Golf Carts...Electric or Gas?
 

Which is better for playing golf and running around TV..gas or electric?
Also, I have noticed there are electric carts that advertise 36 Volt and 48 Volt systems. Which is better? Do the golf courses permit gas carts?

Moving there in October and we are trying to determine that type of cart to buy? Appreciate your suggestions. :wave:

Enjoy all the responses you will be receiving!!!!!!!

Gas people love gas, Electric people love electric.

You should rent both and decide.

Gas people like not running out of power in the 32 square mile bubble.
Electric people like the lack of smell in the tunnels and garages.

Definitely 48v. Just my opinion (:22yikes:)..8 Six Volt configuration.

Then you must decide.........new vs. used. If used, from a Villager or a dealer. Reconditioned or not.

Do a search on this site, there have been a lot of threads on this.

Good Luck.

Oh...................and WELCOME TO TV!!!!

You will get no consensus to that question. It used to be that range was a factor in favor of gas, but electrics have improved range. Odor, raw gas and/or exhaust was a negative for gas carts, but, IMO, newer gas carts are better with exhaust odor, and the increased number of gas stations has made gasoline storage in the garage less necessary. To me, gas carts do not emit raw gas odors when sitting.

Having owned both, I can see advantages to both. My electric was much quieter to ride in. My gas cart is always available to me since it doesn't need to sit on the charger for hours. Realistically, either will serve your needs. Just depends on what characteristics are important to you and which are not.

Go gas. Got rid of electric and got gas. No more messing around filling batteries with water. Gas is always ready to go and no limit on how far you can go.

Up to this point the posters were right in there advice, rent both, understand the advantages and disadvantages of both and make a decision based on how you will use the cart. Now Fredman has jumped in with a bias...he doesn't own or ever driven an electric cart 60 miles around TV so I need to respond as an electric owner. We have two electric carts, a decision made after renting gas carts here for the last three years. We made the decision based on range, quiet, not having to deal with the smell (you can do the breath test in the tunnels) easy charge and auto fill systems. I have driven from Brownwood to Glenview, played 18 holes, went to LSL for lunch and back to Brownwood for drinks with friends. Distance was just over 60 miles and I still had plenty left. Having said all that, I agree with the other comments that you need to find what works for you and don't listen to those that have a bias on here.....you will have to use it, more importantly pay for it so it should be what will meet your lifestyle.

Just realize that "60 mile" range advertised will drop as your batteries age. Depending on amount of use you could see that range start dropping after 18+ months. Soon thereafter you will be deciding on whether or not to try that distance you used to be able to make, or replace the batteries and start over with the 60 mile range. This was the delema I did not like, and the reason I went to gas.

We all have our biases and beliefs....which is why they make both.

This is correct. A good rule of thumb is you will lose about 5 to 10 miles per year if you use and maintain a cart the way many use their cart in the villages. Great range when new but diminishes to the point the cart is fully depleted in 15 miles which makes the cart not the most useful.

Who would let their batteries get that depleted?

Where will you be living? If you'll be driving a golf cart from Brownwood to Spanish Sorings you'll need a gas cart. We live near Spanish Springs and Brownwood is a 56 minute drive on a cart so we decided not to worry about if the cart would make it and take a car when going there as I wouldn't want to spend 2 hours on the round trip. My husband wanted a gas cart but I couldn't stand the noise on the ones we tested. We went electric and he found a cart with 8 6 volt batteries which is the configuration he wanted. We have 6 6 volt batteries at home and the cart is very slow but only used on the golf course. The cart we bought has easy fill batteries and seat belts. Good luck!!

The Villages has invested a lot of $$ into their 3 Golf Car Stores/Service centers which are conveniently located in the Town Squares. They push the Yahama gas carts. You will see more Yahama carts here than anything else. Probably 2:1.

That said....we rented gas carts when visiting and had a blast with them......Then we rented an electric cart......Life changer! We loved the smooth, QUIET ride, no gas fumes, etc.

Fast forward and we own 2 electric carts. We find them to be very easy to maintain. The big thing is to plug them in at bedtime, every night, as a routine, just like locking the doors and turning out the lights. There is no spark plugs, oil changes, trips to the gas station etc.

To us they seem to be much easier to maintain then gas carts. They certainly are much more pleasant to ride in and to drive. We can carry on a quiet conversation in our cart. good luck doing that in a as cart.

The gas carts can be modified to be quieter for the occupants. But they still emit fumes and have a more jerky ride.

Our electric carts have 48 volts. One has a 6/8 volt configuration the other has a 8/6 volt configuration. The 8/6s provides greater range. But we can take both carts from Brownwood to 441, back to LSL then home, near Brownwood with confidence. Never had a battery issue. Hubby plays a round of golf, he comes home and we go to lunch them maybe get groceries. Then off again to the square for dinner and entertainment. We love exploring new areas in our electric carts.

Our friends who have gas carts are equally loyal to them. Just check out all the options. There are many!! You will also find some really good deals on used carts so don't feel that you have to buy new. Just FYI...

Golf Carts are just plan FUN, whether use end up with gas or electric. You will love yours!
Good luck with your decision.

Steve, we've had an electric golf cart since 2007 and have never experienced what you describe.
We've never run out of charge or been "depleted".
We golf and then go out to dinner, etc. Normal stuff.

We much prefer electric because it is quiet, no odor and great range.
You will hear a lot of bias on this site (including me) because people are passionate about their choices.
People are right when they say to rent, and then make a decision.

Its all about range.The gas carts have a big advantage when it comes to that.I believe because I have an electric that the gas carts can go well over 200 miles on one fill up.Thats pretty darn good.My electric has 8 6 volt batteries.I have a high speed motor and curtis cab doors and after market seats which are really heavy,3 times that of typical bench seats.If i`am lucky I get maybe 45 miles on a charge.I live in the center of the villages.I can get to any of the squares in less then 30 minutes.I like electric mainly because they are so quiet and easy to maintain.If your the type of person thats going to go 60 plus miles a day in your golf cart then by all means get gas.

We have a gas Yamaha from Carts and Clubs in Ocala. I believe it is noticeably quieter than the gas Yamahas from The Villages Golf Car Store.

Gas vs. electric seems to be almost a religious issue. Test drive both. We looked at both. Here is my summary:

Electric: quieter
Gas: less to fiddle with - just put gas in it, range of almost 250 miles on a tank full