Monthly Archives: July 2012

Car Dealer Plans Small Electric Vehicle Dealerships In SoCal

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Ramon Alvarez, who owns Lincoln and Jaguar dealerships, is planning to offer a range of  small electric vehicles through dealerships in Southern California in the near future. Through his company Alvarez Electric Motors Co., he will be importing vehicles produced by Liuzhou Wuling Special Purpose Vehicle Manufacturing Co., Ltd. in China and selling them through authorized EcoCentre franchisees. The first EcoCentre will be opened next month in Irvine by the Fladeboe Automotive Group, which consists of Honda, Volkswagen, GMC, Buick and Code franchises.  Other dealers are planning on opening EcoCentres in Riverside, San Bernardino, Glendale, Canoga Park and San Jose.

The first shipment of 42 vehicles was scheduled to arrive this week.  The model lineup includes two-seater Eco-E Commuter Car, listed for $9,995, the EcoTruck for $16,995 and the EcoVan for $17,995.  All the vehicles are LSVs with a range of 30-40 miles.  The target users for the vehicles include new drivers, Metrolink commuters and commercial users such as golf courses, airports, military bases, shuttle vans, food deliveries, landscaping companies and government fleets. Learn more:  PE.com

What’s Cooking On The STOV

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Highlighting some of the many applications for small, task-oriented vehicles

Border Patrol – Customs and Border Protection will be adding two UTVs and three ATVs to their fleet.  The UTVs, Polaris Ranger 800 HD with plows, blades and other accessories, will be used near Spokane, WA and the ATVs in Maine.  Learn more:  GSNmagazine.com

Pitt Community College Buys GEMs

Campus Transportation – One of the major market segments for LSVs is college campuses.  Pitt Community College recently expanded their campus and needed a versatile option for staff to move around the ground.  Their choice was a pair of GEM LSVs.  Learn more:  Reflector.com

All Purpose Farm/Mining Vehicle – In Australia the farm segment is showing the same trend as in the US:  the replacement of ATVs by UTVs.  Key factors driving the switch are ease of use and more productivity compared to ATVs.   Demand for vehicle accessories for this segment is increasing as well.  A Polaris retail manager states that 80% of sales in Queensland and the Northern Territory is for farming.  The other important segment in this area is mining where an accessorized UTVs offer a much cheaper alternative to traditional Landcruisers.  Learn more:  SL.farmonline.com.au

Polk County Sheriff uses Mule for bike trail patrol

Bike Trail Patrol – The Polk County Sheriff’s Office in Iowa is using a Kawasaki Mule to patrol bike trails this summer.  The Mule gives them access to areas that their other cars cannot reach while at the same time allows them to carry gear and supplies or an injured person, which is not possible with a motorcycle.  Learn more:  Blogs.Desmoinesregister.com

Green Tech Starts NEV Production

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Green Tech Automotive's MyCar NEV

Green Tech Automotive starts production of their MyCar NEV

A visit from former President Bill Clinton kicked off production  at Green Tech Automotive’s Horn Lake, MS plant.  The production line will manufacture the company’s MyCar NEV.  Management, which includes former Democratic National Committee chief Terry McAuliffe, hopes to produce 10,000 vehicles in their first year.  Many of these are destined for Denmark where Greenabout will distribute the vehicles.  Pizza chain Domino’s will also use some of the vehicles.  The company is targeting the fleet market with the vehicle which is priced at $18,000 and claims a maximum range of 95 miles for the top of the line model.  The vehicles feature lithium batteries from Flux Power of California.  Future plans include shipping vehicle components to China for final assembly in a to be built plant there as well as 300,000 square facility in Tunica County to produce up to 16,000 vehicles per year.  Learn more:  ClarionLedger.com

John Deere Targets Recreational Segment with New Gator

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John Deere has introduced the Gator RSX850i with more power and improved handling for the recreational UTV segment.  The RSX850i comes in three variations:  Sport, Trail and Base.

The Sport is designed for rocky and sandy terrain, the Trail for hunting , fishing and trails and the Base can be customized with various options.  The Sport model features sport seats, alloy wheels with Maxxis tires, PreRunner bumper, cargo box rails, sport steering wheel and FOX® 2.0 Performance Series shocks.  The Trail model features sport seats, alloy wheels with Maxxis tires, winch, front brushguard, 2 inches front receiver hitch with recovery loops, rear bumper and cargo box rails.

All the models have a 839cc fuel-injected engine that produces 62 hp, a top speed of 53 mph and 0-30 mph acceleration in three seconds.  Learn more:  Cattlenetwork.com