City-owned golf courses could switch to cost-efficient electric carts

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This article was published 12/04/2018 (2877 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Winnipeg’s golf services division is considering converting its fleet of golf carts into electric-powered rides after a study found they’re more cost-efficient to operate compared to gas-powered engines.

At the direction of council’s innovation committee, the golf services division reports that a gas-powered cart burns about one litre of fuel during 18 holes of golf, while an electric-powered cart consumes what the report states is “25 energy units,” which requires about 1 1/2 kilowatt hours to fully charge at a cost of 12.75 cents.

The financial advantage is obvious, the report states. When the report was compiled, staff cited the price of gasoline at $1 per litre. While city hall does buy its vehicle fuel in bulk at a discount price lower than that paid for by consumers, the retail price for gasoline in the city at most gas stations is about $1.19 per litre.

Other advantages of the electric cart identified in an administrative report sent Monday to the city’s innovation committee include:

— Less maintenance required, no need to change air, fuel or oil filters.

— No fuel spillage.

— Quieter to operate.

— No harmful emissions.

— Potential for increased profit.

The report says golf services maintains a fleet of 100 golf carts at three civic-owned and operated golf courses: Kildonan Park, Windsor Park and Crescent Drive. Of the 100 gas-powered carts, 53 are leased at an annual cost of $55,000. The lease expires in 2021.

A report to the committee in June said there was a combined 62,518 rounds of golf played at the three golf courses in 2016, the most recent data available.

The only downside to switching to electric cars is the need for the provision of secure, weather-proof storage facilities to store the carts and the charging stations, the report states.

There was no cost estimate included in the report for the construction of storage facilities, but it says golf services is continuing its review of the proposal, including finding external sources of revenue to offset the construction of the storage facilities.

The committee is also considering a proposal to install 15 solar-powered garbage and recyclable compactor container units across the city on a pilot basis at a cost of $135,000.

The city maintains over 4,300 garbage and recycling containers, with 1,500 on sidewalks and the rest in parks, playgrounds, community centres, boulevards, pathways and athletic fields.

An administrative report said the city has difficulty keeping the containers neat and emptying them on a regular basis. In addition, as the city develops new suburbs, the placement of the containers has not kept up.

The solar-powered units, which include built-in compacting devices, are touted to hold more materials than the current containers and have the potential to reduce the number of collections by 80 per cent and collection costs by 75 per cent. There is expected to be an associated savings in fuel costs and CO2 emissions.

The proposal would see one unit placed in each of the 15 wards.

aldo.santin@freepress.mb.ca