Based on interviews with company representatives,
other companies which disclosed a significant interest
in a lithium solution included STAR, newcomers PILOT-
CAR (from Turkey), Ellwee (from Sweden), Evolution
Electric Vehicles, and ETECH Electric Vehicles. The
latter two companies are Chinese, and this marks the
second year at the PGA Show.
Implications of lithium power for the PTV and
utility vehicle market
For its part, Yamaha will take a more cautious
approach, waiting to see more market reaction to
the lithium option—and relying on its EFI engines
to meet consumer and fleet requirements for dis-
tance, power, and quiet operation. Yamaha intro-
duced its QuieTech EFI technology last year and
featured it again this year. The company’s pitch,
“…the quietness of electric with the profitability
and dependability of gas,” pretty much sums up its
current strategy. The implications for lithium power in small,
task-oriented vehicles are far-reaching. Currently,
the warranty for batteries in the company’s Elite
line are five years. It was widely rumored, per-
haps not officially announced, that the warranty
would be extended another three years. Club Car’s
warranty is similar and, in addition, has a one-time
transferable extension for four years. According to
Joe Deal, Engineering Leader, Golf Platform, the 600
W or optional 900 W chargers will fully charge the
battery in 3.7 or 2.7 hours, respectively.
Benefits and promise of lithium Just site a few of the implications of lithium:
The benefits of lithium, even though not fully devel-
oped, are destined to revolutionize PTV and utility
vehicle capabilities and their associated product
lines. It is much lighter, has 3.5 times the ener-
gy density compared to lead acid, and delivers a
constant level of voltage throughout the discharge
cycle, compared to lead acid batteries where there
is a persistent voltage drop with discharge (imply-
ing much greater efficiency). Most telling is the
difference in battery life cycle, that is, the number
of times a battery can charge and discharge energy
over a lifetime: 6,000 cycles for lithium compared
700 cycles for lead acid! Moreover, the efficiency
of lithium does not degrade at high temperatures,
which gives it another advantage in the Sunbelt. • Recycled golf cars coming off golf courses, typi-
cally, on average, after four years of use will have
batteries operating at 90% efficiency and still under
warranty. This will result in an even larger and
more competitive used vehicle market, where the
economics of so-called “back-end” profits will be
very significant and likely to have feedback effects
on the front end sale;
• The market for used PTVs should also expand for
the same reason—a virtually fully-operational bat-
tery, under warranty, enhancing the vehicle value;
• The fast charging times will make opportunity
charging all the more feasible and efficient, driving
the market for distributed charging systems (and
reducing the need for runs to the gas station);
• Vehicle sales will, as in the automotive market,
be even more driven by style enhancements and
accessories;
• Moving further in the future, with the significant-
ly greater distances that are possible with lithium
power, and in tandem with permanent magnet
electric motors for scalable power, look for structur-
al enhancements that will allow public road access in
most urban and suburban driving environments.
Relion Battery Company presented a 48V lithium
iron phosphate battery at the PGA Show, with
about the same dimensions of a typical 12V starter
battery in your car or the 12V deep cycle battery
from Trojan. The battery is part of the company’s
InSight series, which come in 12-, 24-, and 36-volt
sizes, as well. According to Christine Feodorov, Vice
President of Product Development and Strategy,
the batteries are designed as a drop-in replace-
ment for the lead acid battery pack you now have
in your PTV. The battery line also features a Su-
perSmart BMS (battery management system) which
eliminates the worry about cell imbalance between
batteries and maximizes performance, even when
connected in parallel.
It should be noted that there are different lithium
chemistries currently available on the market for
PTVs and many more in development. Relion uses
lithium iron phosphate, as does E-Z-GO with its
36
Samsung SDI battery, while Club Car’s battery is a
lithium nickel-magnesium-cobalt type from Japa-
nese manufacturer, LG Chem.
WWW.GOLFCAROPTIONS.COM
The combination of new product capabilities,
leading to a broadening of the market base both
inside and outside the gated community, as well
as enlightened legislation should lead to exciting
market growth over the next 5-7 years. And, it
will be the engineers and product developers who
have a command of the technology that will lead
the way. Much like the cell phone phenomenon,
the new technologies for small vehicles, greatly in
evidence at this year’s PGA Show, will, in fact, make
the market.