Monday 10 August 2015

Golf Car Manufacturing: Time to Go Green


While there are many golf car manufacturers in India, however those who manufacture eco-friendly electric vehicles in the country are very few. Golf cars are generally used to transport golfers and their golfing equipment around a golf course. Golf cars come in a variety of designs, shapes and sizes manufactured by many companies into this space.
Golf cars can only transport minimum number of passengers around a golf course. They are designed for short distances with their top speed being 15mph. Golf cars are now no longer referred to as golf carts or golf buggies since this could imply that they are self-propelled. With advancements in technology and manufacture of electric vehicles in India, the golf car manufacturers seem to have embraced this trend and developed electric golf cars.
Dating back to history, electric golf cars were the first vehicle to be produced for private use since 1951 and in the beginning most of them were electric vehicles, however now some are gas-powered as well. Gasoline golf cars are less popular on the golf course as they exhaust fumes and are very noisy. They require a lot more maintenance over the electric golf cars.
Golf cars are one of kind amazing vehicles that serve as turf cars, utility vehicles and even hospitality carts. Global golf cart market is growing at a CAGR of 6.6% from 2014 to 2020. These electric engine powered vehicles now utilize high-end digital technology for providing better performance and efficiency with little or no harm to the ecological balance.
Golf car manufacturing is analysed to be the fastest growing industry segment in terms of growth revenues and size in the near future. An interesting article in Harvard Business Review talks about the future of electric vehicles in detail and goes ahead to state, “When people think of electric vehicles, they think of Tesla. But if you want to see the future of EVs it’s important to look elsewhere. Despite glowing media reports, Tesla is not disruptive, and it will have trouble scaling as it seeks to grow.”
According to Thomas Bartman in HBR review, there are only two categories of disruptive EVs namely: low-speed electric vehicles such as golf cars and electric utility vehicles (EUVs). Early generations of low-speed EVs were basically golf carts that could be driven on public roads. Over time, golf car manufacturers have added features like stereos, hard doors, and even defrosters and heaters to the traditional golf cart.
Low-speed EVs such as golf cars typically sell for half what a comparable combustion-powered car would cost, and because they’re not considered “real” cars, they’re exempted from expensive licensing and registration fees. Also there is significantly less capital investment for manufacture of user-friendly electric vehicles in India, such as golf cars for easy and quick transport to shorter distances.
Considering lower capital investment, many golf car manufacturers are producing electric vehicle in India with a touch of luxury and performance improvement features such as power steering and air conditioning. However, combating effects of global warming would require golf car manufacturers to adopt green technologies and save the environment from pollution. Electric vehicles in India are soon picking up the market momentum. Way to go!


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