know who Chris Anderson is, he is
the publisher of Wired Magazine,
which has consistently documented
cutting edge products and technolo-
gies, and new applications for, now, a
good number of years.
Clearly, PTVs are part of a long-tailed
market. And, manufacturers and
dealers have exploited the appeal of
diversity via their on-line accessoriz-
ing features. Some of these features
are factory-installed and some
installed at the dealership.
(The full details of the PTV market
can be accessed via a subscription to
Small Vehicle Resource’s latest mar-
ket study. Contact me a t smetzger@
smallvehicleresource.com.)
The question now is can this personal-
ized PTV market morph into broader
markets and greater opportunities?
Key Actors in Developing New
Markets
Dealers are at the cutting edge
of electric power transportation.
Across all small electric, point A to
point B vehicles, the diversity of is
astounding: electric bikes, electric
scooters, electric skateboards—you
name it, it’s here and now. What
will bring the PTV further along in
its product and market evolution?
(I coined the term, “urban mobility
vehicle” or UMV to characterize the
potential market.) Having some ex-
perience now—almost two decades—
of observing the golf car industry two
people will point the way forward.
From within manufacturing compa-
nies, it will be product development
engineers, pushing the higher-ups to
adopt and incorporate in new models
the superior performing components
that are already sitting, waiting in the
marketplace.
“Outliers” Who Are Pushing into
New Markets
The second group that will expand
the market in new directions will be
your neighborhood golf car dealer.
Here is how two dealers are pushing
their sales efforts into new markets.
Two dealers that have pushed the
envelope to create new markets are
Brian Rott, CEO of Cart Mart, Inc.,
headquartered in San Marcos, CA,
and John Triolo, who heads up Moun-
tainTop Golf Cars in Banner Elk, NC.
Brian is one of the most successful
dealers in the country. He is an au-
thorized dealer for Club Car, Yama-
ha, and Garia and has expanded his
business from the company’s original
location in San Marcos to now three
more dealerships across California’s
Southland, including Los Angeles.
Diversification is probably the most
succinct way of summarizing the key
to Brian’s vision and the success of
that vision. Sales and revenues are
balanced between consumer and
commercial accounts, rentals, and a
proactive service organization. The
commercial side of the business has
grown to the point that Brian now
has three full-time outside sales
associates in his employ.
Perhaps the most innovative ini-
tiative that Brian has undertaken
is lobbying for legislation to get
communities to consider low-speed
vehicles as a clean, safe, and conve-
nient alternative to conventional au-
tomobiles. Based on this legislation,
which has now passed the California
legislature, municipalities in San
Diego County are encouraged to
consider infrastructure adjustments
to provide for LSVs. This legislation
could be the model for other coun-
ties in California—and, who knows,
perhaps for the entire country.
John Triolo, owner and CEO of
MountainTop Golf Cars, in some-
thing of a contrast to Brian, is located
in the western hill country of North
Carolina, an area, by comparison
to Southern California, is sparsely
populated. And the business in this
beautiful resort location is highly
seasonal. Jack, as he is known to his
many friends and business partners,
is an authorized E-Z-GO, Club Car,
and STAR dealer. To broaden his
market, Jack, , looked into the poten-
tial of the global market. To this end,
he and his son-in-law, Mike Williams,
have successfully developed a fleet
of custom electric transporters for
major resorts in the Seychelle Islands.
Built on a Club Car frame and
incorporating a powerful AC motor
and controller from Hi Performance
Electric Vehicle Systems (HPEVS),
Ontario, CA, Jack put together a
vehicle that could manage the steep
climbs from the tourist debarking
dock at the shore to the high, inland
resort locations.
Lessons Learned/Objectives to be
Accomplished
The whole point of citing these
examples is that it is the dealer, not
the manufacturer that has taken the
initiative to increase their business.
These dealers, and others could be
mentioned, will provide the ground-
swell that could bring the industry
into the 21st century electric mobil-
ity revolution. Two key aspects of
industry participation in this green
mobility process are:
• Meeting performance require-
ments (e.g., power, distance) of the
new era;
• Garnering the cooperation of mu-
nicipal authorities, whose interest is
optimizing traffic patterns in a green
environment.
In my estimation, the first require-
ment has been all but met. Peruse
the HPEVS website and SilverWolf’s
(Canada), and you will be convinced
of this. As to the second, much work
needs to be done. Following Brian
Rott’s example, however, and with
support from key manufacturers, this
can also be accomplished.
Actually, it is the manufacturers
that need to be more involved in the
second endeavor. Traditionally, they
have been reluctant to push the LSV,
on-road concept because of liability
concerns. By involving municipali-
ties, however, in a “safe-road” plan-
ning process, these concerns would
be greatly mitigated.
SEPTEMBER 2019
21