“Silver Tsunami” To Lift LSV Sales?

Posted on February 16, 2012 by Marc Cesare

An important driver for the consumer LSV market has been the growth of retirement and over 55 master planned/gated communities to serve aging Baby Boomers. While many of these communities have been associated with retirement areas in Florida, California, Arizona and the Carolinas, a recent planning document from Washington state points to more widespread potential outside those states and master planned communities. Recently the Clark County Aging Readiness Task Force presented over 90 recommendations to county officials to address the county’s aging population. A number of the recommendations deal specifically with transportation issues and one of the general recommendations is to support the use of neighborhood electric vehicles. County officials expect that by 2030, 25% of local residents will be 60 or older compared to around 16% today. “Seniors are the fastest growing segment of the local population and, statewide, Washington will rank 11th in the nation.” Learn more: Columbian.com

E-Z-GO Developments

Posted on January 30, 2012 by Marc Cesare

Towards the end of last year E-Z-GO initiated a rebranding of some of their product lines. They introduced their Terrain line of vehicles for what management describes as “trail-utility” applications and their Express line of vehicles for “trail-leisure” applications. The Terrain line consists of the Terrain 250 and 1000 in gas and electric configurations and the Terrain 500 and 1500 in gas only configurations. The Express line consists of the L4, S4, L6 and S6 models which all come in gas or electric versions. One dealer’s website describes the Terrain line being for cargo and the Express line being for people.

From my understanding the old E-Z-GO ST product line has been rebranded as E-Z-GO Terrain & Express models, and as the Cushman Hauler models, and some as Bad Boy Buggies. While the guts of the vehicles have not been changed substantially, the front body panel, the cowl, headlights and canopy top have been changed and the top supports are beefier as well.

E-Z-GO's Exceed Hybrid Technology Range Extender

E-Z-Go has also introduced a range extender technology for their Freedom RXV golf car and 2Five LSV. The Exceed Hybrid Technology™ is a fully integrated supplemental power source which can extend the range of these vehicles up to 150 miles based on E-Z-Go’s test results. The Exceed features a 6 hp, 205 cc gas generator which can recharge the batteries on the fly and provides a 400-watt power source for charging electronic devices. System controls and the power source outlet are located on the dashboard. The generator fits into the vehicle’s bagwell with a custom cover. Learn more: Ezgo.com

Columbia ParCar Recalls Vehicles For Steering Issue

Posted on January 27, 2012 by Marc Cesare

Columbia ParCar, in cooperation with the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), is recalling nearly 1,400 golf, service and utility vehicles produced between July 1, 2008 through June 30, 2011, which includes 2009, 2010 and 2011 models. The vehicles are being recalled because “…the lower steering yoke can loosen where it attaches to the steering rack and pinion, causing the driver to lose control of the vehicle and crash.” No injuries have been reported related to the issue. Models involved in the recall include the Eagle (P4E) Golf Vehicle, Shuttle (C6E) Personnel Carrier, Tram (C10E) Personnel Carrier, Summit (SM/SUV) Utility Vehicle, Utilitruck (EU4, EU24) Utility Vehicle and Scout (S10E) Utility Vehicle. Check the following link for specific VINs involved. Columbia ParCar dealers will be conducting free inspections and repairs as required. Learn more: CPSC.gov

EV Related Tax Credits Expire

Posted on January 19, 2012 by Marc Cesare

Federal budget battles have led to the expiration of a number of electric vehicle related tax credits. The most important tax credit for the STOV market was the tax credit for plug-in electric vehicles which applied to LSVs. The credit was worth 10% of the cost of the vehicle up to $2,500. A tax credit for installing electric vehicle recharging stations also expired. While these type of tax credits are frequently renewed with an added provision to the budget bill, the disputes over the budget that went down to the deadline altered the usual process. There is a possibility that some of the tax credits could be re-instated at a later date, which has occurred with other credits in the past, but there has been no reports of that happening. Learn more: Torquenews.com

Evergreen Electric Vehicles Chooses Solar Drive For Vehicle Solar Panels

Posted on January 10, 2012 by Marc Cesare

Evergreen Electric Vehicles, an authorized ZAP dealer, has chosen Solar Drive as their provider for roof top solar panels for their vehicles. The system from Denmark based Solar Drive includes two 100 watt panels and a proprietary controller. Press release follows.

PRESS RELEASE

EVERGREEN Electric Vehicles endorses Solar Drive

Evergreen Electric Vehicles, LLC endorses the Solar Drive system as the preferred Solar Top for all of its vehicles. “We are very impressed with the quality and performance of the Solar Drive products,” says Keith Andrews, President of Evergreen Electric Vehicles. “The robust design and attention to detail are qualities that drew us to the product. The management and support staff are highly professional and forward thinking. We wanted to give our customers some direction on which of Solar top to consider.”

The Solar Drive top fits a wide range of vehicles. The hardware to install the top uses top quality stainless steel fasteners and the solar panels are surrounded by an attractive extruded aluminum frame with a Scandinavian flare. Solar Drive’s home office is located in Denmark.

The Solar Drive top converts solar energy from two one hundred watt PV modules through a proprietary Maximum Power Point Tracking charge controller to maximize the amps and volts to the battery pack.

“The use of the latest state of the art solar panels along with a superior management system is what differentiates the Solar Drive system from the others.” says Erik Andersen, General Manager of Global Sales for Solar Drive. “This free power from the sun can extend the vehicles range five to ten miles per day, depending on a variety of conditions. By keeping the batteries constantly charged, the rate and level of discharge is improved, which over time will improve the battery life,” adds Andersen.

To learn more about the Solar Drive system or to locate a Solar Drive distributor near you , go to www.solardrive.com . To find our more about the full line of Evergreen Electric Vehicles go to www.evergreenev.com

More Sustainability Driven Purchases

Posted on January 5, 2012 by Marc Cesare

The University of Chicago recently added three e-Ride electric utility vehicles to their fleet. The LSVs are replacing two gas powered trucks and a van and are the University’s first foray into all electric vehicles. The vehicles will be used mostly by the facilities department in their carpentry or painting shops during a pilot phase to understand how to best use the vehicles. In the future more of these type of vehicles are expected to be purchased as part of a sustainability program. Learn more: Blogs.uchicago.edu/dirt

Update: In a related story, Missouri State University students purchased a Vantage EVX1000 electric utility truck for student workers who collect recyclables on campus. The student sustainability fund was used to finance the $24,000 purchase. The recycling program is expected to now be more efficient with a dedicated vehicle that expands access to off-campus university buildings downtown. Learn more: News-leader.com

Viridian Motors: Electric Truck Start-up

Posted on December 9, 2011 by Marc Cesare

Viridian Motors of Virginia expects to enter the small, electric utility truck market early next year. Similar in design to a mini-truck, the Work Ready truck comes in two models, the WR100 and WR200, has a top speed of 25 mph and is priced at $13,500. Target markets include farms, golf courses and apartment complexes. The vehicle is a mix of US and China sourced parts with the assembly being performed in Norfolk, VA.

According to the company president Terry Langhorne the chassis and cabin are made in China and Chinese sourced parts constitute 15-20% of the sales price. Parts sourced from the US include electric AC motor, controller, contactor, wiring harness, seats, transaxle rear end, fuse links, tires, brake lines, interior sheet metal components, steel chassis modifications, 12v battery system, throttle plates, gauges and dashboard switch assemblies. Learn more: Hamptonroads.com

Garia News

Posted on December 5, 2011 by Marc Cesare

Garia has developed a special edition golf car, the Garia Mansory Edition. The vehicle is a collaboration between Garia and Mansory, a high-end customizer of cars from luxury brands such as Rolls Royce, Austin Martina and Bentley.

Carbon fiber – an ultra-light yet exceptionally strong material normally used in the motor sports and aircraft industries – has been used on body panels on the front, side steps and tail. The cabin floor is lined with teak tree, while the specially designed headlights, air scoop and fender gills complete this unique and complex transformation.

The Garia Mansory Edition comes in street legal and non-street legal versions and will be on display at the Top Marques Macau 2011 which takes place from November 24-27 2011 at The Venetian Macau.

In other Garia developments, the company has partnered with Hank Haney a leading golf instructor for a number of professional golfers and host of “The Haney Project.” on the Golf Channel.

Learn more: Garia.com

Austin LSV Cab Company Gains Approval

Posted on December 1, 2011 by Marc Cesare

After several years of legal battles and legislative efforts Electric Cab of Austin will soon be able to operate legally in downtown Austin. The City Council recently approved the first writing of an ordinance that will allow electric LSVs to be used in the downtown area. Rides are provided for free and the company generates revenue from advertising on the vehicles. Learn more: Dailytexanonline.com

Comment: This business model of using LSVs for center city taxi services has emerged in a number of cities. Given the number of cities that could potentially implement a service such as this, it represents a potential growth area for LSVs that was not apparent several years ago. The concept is another example of how STOVs can perform well in specific applications. In this case regular taxis are too expensive for such short trips and electric LSVs provide a greener alternative while taking up less space on the road.

GEM Fargo Factory Being Liquidated