced a battery.
To further support the longevity of a lithium ion battery…I have a 2004 Toyota Prius with a lithium battery. It has 635,000 miles on it. 19 years on the original lithium ion battery and it is still going strong. My Toyota dealer told me there are several of these out there with well over 1,000,000 miles and are from the first version of the Prius approaching 25 years of service.:eclipsee_gold_cup:

Comfort, Durability, and Long Term Value
 

Admittedly, lithium batteries have changed the calculus in buying a cart. The increased milage/charge, lighter weight, and the absence of battery acid leaking onto your garage floor all increase the attractiveness of a lithium cart. On the downside, although small, there is the potential for a fire with a lithium battery.

The greatest difference between a Yamaha cart and those of all other manufacturers, is in the comfort, durability, and quality of the product. Only Yamaha has an independent rear axle, which makes a great difference in the ride. No other manufacturer comes close to the quality of Yamaha, the durability of its carts, and the retention of value over a period of years. EZ-GO, Club Cart etc all have to give substantial discounts to golf courses to make a sale or lease of a fleet of carts for the simple reason that after 2-3 years of hard use, their carts are "claptraps". If you question this, find a number of different brands of carts that are more than 5 years old and take a comparison ride. It is akin to a comparison of a Yugo to a Volkswagen, assuming you could find a Yugo to make the comparison.

This glaring difference was brought home to me in the recent past when we had two different couples visit on consecutive weeks, For the first , I rented an EZ-GO from the dealer. It was brand-new. I didn't get out of the parking lot before I considered returning it because of the harsh ride, vague steering, and "rattling" suspension. The following week, I rented a Yamaha from a small business which delivered it to our house. It was pre-2017 and not a "Quiet Tech". I don't know its exact age, but it was upwards of 10 years. Except for having a cheaper seat, and manual turn signals, it was no different than our personal, two year old, Yamaha.

What is needed is for Yamaha to return to making an electric cart with a lithium battery. Given the popularity of lithium carts, I doubt that will be long in coming.

Think twice about them if you're going to use them to actually play golf...

I have an Evolution. It’s wonderful. Quiet. I can drive and listen to music or talk to my friend riding with me. I’m not bothering my neighbors or other golf carts with my racket. I can hardly wait for all cars to be electric. It’ll quiet the world.

I heard The Villages is now using electric golf carts on the Lifestyle visits.
I suggest test driving all the carts available back-to-back prior to purchase so you can compare. Friends who bought Yahama gas 2022 carts did not even test drive anything else! Why would you not even test drive an electric cart? They get in my 2022 EzGo and are shocked (and impressed) by the smooth, odorless, quiet ride. It's evenvmore impressive and fun to drive it.
We decided on the EzGo due to the highest ratings and EzGo reputation even though the shortest range of 60 miles and highest price. We didn't expect to spend over three hours in our cart at a time. We purchased from The Villages Golf Cars and we can charge at their locations, one in Brownwood Square. We avoided the other brand electric carts which use Chinese parts and researched at the time they were more difficult to replace and less reliable. If you are a large person or can't afford the price would be reasons to avoid the EzGo. Good luck!

EZGo all the way
 

All the great things stated already of this cart but love that we don't even really need to use the breaks as the regenerative braking system is awesome. Don't need to apply the brake when parked. Tried it, took a moment to get use to it but love that I can let off the accelerator and it begins to brake. Even going down hill, I let off the pedal and slow right down and generate battery power!

Upgrade the seats for sure. Did rear facing 4 seater, but will need to put spacers/lift in the springs for the back seat. But rolled up hills very well with a full cart of passengers!

Did our homework (over a year), rode every cart, went to several places inside and outside of the Villages. Talked to Villagers, watched/listened to each cart. We choose electric for efficiency, reducing CO2 emissions and mostly reduction in noise. Love my quiet ride. Bought at Village Golf Cars, want to support our local economy and love the 8 yr battery warranty.

Continue to ask questions, it is an investment whether you spend $$ or $$$$. I find I will probably not get another one. UNLESS I have to! Batteries will come down as well with new tech coming out. But don't miss out on the fun of having one.

More than 50% sales are lithium? I'm not thinking the salesperson is privy to the sales figures.

Then let's start working on those loud Haley's, lawn mowers, and leaf blowers.

We just golfed in Spruce Creek and they have EZGO carts for their cart rentals and this feature
is awesome.

Totally Bogus (and that's as nice as I can put it)
Mine is 5 years 12K miles and I swear it might go farther now.
NEVER had one issue with it.
I've had one service and a set of tires. That's it.

There were very few Yamaha carts available for a long time. Newbies had no alternative other than the other brands.

I have an EZGO lithium and have driven all the other models. Love it. So quiet and can go 60 miles with some extra left. Doesn’t lose speed on the Bridges and is vey comfortable. Gets me where I want to go. Cheers Steve

What kind of batteries?

The Samsung SDI lithium battery in the EZGO Elite uses Samsung INR18650-29E7 cells and should have a calendar life of at least 12 years.

https://www.talkofthevillages.com/fo...echies-328480/

The EZGO Elite has a bit of a stiff ride that can be mitigated by keeping tire pressure below 18 PSI. It does feel a little tippy in corners...the motor brakes are excellent with no pads to wear out.

The 2004 Prius has a nickel metal hydride battery...Not lithium.

True of old flooded lead-acid batteries. Not true of lithium ion.