What’s Cooking On The STOV

Posted on August 27, 2009 by Marc Cesare

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

Border Patrol: A sheriff’s office in Maine recently used a Department of Homeland Security grant to purchase a Yamaha Rhino to patrol the border with Canada. The vehicle is used to monitor remote border entrances for illegal drug trafficking and other activity and replaces the use of ATVs. The latter required officers to travel in pairs for safety reasons since the vehicles were not as stable. The grant is part of Homeland Security’s Stonegarden Operation which is sending $60 million to local law enforcement in border states to supplement federal border protection efforts. The funds are for both equipment and payroll. Learn more: Morningsentinel.mainetoday.com

NEV Tourist Rentals: An Austin, TX entrepreneur has recently launched E-Cars of Austin to provide NEVs around the city for tourists to rent. The rental fleet currently consists of six GEMs that will be placed in various downtown locations and will be available to rent for $30 for one hour or $50 for two hours. The plan is to eventually have two vehicles at each of 10 downtown hotels. Learn more: AustinBusinessJournal

Meter Reading: Silver City, NM has purchased two LSV utility trucks from Miles Electric Vehicles for use by the town’s meter readers.?? The meter readers travel around 24,000 miles each year.?? Town officials expect to save on maintenance and operating costs over the years compared to the current vehicles being used.?? Learn more:?? Silver City Sun News

Utility Vehicle App: Vacuum Cleaner

Posted on July 15, 2009 by Marc Cesare

John Deere Gator With Mounted Stadium Vac From Broyhill

A town in Mississippi decided to tackle their litter problem using a utility vehicle.?? The parks director for D’lberville purchased a Stadium Vac from Broyhill and mounted it on a Gator.?? The vehicle is now used to clean up road side litter.?? According to the director the unit allows one person to do the work of five and has already paid for itself.?? Learn more:?? Sunherald.com

Modec Electric Van Selling Well

Posted on June 25, 2009 by Marc Cesare

Modec recently announced a 100 vehicle order for their all electric urban delivery van.?? ElecTruckCity, their new distributor based in Paris, placed the order and has already sold 40 of the vehicles to customers.?? The order is worth about $4.9 million USD or approximately $49,000 per vehicle.

The electric van received EC Whole Vehicle Type Approval allowing it to be sold across Europe without gaining country by country approval.?? The company is currently seeking government approval to begin sales in the United States. The vans were designed from the start as battery powered vehicles and specifically for urban use. They have a range of 100 miles, a top speed of 50mph and a 4,000 lb payload.

Modec sees great market opportunities for the vehicle as management expects to be producing the vehicle on three continents in five years and reach a total annual production of 50,000 vehicles.?? Last year 100 vehicles were produced and that figure is expected to increase to 400 in 2009 and 1,200 in 2010. Learn more:?? Birminghampost.net

ExxonMobil and Electrovaya Announce LSV Sharing Program

Posted on June 24, 2009 by Marc Cesare

ExxonMobil and Electrovaya just announced, AltCar, a vehicle sharing program to be based at the Maryland Science Center in Baltimore, MD that will use Electrovaya’s Maya 300 low speed vehicle. The fleet of five vehicles will grow to ten shortly and people will be able to rent the vehicles for the day. The Maya 300 uses Electrovaya???s Lithium Ion SuperPolymer battery, which incorporates ExxonMobil Chemical???s separator film. Learn more: greencarcongress.com

Update: According to Green Energy News rental rates for the vehicles will be $14.50 per hour but decrease to $7-9 per hour if you join the sharing program.?? Additional fees apply with the program.

All Aboard: Kubota Rides The Rails

Posted on June 24, 2009 by Marc Cesare

I came across an interesting story that exemplifies the versatility and efficiency of utility vehicles that makes them so popular.?? Railway services companies in the UK are purchasing Kubota RTV900’s that are modified to travel on rails. They can carry up to six workers or as few as two and a 500 kg payload.?? They are also used to haul additional maintenance trailers to work sites along the railway. An initial ten such vehicles have been sold but one of the companies has already ordered an additional 22 of the modified vehicles. Learn more?? pressreleasepoint.com

US Special Ops Lets The Good Times Roll With The Teryx

Posted on June 7, 2009 by Marc Cesare

Kawasaki Teryx Joins US Special Ops

After extensive research and evaluation the United States Special Operations Command (SOCOM) has ordered 1,625 Kawasaki Teryx recreation utility vehicles to serve as tactical vehicles.?? The $28.4 million order was won through a bidding process by Houston based UV Country.?? The order will be filled over five years and works out to be about $17,500 per vehicle.

The specific model in the contract is the 2009 Kawasaki Teryx 750 FI 4×4 RUV which features side-by-side seating for two adults, a roll over protective structure (ROPS), front discs and a special sealed rear brake, four wheel independent suspension, a tilting cargo bed with 500 pounds of carrying capacity and the ability to tow up to 1,300 pounds. Learn more:?? UTVguide.net

Kawasaki Layoffs Finalized

Posted on June 1, 2009 by Marc Cesare

Kawasaki Motors Manufacturing laid off 320 employees last week following an earlier buyout offer to workers in their consumer products division, which produces their utility vehicles and other products.?? Management reported that nearly all the layoffs were the result of voluntary acceptance of the buyout.?? As a result, the consumer products workforce at the Lincoln, NE location has been reduced by 25% to approximately 900 workers.

Kawasaki’s consumer products division reported a sales decline of 22% for the fiscal year ending in March.?? This is on par with first quarter declines recently reported by Polaris Industries and Arctic Cat.?? Learn more:?? Journalstar.com

Polaris Announces New On-Road Division

Posted on May 19, 2009 by Marc Cesare

Yesterday Polaris Industries announced the creation of a new On-Road Division with their Victory Motorcycles brand being a major component. In the press release?? the company does not provide specific information about other products that may be produced by the new division:

Polaris is committed to growing its on-road vehicle business through continued growth in the motorcycle industry along with successfully introducing products into other on-road adjacencies in the future.

Polaris is well known for their off-road products:?? snowmobiles, ATVs, and utility vehicles.?? It will be interesting to see if they move beyond motorcycles in the on-road?? space. Learn more:?? Polarisindustries.com

Kawasaki To Cut Workforce

Posted on May 11, 2009 by Marc Cesare

According to a press release from Kawasaki Motors, 320 employees at their Lincoln, NE plant are being offered buyouts.?? Besides utility vehicles, the plant produces all-terrain vehicles, personal watercraft and other leisure?? vehicles.?? The buyout offer follows the laying off of 170 employees in January of this year.?? The press release states that, “Kawasaki is experiencing increased inventory levels due to rapidly declining sales”.?? Management also remaked that the plant has been operating on short weeks since the beginning of the year.?? Learn more???? omaha.com

Mini Trucks Offer Competition In Some Utility Vehicle Segments

Posted on April 30, 2009 by Marc Cesare

I came across a story about how farmers were choosing Japanese mini-trucks to replace pick-ups for use on their farms.?? This puts them in direct competition with utility vehicles which are also replacing pick-ups on farms, college campuses, parks and other areas.?? The mini-trucks are typically faster than utility vehicles, a top speed around 50 mph, although some new vehicles are being built to LSV standards, and have the advantage of an enclosed cab. They offer better gas mileage than pick-ups, upwards of 40-50 mpg .

There however is an issue with registration of the vehicles and road use regulations.?? The?? law varies from state to state on whether they?? can be?? registered and or used on local roads, even if it is driving between?? parts?? of?? the same farm. Louisiana recently passed a law allowing them to be used on certain roads.

Many of the mini trucks are purchased as used vehicles imported from Japan where various regulations apparently make it more economical to purchase a new vehicle after certain amount of use rather than comply with the regulations.?? Learn more:?? japanese4x4minitrucks.com and here

Small Vehicle Resource Blog

Information on the small, task-oriented vehicle market

Category Archives: market trends