Golf Cart EV's

NEV & LSV Forum
1

I have been contemplating an EV for quite a while but just can’t justify spending from $15,000 to $100,000 for an NEV.

I have been considering an electric golf cart NEV to use during warm weather ( I live in Kansas). I figured I could probably use it about 7 to 8 months out of the year and only have 2 to 4 thousand dollars wrapped up in one.

This would take care of 90% of my driving which is just around town probably 20 to 30 miles a day at the most.

I have also seen some enclosures on Ebay to use in bad weather…that might work for rain and chilly weather.

What do you think??

Does anyone use or have one they are using for this purpose?

2

My EV, a 2007 Zenn with a 72 volt DC system, is a neighborhood electric vehicle (NEV) that has been upgraded to go 37 MPH. The total cost, including tax, title, the 37 MPH upgrade, and delivery to my front door was $13,000.

I love this vehicle. The impact on my monthly electric bill has never been over $8, and I use it every day - WITHOUT buying a drop of gasoline and WITHOUT contributing to the pollution of our atmosphere.

3

Doesn’t going 37mph knock it out of the NEV catagory?

That is not a bad price…especially with the upgrade. I may have to look into those.

What is your range?

4

I drive on level roads (very few hills around here), and get about 26 miles between charges. During the day I take advantage of “opportunity charging” as often as possible. As a result I have put as many as 60 miles in one daylight period.

The term “NEV”, for Neighborhood Electric Vehicle, is a legal term. In some states it is not legal to drive an NEV faster than 25 MPH. In other states there are no such limitations. However, the NEV manufacturers, such as Zenn, must sell all of their EVs as 25 MPH vehicles because they do not want to risk violating the law in one state or another. The buyer, or a local dealer, can then do the 35 MPH upgrade if their state allows it. This is my understanding - I’m not a lawyer.

By the way, I had no trouble at all in registering my Zenn with the Ohio BMV - even though I informed them that this vehicle is an EV. :slight_smile:

I should add the following thought for those who wonder about the usefulness of an NEV that “only” has a range of 26 to 30 miles. Consider this old saying: Use the right tool for the right job. Driving your Suburban to the grocery store for a loaf of bread, or even a weeks worth of groceries, is definitely NOT using the right tool. The same can be said about driving to the post office, bank, or shopping mall. A large SUV or van (or almost ANY gasoline powered vehicle except the Prius and a few others) is NOT using the right tool. For these examples, an EV or NEV is definitely a better choice. It is better environmentally and better for your pocket book.

In my case, I own a Buick and reserve it for the freeway and for city-to-city trips. For everything local, I use my Zenn EV. By doing this, I have saved over $400 since January (after deducting the cost of battery charges).

[QUOTE=–Randy–;3466]Doesn’t going 37mph knock it out of the NEV catagory?

That is not a bad price…especially with the upgrade. I may have to look into those.

What is your range?[/QUOTE]

5

NHTSA (the people that will not allow you to import the 76 mpg small diesel cars sold in Europe until they are 25 years old) has ruled that if the vehicle goes faster than 25 mph it is a motor vehicle with respect to the Vehicle Safely Act http://www.nhtsa.gov/cars/rules/rulings/lsv/lsv.html

They later said that dealers and commercial entities could not disable the 25 mph speed limiters.

As with any law or rule, I would think as long as there was no collision where someone got hurt, NHTSA would never be the wiser as to anyone modifying the NEV.

6

I purchased a 2005 GEM last year on consignment and was told that I would be able to find someone who could make it go a little faster. In Washington it is legal for NEVs to go 35 but no one seems to know how to break into the GEM’s computer. I really don’t care all that much about going over 25mph(although mine stops at 24), I really just wish I could go a little faster uphill. Seattle is very hilly and my car only goes 5 to 10 mph uphill. I will have to sell it if it can’t go faster.

I would appreciate any leads.

7

If you want lithium battery for you EV, I can provide. Send me Email

Sky Energy ( Luoyang ) Co,. Ltd
Website:
Http://www.skyenergy.com.cn
Http://www.skyenergy.en.alibaba.com
E-mail: skyenergy.steven@gmail.com
Msn: z_jun225@hotmail.com
Skype: z_jun225

8

[QUOTE=bloomandgrow;6643]I purchased a 2005 GEM last year on consignment and was told that I would be able to find someone who could make it go a little faster. In Washington it is legal for NEVs to go 35 but no one seems to know how to break into the GEM’s computer. I really don’t care all that much about going over 25mph(although mine stops at 24), I really just wish I could go a little faster uphill. Seattle is very hilly and my car only goes 5 to 10 mph uphill. I will have to sell it if it can’t go faster.

I would appreciate any leads.[/QUOTE]

To crack the top speed issue on the GEM, you’ll need to get hold of the software to reprogramme the controller. I think the GEM cars use the Curtis controller and the software and cable you require is available from Curtis - at a cost of around $180.

Unfortunately, however, this may not be enough to sort out the hill climbing capabilities. I’m not sure whether the GEM power restriction is down to software configuration on the Curtis controller (i.e. the current draw is being restricted by the controller) or whether it is a physical limitation of the drivetrain (i.e. the motor isn’t powerful enough).

The other problem you may be having is a duff battery. 5-10mph uphill does sound very slow but if you’ve got a battery that is failing under maximum load, that could be your problem.

9

there are a TON of options comming out in the next 2-3 months for EV’s at affordable prices. I’d just get one of those. A golf kart wont get you exactly what your looking for especially if you are looking to get anywhere with in a reasonable ammount of time.

10

Tell me more? What EVs are you referring to?

11

[QUOTE=SolarCar;7161]Tell me more? What EVs are you referring to?[/QUOTE]

Tesla is already out there, but there will be the chevy volt (arround 35K), Nissan Leaf (arround 28K), smart four two electric (arround 30K), Reva (arround 24K), Fisker Karma (arround 60K), Tesla S (arround 65K), ect. and dont forget that all those cars have government tax incentives with them so you can get arround 6K back pretty easily. There are more but i just cant think of them off the top of my head.

12

Sure… but I’d say that all of those models are more than three months away!

To answer the original question, I guess the answer is two-fold:

[ol]
[li]it depends on whether an NEV will do what you want it to do
[/li][li]it depends on how much you want to spend
[/li][/ol]

[B][U]Suitability of an NEV[/U][/B]
As you are probably aware already, NEVs are not permitted in all states and may only be used on roads with a posted speed limit of 35mph or less (45mph in some states). They have a maximum permitted speed of 25mph (35mph in a few states). Frankly, the law for these vehicles need to be reviewed - give them access to all urban roads and a top speed of 35mph and they would be a far more practical and safer vehicle, but that is a different argument and one that cannot be won here!

[B][U]Cost[/U][/B]
A fully enclosed car like the Kurrent (::: American Electric ::: WELCOME :::) costs around $9700 - and although it is restricted like all NEVs, the benefit of this one is hat it is equipped like any other car with heating, wind down windows, etc. etc. etc - it can be used all year around.

Here in the UK, one guy changed the batteries from lead acid to lithium-ion colbolt and got the range up to 70 miles with a top speed of 45mph. Handling is good, ride is reasonable and it is equipped with an excellent set of brakes.

If funds won’t reach that far, the GEM cars are available for significantly less - buy one this side of Christmas and you can pick one up for $3664 (including EESA federal tax credits) which has to be the bargain of the decade.

OK, for that price you’re getting the base model, but you can then plunder the options list to give you doors, heater, radio and all the stuff you need to make it an all year round car. And the great thing is that if you can’t afford to do that when you buy the car, there is nothing stopping you adding all that stuff later when funds permit.

So there you go - there are a couple of options for you if you’re happy going the NEV route.

If you’re not happy that the NEV route is suitable, the other reasonably priced option is the ZAP Xebra. Okay, so you’re back over the $10,000 mark again - from memory it starts from around $11,500 - but for that you get a four seat, four door vehicle with 40mph top speed and no road restrictions. If you want to buy cheaper, there is a ZAP Xebra Truck on eBay at the moment with a buy it now price of $5,000. Now that doesn’t sound too bad.

13

Buy GEM! Global Electric Motorcars NEV Service