Electric ATVs

August 1, 2017 in News

What started out as a golf cart retrofitting operation has turned into a million dollar industry. When Bubba Kaiser and Joe Palermo decided to refurbish an electric golf cart for use on hunting trips, little did they know they soon wouldn’t be able to keep up with demand for the new vehicle they designed.

Adding a pair of high-torque motors and an independent suspension to their golf cart, they then slapped on a set of ITP ATV tires and brought their new toy with them on their next hunting trip. Next thing they knew, many of their buddies wanted one of their own.

After appearing on cable TV hunting shows, the new “e-ATV” named the BadBoy Buggy, experienced an explosion in popularity. The extremely quiet operation and surprisingly durable body make it useful for hunters to be mobile in the woods without scaring every animal within a few hundred yards. Others find the lower vibration and smooth-riding appealing due to fewer moving parts.

ATV purists scoff at the limited range (10-15 miles), power, and the prohibitive replacement costs of parts. The battery dying in the middle of the forest isn’t a pleasant thought, either. But the fact that sales of the vehicles are strong and have lasted more than one production cycle could mean they are here to stay.