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Small electric cars hit the road

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| Tuesday, May 06, 2008 |

Newsday

BAY SHORE, N.Y. — Just in time for summer and $4-a-gallon gasoline, a Long Island man and his partners in North Carolina are preparing to market a street-legalized golf cart in the Hamptons as a “neighborhood electric vehicle” — a low-cost substitute for conventional cars for local trips.

Eleftherios Aris and the Golf Cart Outlet will have their work cut out for them, though. The market leader, Global Electric Motorcars of Fargo, N.D., which is owned by Chrysler and has marketed neighborhood electrics under the Gem name for 10 years, said the business has been stagnant in terms of sales for years at about 10,000 units a year.

Dealer John J. Vigorito of Security Dodge in Amityville, one of three Long Island dealers for Gem cars, said a recent factory price increase is discouraging some purchasers; he expects to sell only about a dozen this year, although that’s up from seven or eight in previous years. “They fit their purpose,” he said. “People who live close to work or people who have big estates buy them.”

But, adds Rick Kasper, Gem company president and chief executive, “we think there is plenty of upside.”

So do Aris and his partners, Ron and Don Stocks, the brothers who own Golf Cart Outlet. The model they plan to market in the Hamptons, called the Street Car, has been on sale for several years. Like the Gem, it is federally certified as street-legal with the addition of a full windshield and wiper, turn signals, headlights, brake lights, hazard flashers and seat belts for four passengers. It has a roof but no doors or other windows.

Golf Cart Outlet produces that model in-house, says Ron Stocks, and available options include a body that resembles the classic 1957 Chevrolet. “It’s popular around the beach,” said Stocks, adding the plant can produce about 20 Street Cars a month.

Like Aris’ vehicle, Gems need six to eight hours to recharge on a 110-volt household outlet and can go 25 to 30 miles on a charge. Federal law requires that they be able to attain a speed of at least 20 mph but go no faster than 25. Many states, including New York, restrict them to roads with speed limits no higher than 35 mph.