Drive anywhere in neighborhoods around East Cooper and you are likely to see families cruising around in golf carts. While most of these leisure vehicles used to be powered by gas, there has been a shift toward electric.
According to Yahoo Finance, the U.S. electric golf cart market is projected to grow from $529.4 million in 2024 to $886.7 million by 2033. Here in the Lowcountry specifically, a variety of factors have contributed to the spike in electric sales.
In late 2022, Andrea Leary, who along with her husband Chad Shores founded Rad Rydz in 2018, said they began to see the market demand shift from gas-powered carts to the battery-powered LSVs (low-speed vehicles). They noticed the trend developing even before then but waited until they could find the right vehicle to carry.
“We kind of saw it coming for a while,” said Leary. “But we’re very particular about the brands that we sell. So we looked for probably four years to find a brand that we trusted, that we felt comfortable putting our name on it. We wanted to make sure it was something that had a lasting reputation, that we could get parts for.”
One aspect of why people transitioned to LSVs had to do with a state regulation. Under South Carolina law, you are prohibited from driving golf carts at night, but you can operate LSVs anytime.
“Well, I think it (the shift to LSVs) really happened because more people had golf carts, so they were using them more, and then they realized they couldn’t drive them at night if it was a golf cart, so then they wanted a low-speed vehicle so they could drive it at night,” mused Leary. “It fit their needs.”
The other major industry shift they’ve witnessed is with lithium batteries. “We do a ton of lithium conversions where people have lead acid batteries, and they put the lithium in there. And that’s because lead acid will last about four years and a lithium battery will last 10-plus years – with no maintenance on it,” explained Leary.
Paul Streaman, general manager of Etto Leisure Cars, a one-stop shop offering premium golf cars and LSVs that has been selling and servicing carts since 2017, said when considering gas versus electric carts, there is always a higher adoption rate of electric carts in neighborhoods where golf carts are more usable.
“You’re not going to drive across (Highway) 17 to get from one side of 17 to the other. You’re going to stay, whether you’re in Belle Hall, or any of these neighborhoods in Mount Pleasant – you’re going to stay in that one particular spot. And most of those large neighborhoods do not allow gas carts,” explained Streaman. This is in part because of the noise, smoke and other nuisance issues, he added.
Our topography matters as well. Gas carts operate better than electric carts on hilly terrain, but as the name implies, the Lowcountry has flat terrain, rendering a gas cart unnecessary. “If we had a bunch of hills, now gas carts are a necessity. But the general environment that we’re in, there’s not much of a need,” noted Streaman. “And especially with the prevalence of lithium batteries, the range on an electric cart is good enough where gas just really isn’t needed.”
Range does present more of an issue in the commercial space, where you might see eight to 10 hours of daily usage, which could put a strain on a battery-powered cart. But generally, residential is almost all electric at this point, he added.
Streaman said the industry started seeing more of a shift to electric after COVID-19. Residents didn’t want to deal with the noise of a gas-powered motor while driving around with family and friends enjoying leisure activities. “And since then, it’s been more and more prevalent,” said Streaman. “Sometimes by the requirements of the neighborhoods.”
Leary said LSVs with lithium batteries offer the “best of both worlds.”
“People wanted gas because they didn’t want to mess with the maintenance of the lead acid batteries. But they like the quiet of the electric cart.”
Another reason for electric carts’ popularity boost involved the introduction into the market of higher-level vehicle options. “So, those first carts had seats and mirrors and a windshield and four wheels, and that was about it,” elaborated Streaman. Now there are carts with heated and cooled seats, Apple CarPlay, Bluetooth and other added features that don’t work as well with gas carts as electric.
“The biggest thing is it’s fun,” said Streaman. “It’s more convenient than taking a car. It’s easier to park. Obviously, that’s a consideration for a lot of folks because of the congestion we have.”
By Colin McCandless
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