Club Car Awards Johnson Controls as a Top Supplier

Posted on June 3, 2013 by Marc Cesare

Club Car recently gave their award for Overall Operations Excellence 2012 to Johnson Controls in recognition of being a top supplier. Johnson Controls supplies all the batteries to power Club Car’s fleet of Precedent golf cars and Carryall utility vehicles from facilities in Florence, SC. Besides providing deep-cycle lead-acid batteries, Johnson Controls is working with Club Car to develop and deploy advanced battery technologies that should be available in the next eighteen months as options for certain models..

Learn more: SacramentoBee.com

Polaris to Compete for Military Contracts for Fire & Emergency Vehicle

Posted on May 16, 2013 by Marc Cesare

Typical Polaris Ranger emergency vehicle used by a municipal fire department

The Defense Department recently awarded a number of contracts including a $382.5 million contract for fire and emergency vehicles for the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and federal civilian agencies. The contract is a “maximum value, fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment contract” which gives the Polaris Defense subsidiary the right to compete with other vendors for various orders under the larger contract. Polaris will only get the portion of the total contract for which it wins individual orders from the various agencies. The completion date for the contract is May 17, 2018.

Polaris management has targeted military sales a key strategic driver for future revenue growth. According to the company, they currently sell about $50 million of products, including ATVs and UTVs, to military customers and is targeting $200 million in annual revenues. Polaris was also one of the first vendors to offer a six wheeled UTV that has been popular with Bureau of Land Management fire units which fight wild fires. Learn more: Fool.com

Star Electric Vehicles at the PGA Show

Posted on January 31, 2013 by Marc Cesare

Star Electric Vehicles, a division of JH Global Services had a number of their vehicles at their booth at the PGA Show. They displayed some new colors for their golf vehicles and featured one of their people movers. Their patented 2 in 1 combo accessory was also on display. This product fits on the rear of a golf car and easily switches from a golf bag holder to an additional seat. While a number of Chinese manufacturers have come and gone in the market, Star Electric Vehicles has had staying power and the dealers I spoke with like the quality of their products. In fact, one dealer I met placed a sizable order at the show.

A new color for 2013 for StarEV

EV Green USA Opens Second EV Franchise

Posted on November 21, 2012 by Marc Cesare

EV Green USA, a manufacturer of small electric vehicles, has opened their second sales location in Cathedral City, CA. Franchise owner Darryl Atkinson sees the economic advantages of the vehicles as the primary driver for demand with environmental benefits as secondary. EV Green USA produces a wide range of electric LSV models from those used for personal transportation to commercial shuttles to work utility vehicles and off-road hunting vehicles. Prices range from $10,500 to $14,500 for the vehicles that are assembled in Norco, CA from a mixture of mostly China sourced components and some US sourced parts. Learn more: Mydesert.com

Team Industries Licenses Fallbrook’s Transmission Technology for STOV Market

Posted on November 20, 2012 by Marc Cesare

Fallbrook Technology and TEAM Industries announced an exclusive licensing agreement for Fallbrook’s NuVinc CVP (continuously variable planetary) technology in North America and Europe for the STOV market. Under the agreement, TEAM will have “…manufacturing rights for their light utility and recreational vehicle families for North America and Europe and includes an engineering services agreement (ESA) for the development of a NuVinci vehicle transmission, with development running through 2013 and into 2014. The agreement also provides for royalties with commercialization volume milestones beginning in 2015.” The agreement covers the ATV, UTV, LSV and NEV markets. The companies have been working together since 2011. Learn more: Marketwatch.com

Kawasaki Motors Recalls Fuel Filters for Lawn Mower and UTV Engines: Impacts Some John Deere UTVs

Posted on November 16, 2012 by Marc Cesare

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with Kawasaki Motors, today announced a voluntary recall fuel filters and tune-up kits with fuel filters. The recalled fuel filters are white translucent plastic and attach to the fuel tubes on Kawasaki lawn mower and utility vehicle engines. The fuel filter can leak, posing a fire hazard. To date all the reported leaks caused by the fuel filter have been on lawn mowers. Learn more: CPSC.gov

Kawasaki engine fuel filter being recalled

Related to this recall John Deere announced a recall of approximately 4,340 utility vehicles using this type of fuel filter. This recall involves John Deere TH, TS and TX-model Gator™ utility vehicles that have Kawasaki FE, FH and FJ series engines. The serial numbers of the UTVs included in the recall are:

1M04X2SJ++M070915 to 1M04X2SJ++M072247
1M04X2XC++M070040 to 1M04X2XC++M070213
1M04X2XD++M070314 to 1M04X2XD++M072731
1M06X4HD++M070049 to 1M06X4HD++M070372

They were sold nationwide from November 2011 to August 2012. Owners should stop using utility vehicles with the recalled engines and contact a John Deere dealer to have the fuel filter replaced. John Deere is contacting all registered owners of the recalled utility vehicles directly. John Deere can be contacted at (800) 537-8233. Learn more: CPSC.gov

Sevcon Chosen As Controller Supplier By Chinese EV Maker

Posted on August 13, 2012 by Marc Cesare

AUCMA Electric Vehicle Co. Ltd has selected Sevcon to provide motor controllers for their new light truck, the A-2. The China-based EV manufacturer will use Sevcon’s Gen4 digital motor controller with regenerative braking in the A-2. The A-2 features a 70 volt 16kw AC motor and has a range of 150 km and a top speed of 50 km/hr. The vehicle is designed for municipal fleets and can be configured as a flatbed or cargo box. The company is targeting domestic and export markets such as the US where partially assembled vehicles will be shipped to California for further assembly. Learn more: Marketwatch.com

Car Dealer Plans Small Electric Vehicle Dealerships In SoCal

Posted on July 20, 2012 by Marc Cesare

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

Trojan Battery to Supply Melex

Posted on June 7, 2012 by Marc Cesare

Poland based Melex has chosen Trojan Battery as their supplier for deep-cycle batteries for all their electric powered passenger and utility vehicles. Trojan’s Hydrolink watering system will also be used. Trojan’s T-105, T-125 and T-145 deep-cycle flooded batteries will be installed at the factory and be available for aftermarket purchases as well. Learn more: Golfcourseindustry.com

Kawasaki Teryx4 Developed in the US

Posted on April 23, 2012 by Marc Cesare

Kawasaki Teryx4: First vehicle designed and developed primarily in Lincoln, NE

Kawasaki’s Teryx4 which hit dealer showrooms earlier this year was the first vehicle to be designed and developed primarily at the Lincoln, NE manufacturing facility. The Lincoln R&D team developed the vehicle from the ground up concentrating on the vehicle’s frame and chassis while their counterparts in Japan worked on the engine and styling. It was a two to three year process. The Lincoln facility currently produces nearly the full range of Kawasaki’s consumer products with most of production destined for the US market. Management reports that more full product re-designs are in the future for the Lincoln R&D team. Learn more: Journalstar.com

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