The golf car manufacturer’s next generation of fleet and personal-transportation cars includes the Drive2 QuieTech Gas Golf Car, which mirrors the quiet ride of an electric car. All cars in the Drive2 Series feature ongoing enhancements to the original Drive Series that was introduced in 2006, combined with new technological innovations across all four models (EFI, Carbureted, AC & DC).
Yamaha Golf-Car Company has unveiled The Drive2, its next generation of gas and electric golf fleet vehicles, as a featured highlight of its Model Year 2017 product line.
Designed and manufactured by Yamaha to ensure a more agile, engaging and memorable driving experience, the Drive2 golf cars are the product of ongoing enhancements to the original Drive Series introduced in 2006, combined with new technological innovations across all four models (EFI, Carbureted, AC & DC).
“The Drive2 lineup of golf cars is our answer to the golf industry that relies on Yamaha to continuously develop cost-saving solutions while enhancing the player’s experience at their course,” said Tom McDonald, President of Yamaha Golf-Car Company. “The Drive2 was so named as our way of acknowledging all of the best features that we took from the Drive lineup, while creating something new and innovative that will serve the golf industry for years to come.
“As with all of the other great products that Yamaha produces, the Drive2 embodies Yamaha’s singular dedication to being the leader in creating a lifetime of exciting and memorable experiences, as well as being a committed partner to the future of our industry,” McDonald said.
Building on 10 years of continuous improvements made to the Drive line of cars, Yamaha incorporated significant improvements when designing the Drive2 lineup. The Drive cars already had an advanced, fully independent automotive front suspension, but with the Drive2 series, the ride has been improved even further, with performance-tuned rear suspension on the two electric and carbureted models.
New design lines are seen on the body panels, while the rear access lid has been greatly enlarged, enabling easy access to the engine and transaxle that saves time during routine maintenance. The revolutionary automotive dash has been redesigned to be 34% larger, including built-in storage areas for mobile devices, range finders and multiple-sized drinks. Yamaha also added no-slip mats in the front storage compartments, to keep personal items more secure during the round.
With QuieTech, Yamaha has created a new category of golf car that combines the quietness and ride of its electric car with the profitability and performance of its gas car. In the new Drive2 QuieTech model, Yamaha engineers have developed a gas golf car that is dramatically quieter than the competition and almost as quiet as an electric car.
Additionally, QuieTech is equipped with the first independent rear suspension system ever built for use in a golf car, using technology inspired from Yamaha’s renowned all-terrain vehicle line. The Drive2 QuieTech is also equipped with Yamaha’s electronic fuel injection system (EFI), which Yamaha first introduced to the industry in 2014. EFI technology affords superior gas mileage, easier cold starts, and the industry’s smallest carbon footprint.
The Drive2 QuieTech model has been designed to appeal to both gas and electric customer fleet courses looking to lower their total purchase price or lease payments significantly, because of the longer term and higher residual that gas cars allow for. The Drive2 gas car is also available with Yamaha’s proven standard carbureted fuel engine.
At the heart of the Yamaha Drive2 PowerTech electric car is its dynamic alternating-current (AC) engine, which was introduced in 2015. This motor provides the most horsepower in the industry and is capable of handling steep hills with speed, a great ride and more efficiency than a standard DC electric engine. For flat-terrain courses that do not need extra power, The Drive2 electric car is also available in a standard DC engine.
At a media preview of the Drive2 Series that was held in Newnan, Ga., in June, McDonald said that significant gains in noise reduction for the QuieTech gas model were made by drawing on Yamaha’s manufacturing experience with its other vehicles and products, including motorcycles, ATVs, snowmobiles, WaveRunners, portable generators and outboard marine motors. Yamaha’s new line of gas golf cars operate much more quietly, McDonald said, through a combination of advancements that include a new exhaust system, improved sound insulation, more complete enclosures of the power system, and increased use of rubberized components to minimize vibration.
Yamaha is still conducting tests of how the new QuieTech gas model performs vs. comparable electric cars in terms of operating noise, McDonald said, but preliminary results have already indicated significant gains in closing the gap between the two types of cars to a nearly undetectable difference. Yamaha’s drive to develop a gas-powered car that can operate as quietly as an electric golf car, he added, has been spurred by operators’ clear preference for gas cars in terms of power, reliability and operating costs, with noise being the only detracting factor for the gas option.
“As a manufacturer, we owe it to the industry to find ways to help golf coursers operate more economically,” McDonald said. “Golf cars are courses’ top revenue producers, and we want to make it possible for more courses that would like to use gas cars to take advantage of their easier maintenance and reduced labor needs, while still being confident they will operate as quietly as electric cars. Golf courses can be noisy enough [from other sources], and we don’t any golf car to be a part of that.”
Noting that the Yamaha Golf-Car Company produced its one millionth car in September 2015, after starting production in 1988, McDonald stressed that the introduction of The Drive2 Series represented a “refinement, not a redesign” of an already successful and well-received line.
“We’re keeping the strong points [of The Drive] and making the car even sleeker, with clean technology and an ‘athletic feel,’ ” he said. “We’ve also made it easier to maintain and repair in case one gets bumped, with modular, pop-off panels that are easy to snap on and off.”
Added Tim O’Connor, Yamaha Golf-Car Company’s Division Manager, Distributor Sales & Marketing: “The Drive2 Series is the next step in how we continue to strive to equip our golf-course partners for success.”
For more information about the new Drive2 Series and all Yamaha Golf-Car Company products, visit www.yamahagolfcar.com.
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