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When filling up his Ford F-150 pickup and Ford Explorer got too expensive two years ago, John Auld of Grosse Point Park began searching for a new way to get around town. He found it last winter in a seven-year-olf golf cart he bought from a local course.
The former mechanical engineer turned computer software salesman rigged it with headlights, windshield wipers, turn signals, seat belts and other devices to render it street legal. And for the past couple of months, he and his wife, Candace, have been taking it to the neighborhood grocery store, park and restaurants, often with their three children, saving about $100 a month in gas. The cart cruises at a top speed of 25 miles per hour and can be legall driven on streets where the speed limits is 35 mph or slower. It is powered by an electric battery that, when fully charged, is good for 30 miles.
The cost to recharge it – 50 cents – is a far cry from the $80 it took to fill up the family’s truck or SUV. “It’s annoying driving an F-150,” he said. “I love it for when I’m using it for work. But when you’re just taking it around town, it’s not practical.” The cart, he said, is not only cheaper but fun to drive too.
High gas prices hovering at $4 a gallon are driving thousands of Americans to alternative forms of transportation. Sales of fuel-efficient motorcycles, scooters and bicycles – especially affordable used ones – are climbing, store owners report. Repair service and accessories also are in demand. Auld, 35, started researching the feasibility of driving a golf cart on streets two years ago. It took him two months, at nights and on weekends when he wasn’t working in his home office, to put it all together. The cart has attracted quite a few stares, comments and questions since Auld began driving it on the streets this spring. Already, a few neighbors and local business owners who provide delivery services are interested in getting their own.
-detnews.com
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