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Universal Studios Hollywood announced today that it intends to replace its fleet of 300 gas-powered golf carts with plug-in solar-electric hybrid vehicles.


The vehicles' powertrain includes an electric motor, a solar panel atop the passenger compartment and a lead-acid battery -- the oldest type of rechargeable battery available, but a good choice for this application due to its low cost and its ability to supply high surge currents.


Cruise Car Inc. of Sarasota, Florida, will supply the $8,000 zero-emissions vehicles, each of which can travel about 50 miles with a fully charged battery, company spokesman Adam Sulimirski told Green Car Advisor.


It only takes a few hours to top off the battery using a 110-volt outlet -- fully depleting the battery will shorten its lifespan -- and just parking or using the vehicle in the sun will generate enough electricity for up to 7 miles' use each day, he said.


"Green is all about doing the right thing," Larry Kurzwell, president and CEO of Universal Studio Hollywood, said in a statement. "This is the right thing to do."


Cruise Car is a major maker of solar-electric vehicles with more than 50 models in its product line and distribution on four continents. Many of the models can be legally driven on public roads in most states.

Tags: Alternative Fuels, Batteries, Emissions, Fuel Economy, Hybrid, Legislation, Plug-ins and Electric, Battery, Cruise Car Inc., Plug-In Solar-Electric Hybrid, Universal Studios, Zero Emissions

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Universal Studios To Replace Gas-Powered Golf Carts With Solar-Electric Hybrids was originally published by Green Car Advisor. Read the full story by clicking here.