Yamaha dealer: golf carts may one day be a transport option.
It’s happened in the US and it could happen here – Kiwis may begin using golf carts as a second car.
In the US, golf cart sales have surged as people in retirement villages, university campuses and small towns take up the option rather than owning a bigger second car that most likely runs on petrol or diesel.
The UK’s Daily Telegraph reported in December that golf carts have become so popular that Florida’s Babcock Ranch, the first completely solar-powered town in the US, have so taken to this form of alternative transport that some houses have built a second, smaller, garage to house the carts.
In Peachtree City, Georgia, the town has been designed around golf carts. Their numbers have risen to 10,000 – almost one for every household there – and most parts of the city (population: 38,000) can be reached through about 140km of golf cart paths.
None of this is a surprise to Dean Lahman, Yamaha Specialist for Parkland – supplier of leading golf carts. Yamaha has a strong range of carts, both electric- and fuel-powered, and has seen demand grow in recent years.
“New Zealand isn’t as far down the road as the US when it comes to using golf carts as a second vehicle,” he says, “but we aren’t that far behind. Lifestyle block owners buy them for easy and safe transport round their properties and rest homes, retirement villages, airports and luxury resorts are also regular buyers.
“One grandfather we know bought one for his disabled daughter so she could drive around their lifestyle block – she couldn’t get a licence and a car. Another slightly unusual use is by a business that has the toilet blocks a long way away – and staff use the cart to get there.
“So it’s not that big a leap to make to see people using them as a second vehicle – that’s what has happened in the US.”
The phenomenon is borne out by New Zealand Autocar magazine which carried a story on the US uptake in August. “Today’s golf carts are generally simple mobility buggies with few frills but increasingly they boast improved battery life thanks to lithium-ion tech, better power with higher quality brushless electric motors, greater creature comforts and improved safety features,” it said.
“They are also versatile and customisable. They can be adapted to carry cargo, making them useful for a number of different tasks. Some are being fitted with truck-style load beds. Other options include the likes of rain covers and removable doors, leather upholstery, entertainment systems, special paint and even lift kits.
“Modern electric golf carts now offer smooth and silent rides with ranges easily sufficient to cover short daily commutes. That convenience, combined with them being allowed to travel on smaller public roads in selected towns, has helped many families replace the need for a second car.”
Autocar also said the popularity was stemming from affordability – with prices much lower than those of new cars and nominal operating and maintenance costs, especially for electric versions.
Lahman says New Zealand’s strong move towards electric vehicles and increased awareness of climate change and the environment could be the spur needed to see golf carts become much more a part of our social and transport fabric than they are now. The compact size and easy driveability makes them easy to park and top speed of 40 km/hr is plenty – with some US residents using them for school drop-offs or visiting local parks and attractions with the kids and/or the dog.
Yamaha golf carts have headlights and taillights, safety belts, mirrors, indicators and more efficient braking systems, says Lahman: “Parkland and Yamaha have ambitious reduced emissions goals in this country; you can see that golf carts are one part of that.
“Yamaha are also developing a concept hydrogen-powered golf cart to further its efforts towards achieving decarbonisation.”
In the US, with the growing prevalence of golf carts, there are moves to introduce new rules to solve the issue of different states – and sometimes different towns – having different laws covering the carts. In Peachtree, for example, anyone over 16 can get behind the wheel even if they don’t have a drivers’ licence; there is no insurance requirement.
In many places in the US, the speed limit is 40km/hr and they cannot be used on roads with a limit of more than 35mph (56 km/hr), though it is perfectly legal to use them on roads with smaller speed limits. Some manufacturers have even modified some models to be registered as LSVs – Low Speed Vehicles, which must meet safety regulations to operate on roads.
“So I think what we are seeing over there is a kind of convergence of technology, economic needs, convenience and heightened environmental consciousness,” says Lahman, “but there are already a whole lot of different uses people can put them to.
“It isn’t just about golf any more.”
Parklands’ Yamaha golf carts sell in a range of about $16,000 to $27,000.
For more information: parkland.co.nz.
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