[volkman10]

Originally Posted by aadix

dear bhpians,

any idea what are the brands of golf carts available in india? and what are their rough prices? and more imporantly where to buy and what are the recurring costs on them? any team-bhpians currently own any golf carts?

i need one, pref a 6 or 8 seater variant for my in-factory use to ferry guests around and so-on.

also any place where i can pick up an used cart? my budget is around 1.5l to 2l.

also just a wild idea, would be wise to cut out a old omni and make it into a golf cart? (with added reinforcements to the structure)

any other options apart from a golf cart for the above purpose?

thanks in advance aadix

Club car is part of the Ingersoll Rand group , see attached link.
Welcome to Ingersoll Rand Company

They are popular amongst the global brands. Headquarted in Bangalore they would have officies in major cities here. You could contact them for any specific or customised model you desire.

[Durango Dude]

Best buy: Used M800 sans the doors, is the best golf cart around.

[KA18]

@Durango, the OP has put in his question about 2 years back and has not bothered replying so far to any of the posts.

[aadix]

hello,

At the time, from what i recollect all the quotes we had received for golf carts: new & used, were all greater than three Lacs.

Hence, in the end an old omni was bought and converted it into a golf cart look alike, all the work was done locally. the work costed approximately costed less than half of what it would have taken to buy a new golf cart then.

The end fit and finish was fine, but not comparable to a proper golf cart. since it was expected to be a limited short term need, the above looked as the best solution at that time.

Haven't seen the cart since then, but what i have least heard from the factory officials was that the van is still performing good and there is no visible frame warp.


Regards

Aadix.

[aashishnb]

Golf Cart on Road - Advice Requested
(Mods - am unable to create a new thread therefore posting here which seemed more relevant than the various REVA ownership threads)

I have been toying with the idea of using a Golf Cart as a mode of transport and request BHPians advice to figure out its viability.

First a little bit of history and facts of why the idea came up:
1. In my hometown Ichalkaranji (near Kolhapur), one can cover the entire city within a radius of not more than 5 – 7 km therefore the maximum distance even if one were to go from one end to the other and back for each trip will not be more than 20-25 km.
2. The average local commute is not more than 10 km per day per person – multiple trips every day.
3. Majority of people there, including yours truly when I am there, use 2-wheelers for various reasons – ease of use, quick, fuel efficient, most trips are 1 person only, etc. Therefore, using a car for normal commute is not a very practical option - in fact, even a lot of people who have cars, prefer to use 2-wheelers for local commutes and cars are used only for long distance or more than 2 passengers.

So here is my Idea –

Use a golf cart instead of a 2-wheeler for transport – maybe not for all commutes but for most of the commutes. This is largely focused as an upgrade (safety wise) for the elder (my parent’s) generation, for whom learning how to drive a car at this age will be difficult, if not impossible and will not be worth it just for the local commute.

This will initially have to be a used cart as a new one will be as expensive as a car and defeat the purpose – it capex needs to be as close to a 2-wheeler as possible (~ 50k).

A Golf cart has the following inherent advantages:
1. Safety – 4 wheels therefore no need to balance, etc. and better over potholes than 2-wheelers.
2. Protects from weather - Rain & Sun. Not so much from cold wind but still better than 2-wheeler
3. Much easier for old people to get in & out (as passenger) compared to a 2-wheeler
4. No need for people (especially older people) to learn how to drive a car. Golf cart is easier to drive – open on all sides (therefore better judgement of distances similar to a 2-wheeler), no hassle of gear / clutch etc.
5. Can seat 4 people instead of 2 and more comfortably
6. Eco-friendly (I know not very relevant due the polluting elsewhere logic, but for whatever it is worth).

Other points:

7. Range is not an issue if it can cover a 50-km distance per charge, perhaps even 40 will do.
8. Most houses there are not high-rises and therefore charging point on ground floor not an issue.
9. Golf Cart normally have headlights. Indicators & horn can be added.
10. Hopefully, damage / theft risk (it being completely open) should be negligible but is still a genuine risk.
11. Using a REVA or similar EV defeats the purpose – expensive, not as easy to drive, etc.


With this background, I would like your thoughts on the following specific points, especially people owning Reva or other street legal EVs:

1. Has anyone tried using a Golf Cart on streets.

2. If I plan to use a Golf Cart on road, does it needs to be registered with RTO? I seem to remember any electric vehicle with more than 50W motor need to be. If yes, then what category will they register it under and are there any specifications that the vehicle needs to fulfill (crash, etc.)?

3. What about Own Damage (OD) & Third Party (TP) insurance, etc.? Is it available easily or will insurance companies create an issue?

4. Does a person need a driving license to drive such EVs on road? If yes and if it needs to be a car license, will defeat the purpose largely.

5. Will the ground clearance of 125-175 mm be an issue for potholes / speed breakers?

6. What is the normal life of a Golf Cart battery? How much does the range deteriorate? Even it the range falls from the claimed 80-km per charge to 40-50 km per charge, it should not be a problem. How much will it cost.

7. Also, I understand that the original (Trojan is the most used) batteries are very expensive. Are there any indigenous products from Exide, Amara Raja, etc. which can be used instead. A wild idea I have – why not create an array of batteries using locally available batteries (distilled water or dry for ease of use) perhaps those for inverters which are high power and not cars? Is it possible or am I day-dreaming too much?

8. Does anyone know anybody who is looking to sell 2nd hand golf carts? I can be the ‘test subject’ as long as the upfront capex is not very high.


If this experiment becomes successful, would also like to put a solar panel on the roof, but lets leave that for later.

Thanks.

Ashish

[Hammer & Anvil]

Old thread- same question
I need a electric golf cart- that can carry 4/5 people- for use on a large farm property near Pune.
Can anyone help suggest a vendor?