Pollution concerns
 

My approach to my electric purchase was based on environmental concerns of both noise and air pollution. While sitting at restaurants outdoors it's very irritating to smell and hear carts constantly going by. I viewed a report done by a University that was converting their fleet of carts and utility vehicles that claimed gas cart pollution equal to that of seven cars! I chose electric.

The Atomic carts use AGM (Absorbed Glass Mat) batteries - these are sealed lead acid batteries and have been used in some cars for over 20 years. It is not a new technology. The battery acid is saturated in a fiberglass mat as opposed to a flooded cell. I have been using AGM batteries in my car for nearly 20 years. The vast majority of cars use sealed, flooded cell lead acid batteries.

The batteries used in electric and hybrid cars are lithium-ion based - a different technology than lead acid (regardless of whether it is AGM or flooded). While you can buy lithium-ion replacement battery packs for golf carts, they carry a high cost. I believe it will be some time before we see golf carts from any of the major manufacturers with lithium-ion batteries (or another technology other than lead acid) as standard equipment. It may very well be 10 years before you see wide spread adoption of a battery technology other than lead acid in golf carts. In the interim, I will stick with a gas cart as they are inexpensive to operate, require little maintenance, have good resale value, and are very reliable.

Upon moving to The Villages over a year ago, I purchased a gas cart. It was noisy and my wife complained of a hot exhaust pipe near her legs. I traded it in on a new electric cart and couldn't be more happier. I can now play my portable radio while going down the road quietly. I routinely ride from the south end of Morse Blvd. to Spanish Springs and back with no loss of power. What is this talk about anxiety? These carts are good for lots of miles without any worry. It's very simple to plug the cart in at night. No oil changes, tune-ups or driving to a gas station to fill up. Sure, batteries must be replaced but they can last several years if properly maintained. Figure the cost of gas oil changes and tune-ups over the years. Electric is also much more environmentally friendly. You be the judge.

Seven cars. SEVEN? Do you have the link?

We chose gas because you rarely see a gas cart along side the road abandoned. There was a time I could easily hoof it home from just about anywhere. But now not happening.

I think the air quality here is bad, just AWFUL because of the constant dirt and dust suspended in the air, probably because of construction and think how much those big earth movers emit. We live in a construction zone even though most of us no longer abut one. AND another thing that we have is teeny tiny insects that fall with the rain lately. They are everywhere and get in your hair and get ground up from the cars and you breathe in their little body parts........My allergies are off the charts, it is like living in a jungle with all of the pollen from the rapidly growing everything. And noise pollution...I'll say, loud mouth talkers at restaurants with a snootful.

(How'm I doin'? I am practicing negative, it is a new language.) It is very uncomfortable.

OhioBuckeye
 

Fredman, you gave the best advice anybody could give!:bigbow:

Experience Made My Decision
 

We rented a house for one week to "test drive" TV. A cart came with the house. The electric cart was great for day use, but we went out one night for a long drive. The battery drain with the lights on was nearly double (older cart without LED lights). Long story short, we ran it dead.

I know there are better, longer-range electric carts than the one we rented. We do like the quiet and the lack of noise and smell. But eventually, batteries will start to hold a lesser charge as they age and your range will diminish. Knowing that, we purchased a gas cart and have been quit happy with it. It's a 1.5 mile trip to the cash station and we fill up about every 3-4 weeks.

Try both when you wear out one style try the other next time. I own a gas cart which gets 200+ mi. plus on a tank of gas & I've never put 5 gal. of gas in it when I've filled up. I have a 2013 Yamaha & I've got 18,500 mi. on it, yea, you heard me right! Like everyone says they're a lot louder than the electric but I don't like the idea of having to fork out $800. every 5 yrs. for batteries, I put an average of $7. worth of gas in mine, always less than 5 gal. & this is when gas is $1.99 a gal. Check them both out for yourself. I'm sure the Yamaha dealer would let you drive both styles for a couple of days so you could decide. Good Luck!

Gas vs Electric
 

I worked as an ambassador at one of the golf courses for several years and we had to tow a lot of carts off the course and invariably they were electric. Albeit that the batteries were good, but a broken or loose electrical connection can ruin your entire day. We always justify what we own and like with a rationale; however, the fact still remains that electric carts give us trouble. You can state that gas carts are noisy, they stink, they pollute........an electric cart sitting on the side of the cart path unable to run, does not make noise, they don't stink, they don't pollute....now ain't that just great?

42 Miles to the gallon
 

When I rented I had a battery operated cart. Once I got distracted and forgot to plug in the charger. Another time I filled the battery a bit too high and it overflowed onto the finished garage floor. The acid water damage the floor.
I have a 2013 Yamaha fuel injected golf cart. I log in the mileage and fuel amount at each fill up. I go to about 1/4 of a tank and fill up. It takes a average of 4 gallons each time. Data speaks. I average about 160 per fill up using 4 gallons NOT 300 miles. I do service the cart yearly.
I prefer piece of mind and go with gas and live with the noise. I do not smell the exhaust. I believe the newer models took care to this (???). I really like the sound reduction factor of a battery operated cart. It would be nice to have someone do a pro-con list on both models with supported data.
Good data takes the place of many opinions. Just my opinion.:)

Depends how far you drive your golf cart-- gas will go 200 miles on a tank- electric will not, however electric is quiet. New set of batteries cost over $ 600 dollars, and when you get home you always have to plug in. I own a gas yamaha 2014- its your choice--

Hi, on the carts, we like our EZ Go and it is a dream.
Not to be uppity but being honest, I did an evaluation of a gas engine hooked to an accurate dyno and also to emission equipment to measure the components, CO, CO2, HC, NoX etc, years ago. So far, the EPA is not requiring emission controls on Carts. That is a sad note, if you really knew and really understood what is coming out of that gas exhaust, you would really be surprised.
The message that you do not have the range is a lot of BS and there is plenty of that out there. A Good Message here in the TOTV is that someone likes the hum (noise) and the feel of the warm exhaust, OK go for it. But why do we have to endure it too?
Have you noticed in the tunnels, the pollution? Do you care? Do you enjoy smokers nearby making you inhale their exhales???

Interesting ->Electric vehicles can meet drivers' needs enough to replace 90 percent of vehicles now on the road . This may not apply to golf carts?
Electric vehicles can meet drivers' needs enough to replace 90 percent of vehicles now on the road

Another take on this issue.

Who are you.....LOL

When is the last time you drove your cart 200 miles? Not a fair comparison since our electrics can easily cruise 50+ miles on a charge although I doubt anyone drives that far on a regular basis. In the past month I have seen 3 gas carts waiting for tows. My neighbors cart has been in the garage three times and each time there was no trouble found.....until the third time when he went ballistic. There are pro's and con's for both, and either is a personal choice and I really think the advocates on both sides are trying to convince themselves that their decsision was the right one.....and it was.....for them. Doesn't mean it's right for the next guy that wants to get a cart. It's your money, it's your lifestyle, the folks that are trying to convince you either way have no skin in the game....or money...it's all yours.

I've said several times before that I believe both types of cart have their advantages. On the other hand I do think the comparison is fair. I routinely drive my cart 130+ miles between gas stops and fill it up at about the 1/4 tank mark just to be safe. That's a lot more than 50.

But even if you're referring to just single trips, it's still a lot of just jumping in the cart and going and returning with no other action required.

:clap2:

Excellent post! :thumbup:

I have a EZ GO electric with the a/c motor, {which by the way Yamaha has decided to start using in their electrics} The electrics with the older DC motors were weak and you had to watch where you go. My cart is 4 years old still using the same batteries, currently we can go about 30 miles on a charge, when it was new we easily went 50 miles, and it never slows down when the batteries start to get low same speed up and down hill. Gas carts have their pluses, but a lot of minuses, if you fill the tank too full in this heat the gas will expand and run out on your floor. Another problem is people won't get them serviced, as in a tune up and carb. adjustment so they don't stink so bad...If you can't smell a gas cart in front of you or in the tunnel then you need to go to a Dr. because there's something wrong with your smeller.

I have never had the gas expand and run out of the tank. Just stop pumping when the nozzle clicks off, just like a car. The new carts have fuel injection and don't need adjustments, just like a car. They are also more fuel efficient and don't have a smell of any significance, just like a car. I get 50 MPG so the range before needing to fill up is about 250 miles, a bit less than most cars.

This is a never ending argument, gas or electric.

I read sometime ago that the average village user their cart for 13 miles per day. Whether that is true or not, is for each individual to decide.

I prefer electric because of the quite ride and not having to smell fumes. I usually hold my breath when entering tunnels, as most of the time, there is an exhaust type smell. I've also smell gas carts as they take off, when riding behind them.

My guess is the riders of gas carts don't smell their fumes but those of us behind them do. My nose is sensitive to the smell of smoke/fumes so I am an electric person. If a gas cart is excessively smelly, I will pull off the road and wait a couple of minutes so I can breath fresh air but that's me.

I believe there was an old thread that discussed whether gas or electric was less expensive to own. Don't remember that result.

It's a matter of preference whether gas or electric, fits someone's lifestyle better.

GAs or Electric
 

We did a lot of looking, lots of evaluations. Well, we bought from AGC carts, got the EZ Go ELECTRIC and love it for sure. Good people to work with, good service, the first year, they come to your home for service or pick it up even if necessary. It can happen in a new cart.

AGC is located on CR 101 near the Bonefish GRill a good place to eat by the way.
Good luck. bbbbbb :ho:

I just bought and I think I can simplify the answer: If you are a big golfer OR you feel you will be putting many miles on yours on a given day gas is your only choice. But I am not a golfer and I bought electric. EZ-GO electric carts are the most sophisticated electric versions of the three, Yamaha, and Club Car. Electric are faster because they are much more power efficient than gas. That may sound strange for a ~22mph race but I'll tell you I drove both and the electric are much more responsive. The newer EZ-GOs get about 40 miles a charge. That's plenty enough for 18 holes and a trip to the store off one charge.

Just about any gas cart can easily exceed the 20 mph speed limit for golf carts and electrics with relatively new batteries have plenty of range. There are many reasons to select one type of cart over another but speed and range are not issues.

Gas
 

It depends on how you plan to use the cart.I have a gas cart.
I live in Lynnhaven,drive to Belle Glade,play 18 holes,back to Lynnhaven,take a shower,drive to Happy hour at SS and return after dark to Lynnhaven with the lights on.
Can an electric cart with 3 year old batteries handle this trip?
That would be about 30 miles on the road and over 4 hours on the golf course.

Just got the new 2017 Yamaha cart. Sooo quiet I can hear the little noise of the passing battery carts. The ride is excellent for a golf cart. No batteries to charge or replace. Fill her up every 200-250 miles and change oil once a year. Someone else can now enjoy maintaining the batteries of my 2 year old EZGO.

[QUOTE=JoMar;1274810]Still don't understand distance anxiety......have had two electrics for two years and have never had a place I couldn't go. We live below 466A and often go to SS for a show at the Sharon, have also played OB on the historic side and came south. As stated, I just don't understand it. Yes, we do charge it every night....it's really not that hard to put a plug in a recepticle. I have an auto fill on both carts and and use it every 3 weeks....that's 5 minutes each time....a lot less then driving to a gas station. As others have said, you can check the threads the battle fields but I also agree that you might want to rent both (for a month or two each) and see which you find environmentally compatible with your lifestyle.

bbbbbb Response

HI, we have an EZ Go and love it, absolutely no problems. The AGC firm, Golf Carts near Bonefish Grill has been wonderful, they come out on short notice as we have had minor electric wiring problems, really minor.
People on here have mentioned fumes. Well how about this? When you burn one pound of gas, about one pint, it takes 14 pounds of air to completed combustion, if and only if it is properly tuned and a lot more air if it is not tuned right and I see and hear a lot of not properly tuned units on the paths. So, then a minimum of 15 pounds of combustion products go out the exhaust pipe.
So, you do not smell it? You do not feel the burning in your eyes? You do not know what is going into your lungs? Grab a chemistry book, basic, check combustion. Have you seen the huge lineup of gas carts at the maintenance shops?
Charging electric? About once a week, I plug it in for about 2 to 3 hours. Love it with the auto watering, quiet, no odors, no jerky flywheel clutch. No distance anxiety, NONE. No reservations on this electric cart at all. AGC Carts, wonderful.

bbbbbb chilout

I've heard now from different sources that the 2017s are super quiet and have a nicer ride as well. We'll be buying when we move down in a few months at these are at the top of my consideration list. I'll also want to hear what the different dealers offer in a way to differentiate themselves. We definitely want side lights, 3-point safety belts and probably an fold-down rear seat but don't have many demands beyond that. I understand custom seats are a thing but don't know if they are a must-have or not.

carts, gas or electric
 

From bbbbbb

Some comments here indicate a need for some clarity.
So here goes. To burn one pound of gas in an internal combustion engine, that is about one pint, 8 pints to a gallon. You will need 14 pounds of air to burn that one pound of gasoline, IF AND ONLY IF THE ENGINE IS TUNED AND RUNNING PERFECTLY. So then out the exhaust you will have 15 pounds of the following items:
H2Ovapor, CO, CO2, NOx, and Unburned hydro carbons.
Do you want to breath and smell this stuff? Hey you have no choice, it is in the air, in the tunnels and it surrounds you daily. The debris is in the air and in your eyes. Early at Auschwitz, the Germans used auto gas exhaust to kill thousands of people quickly. Gas was a premium, so they switched to the other gas as it was easier to just pour it in from the roof of the buildings containing the unsuspecting Jews etc.
So now sit back and relax, buy electric and help to clean up the environment for all.
From another posting, I will add, if you get the automatic battery watering system it really is great and efficient.
bbbbbb :wave:

The amount of gas burned by golf carts is insignificant compared to automobiles and trucks.