CLUB CAR INTRODUCES PRECEDENT i3 WITH CONNECTED TECHNOLOGY, NEW CHARGING SYSTEM
2014 product launch is largest in company’s history
Club Car, a brand of Ingersoll Rand, will introduce the first golf car with built-in connected technology, a new electrical charging system and a reengineered and restyled line of Carryall utility vehicles at the PGA Merchandise Show next week and at the Golf Industry Show in February.
Club Car President and CEO Marc Dufour called the introductions historic for the 56-year-old company. “Never before in our history has Club Car brought to the market the number of new products with the amount of innovation and potential impact that these products represent.”
The latest version of Club Car’s Precedent golf car, the Precedent i3, introduces the Internet of Things to the golf business through what is being called “connected” technology.
“Machines that interact with the businesses and customers they were designed to serve become more than machines. Effectively, they are smart tools capable of supporting business objectives. That’s what makes the new Precedent i3 a true business resource for our customers,” Dufour said.
Through the screen (now standard) mounted in the golf car, Precedent i3 connects the golf car fleet to the golf operation (golf shop, maintenance facility, etc.) via computer, smartphone or tablet, as well as with golfers throughout their round.
With the most advanced feature packages available on the new Precedent, operators can receive information in real time regarding the status of the golf cars’ batteries along with diagnostics that can mitigate and even prevent performance and maintenance issues. This kind of information reduces the likelihood, for example, that the course sends a golf car out on the course that loses power because its batteries were not charged sufficiently.
“Information properly leveraged is the competitive difference in most businesses today,” Dufour said. “The information Precedent i3 provides gives operators more control of their operation, which can lead to a more successful business.”
E.R.I.C. Charging System
Precedent i3 is supported by Club Car’s new advanced electrical charging system known as E.R.I.C. The system has been designed around an intelligent long-term storage algorithm that continuously monitors changes in voltage and charges the golf car’s batteries when needed.
E.R.I.C., an acronym that stands for efficient, reliable, intelligent and connected, draws a maximum of 7.5 amps (lowest among major golf car manufacturers) and is designed to operate with AC input voltages of 85-270 VAC, which ensures reliable charging through voltage spikes and sags.
Based on a 10 percent increase in efficiency, Club Car estimates that E.R.I.C. will deliver significant utility savings over the life of a fleet when compared to its previous charging system.
One of E.R.I.C.’s most anticipated features is a system of visible and audible indicators that communicates to cart barn staff that a car is receiving electricity from the AC outlet and confirms that a charge is in process and/or complete.
