My Grandmother: The EV Queen

[bennelson]

My grandmother was in town visiting this last week.
While I missed the family dinner with her (as my mother picked a date out of the blue WITHOUT asking people IF they were available first) I was able to visit her by myself a few days ago.

I brought some slides and photographs that I had converted for her, and that got her talking about old times.

What I hadn't realized, is that my grandmother is the undisputed Queen of EV's.

My grandparents lived in Wisconsin, but after retirement, started spending winters in Arizona. Where they lived, many people used golf carts to zip around the retirement community, and travel to the local grocery store and other places for other near-by needs.

Since my grandfather passed away, my grandmother started living full-time in Arizona.

She told me that the first time they went to Arizona - in 1986 - they bought a 36V, 1956 model electric golf cart. She didn't disclose the price, and I forgot to ask what brand it is, but both Marketeer and Cushman had both just started producing electric golf carts only a few years before that.

Now here's where it gets good. In the conversation, she mentioned "It's not like golf-carts are free to run. I finally just had to replace the batteries."

I asked how many times before she had done that. "Never, this is the first time I've done that since buying it."

That's right. My grandmother bought a 30-year old golf cart, over 20 years ago, and has only replaced the batteries once.......at a cost of $300.

They must have a senior discount down there. Last I checked, golf-cart batteries typically run over $100 each!!!!

82 years old - double hip and knee replacement - sharp as a tack - and still drives herself to the grocery store - in her 50 year old electric car.

Hope I am doing as well in 50 years.

-Ben

[SentraSE-R]

Hang your head in shame, Ben. You are not worthy . Great story. Thanks for sharing. My mom is still driving, still mentally sharp at age 89. She fills her gas tank about 5 times/year.

[busypaws]

Yep here in AZ. -- If the street is signed at 35mph or less golf carts are allowed. Good work AARP lobby. We have almost as many golf cart stores as we have auto dealers. When buying a house you can order a third golf-cart bay in your garage. I like working on my own car so that might be a hobby in retirement Modding/rebuilding (solar, better batteries, LRR tires, etc) golf carts.
I keep teasing my wife that I want to retire somewhere where I can take the golf cart to the AA-AAA ball park, watch a game, my wife can walk the dog down to the park and the three of us cart back home.

[luvit]

my grandma is queen of fossil fuels. she drives aimlessly just to get out of the house. she also arranges enough doctor visits to keep the little pharmacy open. if she didn't eat any pills, she'd be a drug lord.

[NiHaoMike]

In the movie "Who Killed the Electric Car?", an old lady talked about what electric cars were like when she was young.

[thatguitarguy]

I hope I can get an EV with batteries that last for 20 years and only cost $300!!!!

[Piwoslaw]

Ben, I wish your Grandma many, many more miles in her EV. So is driving an electric becoming a family tradition?

I have to admit (and no offense, plz), that when I read "My Grandmother: The EV Queen", my first thoughts were along the lines of: EV, drag queen, drag racing, EV racing, EV drag racing queen... Dirty, dirty mind I have sometimes. Too much thinking.

[Oval_Overload]

Originally Posted by NiHaoMike

In the movie "Who Killed the Electric Car?", an old lady talked about what electric cars were like when she was young.

Uh, that was Phyllis Diller, dude.