Automatic Test Equipment (ATE) to check for
shorts, resistance, and continuity. The battery
chargers are checked for output and current
draw. Additionally, the battery chargers must
go through periodic checks to maintain their
Underwriters Laboratory (UL) certification.
Each gasoline engine is put on a dynamometer
and run to check power output, operating tem-
perature, and leakage. Fuel tanks are pressur-
ized and placed under water to check for leaks.
Every finished vehicle is tested for acceleration
and breaking.
Waste Disposal
The manufacture of golf carts creates four
major types of waste products: metal chips
and contaminated coolant from the machin-
ing operations, cardboard shipping materials,
and paint overspray. Although difficult to
collect and sort, metal chips can often be sold
to recyclers. Contaminated coolant is just the
opposite. It is easy to gather and difficult to
dispose of. As the coolant is used it is contami-
nated with tramp oil, lubricant that leaks out of
machines. The coolant also supports bacterial
growth. Some companies use holding ponds
to break down this bacteria in sunlight; they
then recycle the coolant once the tramp oil has
been filtered out. Most companies, however,
just pay to have the oil hauled away by a waste
disposal company.
Cardboard shipping materials are taken to the
local landfill, where the landfill operator is paid
to bury or burn them. Some companies use re-
cyclable containers made of steel or fiber glass
to reduce the amount of cardboard waste,
but these become a very expensive alterna-
tive when the return shipping costs are taken
into account. Paint overspray and paint with
an expired shelf life are considered toxic in
many cases. To dispose of these materials the
golf cart manufacturer must often pay many
times the original cost of the paint to have it
removed.
The Future
One technical innovation that may become
available within the next ten years is a battery
that charges in minutes and works for many
hours. Manufacturers may also begin pro-
ducing carts with video games built into their
dashboards, to help players pass time while
waiting at the tee. Similarly, video screens
featuring a computer-generated layout of each
hole with the location of the balls in play are
also being examined.
Where To Learn More (Books)
Peper, George. Golf in America: The First One
Hundred Years. Harry N. Abrahms, 1988.
Rivele, Richard J. Chilton’s Total Car Care. Chilton
Book Company, 1992.
Shacket, Sheldon R. The Complete Book of Electric
Vehicles. Domus Books, 1979.
Traister, Robert J. All About Electric and Hybrid.
TAB Books, 1982.
Periodicals
“Golf Cars.” Golf Magazine. March, 1989, p. 212.
“Got Anything in a Beemer?” Los Angeles Maga-
zine. October, 1988, p. 156.
“Luxury on the Links.” Time. March 10, 1986, p.
65.
Read more: http://www.madehow.com/Volume-1/
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