News from St. Cloud Times - St. Cloud, MN, USA:
By Sue Halena
E-Ride grew out of a reorganization of Classic Golf Cars, a custom golf car business that started 14 years ago in Princeton. The "e" in E-Ride stands for environmental, electric and economics, said Lietha, 26.
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In the late 1990s, Classic Golf Cars owner John Herou noticed that 90 percent of his vehicles were being used off the golf course. In 1998, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issued rules that clarified the requirements for low-speed electric vehicles.
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Sartell engineer Lee Hart has been driving electric vehicles for 30 years. He worked with a Seattle company to help design a full-speed electric vehicle called the Tango, which is in its fourth prototype.
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"There were electric cars before there were gasoline cars," Hart said. But U.S. automakers chose the less-expensive gasoline engine, and Hart believes they're having a hard time letting go of it.
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A California mandate prompted large automakers to offer zero-emissions vehicles as well as heavy trucks.
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They're designing the vehicles to use as many automotive parts as possible, including regular car tires. They've simplified the water-refill system for batteries. They're focusing sales in concentrated areas after watching similar companies fail to manage service in scattered markets. They're focusing on fleet owners more than individuals. They took a vehicle to a New York trade show where 1,200 government purchasing agents looked at fleet-related services.
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