Considering Electric Utility Vehicles
June 7, 2012
I’m Steve Schuster, associate editor of
Maintenance Solutions magazine. Today's topic discusses considering electric vehicles.
Maintenance managers and their staffs have come to rely on utility vehicles for a host of duties around institutional and commercial facilities. From moving people and materials to performing grounds care tasks, the vehicles have become all-purpose, ever-flexible tools of facilities maintenance and grounds care.
Recent years have seen the introduction of one more variable in the equation — the power source. Now, in addition to sorting through options for utility vehicles and golf carts that include cost, size, speed, horsepower, capacity, and attachments, managers also must decide whether they would like the vehicle to be gasoline powered or operate on an alternative fuel source. Among the more popular choices in the latter category are electric utility vehicles.
The challenge now is even more complex as manufacturers continue to roll out new models of electric vehicles and their smaller relatives, electric golf carts. But for managers considering the move to electric vehicles, understanding equipment options is only part of the process.
For Salt Lake Community College (SLCC) in addition to green benefits, climate was an important factor in the decision.
And while managers in some cases have hesitated in committing to electric vehicles because of issues related to keeping the vehicles charged, SLCC officials say their staff has adapted well to the battery technology.
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