Six Crucial Factors To Consider When Buying a Gas or Electric Golf Cart

I’ve heard it a thousand times after customers walk into my showroom and I’ll hear it a thousand times more “I don’t want some noisy gas golf cart. I want electric because it’s silent”

 

 

Personally, I don’t mind the noise of a gas golf cart, so If I had to choose a golf cart my decision process would be more complicated because I have a lot of different options to chose from. However, if I couldn’t stand the noise from a gas golf cart, I’d be cutting my options in half which makes your decision a little easier.

 

Now there a few exceptions like the Yamaha Quietech for example which is a gas golf cart that features a newly designed exhaust as well as insulated panels that hide the motor sound very well. The Quietech isn’t 100% silent but if you don’t want electric and you’d like to keep the noise to a minimum, I’d recommend the Quietech.

 

Would also like to note that on the high performance electric motors like Navitas Vehicle System’s there is a pretty cool hum/whine that comes from the motor as you accelerate. It honestly sounds like a mini jet engine starting up. My point here is that it’s not 100% silent but still pretty dang close.

 

If you’re only considering the big 3 manufacturers (Club Car, Yamaha, EZGO), the upfront cost to buy a new golf cart, from cheapest to most expensive, goes:

1. Lead Acid

2. Gas

3. Lithium Ion

 

If you’ve already decided you want gas, great, your decision is down to EZGO, Club Car and Yamaha. However, if you want Lithium Ion, your decision has become more difficult because of the new OEMs emerging on the scene.

 

The golf cart industry has been thrown a curveball by the emerging smaller manufacturers who build electric golf carts because their features and price are very attractive to prospective buyers.  Now you can buy a lithium ion Evolution, Advanced EV, Icon and other models for less or a similar price as a gas Club Car, Yamaha or EZGO.

 

The “big 3 vs the new OEMs” topic has become a very controversial subject because the big 3 are proven manufacturers who have been around for a long time, but the pricing and the stock features of these newer manufacturers are very attractive to prospective buyers. It’s hard to say right now as the new players in the game are still relatively new, but only time will tell if these carts are built as well and as dependable as the big 3’s are.

 

So when you’re deciding on a golf cart based on the upfront price, it comes down to a few questions. If you want gas, which cart of the big 3’s do you want? If you want lead acid or lithium ion, are you willing to pay extra for the industry proven golf cart? Or do you want to save a dollar by purchasing from a newer OEM?

 

Now there’s a lot to unpackage here, so I’m going to keep it simple and talk in averages and also include my personal experiences. 

 

Lead acid is typically the least expensive option when purchasing a golf cart but the batteries require maintenance and they also run the highest risk of you forking out over $1000 for replacements within the near future, and that makes them, on average, the most expensive to own long term.

 

If your golf cart will live in a warmer southern state, you can expect a longer lifespan as lead acid batteries are more prone to going bad if they experience a freezing cold environment, especially if they’re uncharged. So the long term cost won’t be as bad if you maintain your batteries and you live where it’s warm. But if you live in a cold northern state where it can be below freezing for months at a time, on average, you can expect to replace those $1,000-$1,500 batteries every few years which is why they can be very expensive long term.

 

Another reason the long term cost can be high is because flooded lead acid warranties are typically 1 year. So even if you get three good years out of them, you’re stuck cutting a big check for replacements.

 

I’m sure some will read what I just wrote and disagree wholeheartedly but I’m making this judgement based on my experience. We, BA Carts, are in Ohio and we used to build and sell lead acid carts and the customers that didn’t maintain the batteries had to replace them every year, and 75% of my customers that did take care of the batteries needed to replace them every 2 years and I think it’s mainly due to the customer’s cart sitting still for 5 straight months in the freezing cold winter.  Now if you live in warm southern state, I’d feel more confident telling you the long term cost won’t be as substantial, but I bet you the long term cost will still be higher than a Gas or Lithium Ion golf cart.

 

Gas falls in the middle of the pack on upfront cost but can be the cheapest to own long term, it just depends on what you consider long term. Let me explain. 

 

While owning a gas golf cart, you’ll need to fill it up with gas every 150 or so miles, and you’ll need to service the motor and other components once or twice a year, and those are costs you’re not going to experience with an electric golf cart on a yearly basis.  Yes, it costs a little to charge your electric cart, and yes it’ll cost to have other components serviced every few years like the suspension and rear axle oil, but at the end of the day, you’re going to spend a little more on a yearly basis to keep that gas golf cart healthy and running.

 

So considering all of this, how in the world can gas be cheapest to own long term? Because gas golf cart motors are bulletproof and could last you 30 or more years. There’s a reason you see so many 20-30 year old gas golf carts driving around golf courses, and it’s because they can dang near run forever just as long as they’re regularly maintained. So if we’re considering 10 years to be long term, gas can be cheapest to own because there’s a strong chance that you won’t need to replace a expensive main component of the cart like the engine, you will just fork out a few hundred bucks a year in gas and servicing. (Over the course of 15 years you might also have to change out the primary belt, the clutch, and the 12 volt battery). 

 

However, Lithium Ion could cost less than gas to own long term so let’s figure out how. 

 

What’s great about lithium ion golf carts is that they don’t require the regular/yearly maintenance that lead acid/gas golf carts require. (with the exception that you might need to change the alignment and rear axle oil once a year depending on how much you drive it). So on average, the yearly cost to own a lithium ion cart isn’t nearly as costly as others. 

 

However, if we’re considering 10 years to be long term, it could cost far more to own because you might need to replace that $2000-$4000 lithium ion battery. So that small amount of money you spent on charging the cart and on services the last 10 years might not seem very small after cutting the dealer a $3,000 check for a new battery. I emphasis on “could” though because lithium golf cart batteries haven’t even been out for 10 years yet, so we don’t really know how long they will last. We’ve heard 10-15 years from most manufacturers but I can’t necessarily consider that factual until I experience it myself. 

 

 

 

Lead acid? Regularly check the water levels, plug it in to charge (typically after every use), change rear axle oil every few years, make sure the batteries are staying charged if in storage for extended periods of time, remove the batteries and take them to a warm environment if the cart will be stored in a freezing cold environment (also charge them while stored in a warm environment) 

 

Gas? Fill gas tank every 150 miles, change oil and air filter once or twice a year, change belts and rear axle oil every few years, trickle charge the 12 volt battery while storing for extended periods. 

 

Lithium Ion? Plug in after most uses, change rear axle oil every few years, charge the battery before you store it long term (lithiums hold charge way better than lead acid so it’s not nearly as crucial that you regularly check on the charge over 4-5 months of storage compared to a lead acid cart). 

 

On a broad scale, Lithium Ion and Gas are both super dependable, more so than lead acid. However, one aspect I like to point out to my customers when they ask “which is more dependable” is that you can quickly put gas in your gas golf cart and go over 100 miles meanwhile, a lithium ion golf cart that can go 50 miles on a charge will take six hours to charge. Now I know that might be a little unfair to the lithium ion golf carts out there, because I’d consider a fully charged lithium cart to be just as dependable as a gas golf cart with a full tank, but it can go unsaid. If you need to always depend on your golf cart to get you from point A to B no matter how much you’ve used it today, gas is going to win due to the range. 

 

Another dependability factor I forgot to mention on The Golf Cart Podcast is using the golf cart in freezing cold temperatures. Lithium batteries are not supposed to be used in freezing conditions, meanwhile gas golf carts don’t really care what the temperature is outside, so if you live in Michigan and you’re shopping for a golf cart that you will use all year round, you want to strongly consider going gas. 

 

 

If Ohio stayed as warm as Florida, location wouldn’t be a factor but I’m typing this as it’s snowing in November and I’d bet it’s not snowing in Florida right now. If you live in a southern state you can pretty much skip past this factor because there isn’t necessarily any danger for lead acid, lithium or gas golf carts in weather that stays above 32°F

 

Flooded lead acid batteries have a freezing point of -80 °F  if fully charged but as high as 20 °F if fully discharged and that alone is why I don’t recommend lead acid batteries to customers here in Ohio or any northern state. Not all but a lot of golf cart owners store their golf cart in an unheated garage, shed, barn, or even outside, and that instantly puts your batteries at risk of going bad.

 

Now you might say, “Sloan, I store my golf cart in my heated garage, so my lead acid batteries are fine” or “My golf cart stays in a southern state all year round but I only use it six months a year”. Well,  that definitely improves the chances that your batteries will make it another season but you need to make sure that your batteries are staying charged as they sit there for 4-5 months because it’s not good for your lead acid batteries to go completely dead regardless of the temperature. 

 

Lithium Ion batteries have taken the industry by storm for many reasons but one key reason is that all of the long term storage concerns I just listed off about lead acid batteries are pretty much non existent when it comes to lithium. However, if you plan on using your golf cart in freezing conditions, lithium ion will be a poor choice as lithium batteries are not supposed to be used or charged in freezing conditions. 

 

Gas golf carts don’t care what the temperature is outside while in use, especially if they’re fuel injected (A carbureted golf cart will require a little choke to get going during colder weather). However, one similarity that gas golf carts have with electric golf carts is that you still have to maintain a battery. Gas golf carts have a 12 volt battery which needs to be trickle charged during long term storage and if stored in a freezing cold environment, the battery can go bad just like a lead acid. So gas golf cart owners typically take their batteries into their house or heated garage and put them on a trickle charger if their golf cart will sit in a cold environment for the winter. 

 

 

 

Let’s talk about something fun! SPEED! (And torque, and range). 

 

Lead acid? Stronger torque than gas. Not as good as range as gas. Can produce betters speeds than gas with high powered controller/motor but that will also kill your range. Cart weighs a lot due to the batteries so speed, torque and range will not be as good as lithium with same motor/controller. Battery output weakens as they discharge during use. Can take up to 12 or more hours to charge in full. 

 

Lithium? Huge drop in weight compared to lead acid. Much stronger torque than gas. Not as good as range as gas. Can produce much better speed than gas with high powered controller/motor. As long as you purchase a larger lithium battery like a 150AH or 200AH, you will still have solid range even with a high powered setup. Charging takes 1/4 of the time it takes to charge lead acid. Battery output doesn’t change as the battery discharges during use. 

 

Gas? Torque not as strong as lead or lithium. Range can be 5 times or more than lead acid and smaller lithium setups. Factory speeds can be similar to factory electric golf carts. No waiting on charging, just fill up and go. 

 

 

The first question I ask my customers when they walk into my showroom is “what purpose will your golf cart be serving?”. Are you using it at a campground? In your development? Will you drive it all around town? Using it half the year? All year? Driving just you and the spouse around? Or is your family of six using the cart?

 

The purpose of your golf cart is very important in considering what golf cart is best for you and that’s why I’ve made it the final factor. 

 

By now I hope you have a good understanding on what you can expect out of a lead acid, lithium and gas golf cart so now we can run through some scenarios, changing the golf carts purpose and decide on what’s best. 

 

Your golf cart’s purpose will be transportation around your campground on weekends? If you go a gas you’ll more than likely need to fill it with a gas can unless your campground has a gas station. Furthermore I’d recommend gas if your golf cart will be driven all weekend long by your family since gas golf cart’s range is over 100 miles. But what if you don’t want gas? Well, you’ll need to make sure you plug your electric cart in every night after a days use, also make sure you plug it in before you leave the campground for the week because you don’t want to wake up on Saturday morning, or show up on Friday and the cart is dead and useless for the next 6-12 hours since it’ll need to charge. There’s way more variables here when considering campground use, so please reach out to me here if you’d like to know my golf cart recommendation for your campground circumstance. 

 

If your town is large and allows you to put 30 miles on your golf cart within a days use you want to consider a larger lithium battery or gas due to the range. Your town is small and it’s just a grocery getter? Then you could save some money by going lead acid. You will regularly drive on 35mph roads and you want to do the speed limit? Then you want to consider a high powered electric golf cart or a gas golf cart with high speed gears. 

 

You’ll want to make sure you plug your electric cart in before you leave for the week. Also want to make sure you don’t leave your electric cart sit in freezing temperatures during the winter.

 

 

Knowing the true purpose your golf cart is serving is crucial in deciding which kind of a golf cart to purchase. Please reach out to me here if you’d like to hear my recommendation on what kind of golf cart you should choose based on the cart’s purpose.