Electric or gas golf cart on the hills!

Why do some campgrounds only allow Gas or Electric Golf Carts?

Good question.

So here at Triple R, I hear every day, why don’t you let gas golf carts in? They are better on the hills.

So every campground owner has their own reasons for mandating electric only, or gas only.

Lets look at the pros and cons of both sides of the story. Then Ill give you the camp ground owners perspective.

Lets start with electric golf carts

Pro’s

1. Quiet Have to be charged after so many hours
2. No fumes More prone to electrical issues.
3. Can use the hills to recharge their batteries
4. Can be programmed to stay slow up, AND down the hills so you don’t wear out brakes.
5. Do not require the storage of explosives (gas) on the premise.
6. Produce more torque for the hills than a gas golf cart.

Con's

1. Has to be charged after so many hours
2. More prone to electric issues

Now lets look at gas golf carts.

Pro’s

1. Do not require campground power to recharge
2. Less prone to electrical issues. 

Con's

1. Stink (gas fumes)
2. Would require the storage of flammables (gas)
3. Noisy – Or can be modified to be noisy.
4. Require refueling every so many hours, just like an electric would have to be charged.
5. Can NOT be governed for uphill speed independently of down hill speed.
6. Require oil changes at the campground

 

So the most common arguments we hear all the time is, but gas is better on the hills. The purpose of this blog is to separate opinion from fact. The FACT is that is not true. As a mechanical engineer in my previous life, I can tell you with certainty, there is a reason why the Electric Tesla roadster SMOKES every single car it has ever been on the track against. Including 1000HP top fuel dragsters. But why?

So to put this argument to bed lets look at a club car gas/electric. Same model, same year, same size, same configuration. Lets look right at the manufacturers data. So this cant be construed as an opinion. It will be based on facts.

So lets take the 2019 Villager 4. The most common style golf cart out there.  The specifications below are right from the manufacturers website.

The electric version of this cart can produce 13HP with 34.5 lb-ft of torque @1980 RPM. Those are the MAX electric specifications. 

The gas version of the exact same cart can produce 14HP with only 19.91 lb-ft of torque @ 2400 RPM. These are the MAX gas specifications.  

Its important to note, horsepower is NOT what makes ANYTHING move fast, its torque. So were not concerned with that.

So why is electric so much better on the hill’s? Electric motors are linear in nature with regards to the torque curve. The torque curve is relevant because it indicates where the engine has the power to accelerate, up a hill or not. With an electric motor, you get lots of torque at ALL speeds.  Gas is NOT so linear at all. With a gas engine, to produce the maximum amount of torque, you have to rev the engine higher in RPM. Note above, the largest amount of torque is electric. Also note, the largest amount of torque, is produced at a LOWER RPM with electric. Therefore, gas carts are also much nosier on a hilly environment.

So, that is the math. There is no logical argument that gas is better on a hill than electric, based on math.

here is another element that drives the campground owners position. 9 out of 10 insurance companies will side with electric. Why? That’s EASY to answer.

When an insurance company looks at the likelihood that there would be a collision with a gas vs electric, they wont find any difference. Or weather either kind of cart could produce a fire, they wont find any difference. But when the insurance company evaluates the risk associated with gasoline engines, gas storage, oil storage, and the possibility of a spill that someone could misconstrue as a hazmat of some kind, an insurance agent is nuts to side with gas golf carts. Sometimes they do, but they might charge the campground more for insurance. And guess who pays for that?

From the campground owners perspective, you can see how there would be mixed reasons for either or. Especially if they don’t look at the math, or if they do and have power issues, or just prefer one over the other.

Another issue a campground owner has to deal with, is if they permit gas golf carts in, what do they now have to do, to keep the used oil from being dumped on the ground? Near the pond? Or burned to start a fire? Many commercial garbage companies wont allow you to dispose of it in the dumpsters.

Another misconception is an electric cart cost more money to repair than a gas cart. Some people will claim the batteries are expensive. Yes, they are, just about as much money as the engine in a gas golf cart. They both serve the same purpose, to power the cart.

At the end of the day, the campground owner has final say. He or she is the one who has to deal with all the variables we talked about above. However, the argument that gas is better on hills, no way, NEVER.

Another question we get every now and then is, why not a GEM car? Or why not an electric ATV?

So if you ask any campground owner what their biggest complaint is in their park, they will tell you barking dogs. Ask them what the second on the list is? Speeding golf carts or cars. So look at the top speed of an electric cart set according the rules at Triple R. From the factory they set them to 15 MPH.  If you set your controller so it complies with the speed of the park, the max speed is 5 MPH.  Gem cars are rated at 25 MPH. Might as well drive your car. They also require more of a charge current. In some cases the GEM car needs a 20 AMP receptacle.

As far as ATV’s, depends on the park.  At Triple R, we don’t allow them here at all. They cant even touch the ground. If they are brought in on a toy hauler, they can not come out of the camper.

But some campgrounds permit ATV’s. If they do, chances are they wont care at all if its gas or electric.