Club Car manufactures golf cars and utility vehicles in a range of colors, but green is the color that has moved to the front of the line these days as company officials and employees focus on energy efficiency, environmental friendliness and sustainability.
Club Car is working to reduce energy use and costs while decreasing its environmental impact throughout its operation. Parts sourced from around the world are now evaluated on their ability to be recycled. Automated turn-off switches are being installed on power equipment to reduce energy when the equipment is not in use. Tons of electric batteries, cardboard boxes and metal containers are being recycled. Auxiliary power units are being installed on the tractor-trailers that deliver vehicles to reduce idling time and fuel consumption.
“We’re scrutinizing every manufacturing process, every part that goes into our vehicles and every departmental function to make sure we are operating efficiently and in an environmentally friendly manner,” said Gary Michel, Club Car’s president and CEO.
Club Car’s main contribution to environmental friendliness is the trend it is leading toward zero-emission electric vehicles. Club Car engineers have been at the forefront of work to improve the power and range of electric-powered vehicles in the golf car and utility segments for more than a decade. As a result, electric golf cars now lead production of gas-powered cars with combustible engines. What’s more, improvements in electric technology are making electric utility vehicles an option for many tougher chores that were once the sole domain of gas vehicles.
“Up until a few years ago, electric utility vehicles had their limitations when it came to some jobs around the course. But that’s just not the case anymore,” said Mike Packer, vice president of Worldwide Sales for Club Car.
In 2007 the company recycled more than two million pounds of waste (mostly in the form of cardboard and metal). It also decreased the amount of landfill trash produced by 25 percent. Its goal in 2008, according to John Forrester, Club Car’s safety and environmental manager, is to reduce the amount of energy used to produce each of its thousands of vehicles by three percent.
Last year Club Car also began using nitrogen rather than oxygen to fill the tires on many of the vehicles it manufacturers.
“Nitrogen improves fuel economy, promotes longer tire life and is friendlier to the environment than compressed air,” Packer said. “It helps our customers operate more efficiently and responsibly.”
NASCAR, NASA and several branches of the military have used nitrogen to inflate high-performance tires for years, but Club Car is the first company to use nitrogen to inflate tires on an assembly line and bring its benefits to the golf course.
Down the road, even newer technologies such as solar- and hydrogen-powered vehicles may pave the way for major energy-efficiency breakthroughs.
“Manufacturing operations like Club Car have tremendous potential to have a positive impact on the environment,” Michel said. “We’re very serious about doing our part.”
Club Car’s green-related efforts are not only good for the environment, but also good for business. By putting automatic shut-off values on equipment and transitioning to more energy-efficient lighting systems, Forrester estimates the company will save $10,000 in electricity costs this year.
The company’s programs are part of parent company Ingersoll Rand’s “Progress Is Greener” initiative that focuses the corporation’s brands – which include Hussmann refrigeration equipment and Schlage locks – on ways to protect and sustain the environment.
