New Solar Powered Technology Emerging in the Cart Industry
When it comes to providing electric power for golf carts, utility vehicles, boats and RV’s, there is finally something new under the sun.
A new company based in Fort Myers, Florida, is marketing an alternative to standard lead or lithium batteries they’re calling “power packs”, a graphene-based matrix super capacitator system which is claimed to have many advantages.
Introducing SETI Power Packs
SETI, an acronym for Sustainable Energy Technologies, Inc., was formed in 2019 and has designed a power pack that weighs only about 35 pounds, compared to multiple traditional batteries that can weigh around 400 pounds.
The new power packs are powered by solar panels, either on top of a golf cart, boat or other vehicle, making them the perfect green choice for power. They never need water, charge extremely quickly and can last for up to 20,000 charging cycles.
Traditional lead batteries can take up to 8 to 12 hours to attain a full charge, but the new SETI Power Packs can completely charge in about 8 to 10 minutes in the sun. After a round of golf or a full day of work on the construction site, SETI Power Packs will have the same or more charge as when you started the day.
The Efficiency of SETI Power Packs
The weight efficiency is also a big factor in why SETI feels the new technology is superior to standard batteries, greatly increasing the power-to-weight ratio and overall handling of any electric powered vehicle. The power packs are also biodegradable, making them better for the environment.
The capacitator technology uses small graphene matrix “packets” containing thousands of layers that produce an electrostatic charge, and the more packets used, the more power produced.
Chris Sanders is the CEO of SETI, and says the company spent 3 years testing the product in dozens of applications to ensure the product was ready for the market, and the power packs came through with flying colors in every outcome. He said, “this is the Holy Grail of power.” Even if the packets experience a puncture, the capacitator will still charge and provide power.
Sanders said they are working with the ideal power pack design for golf carts currently, but he sees a day when the technology is refined to the point that the size may be applicable to things like heart monitors, small enough to fit in a human body. SETI has partners in the science and research industries as well as a partnership with a manufacturing firm that makes the power packs. They are joining up with MITO, Inc., a sales and distribution partner based in Indiana.
Real-World Testing Garners Real Results
In October 2021, SETI partnered with Palmetto Pine Country Club to test the graphene minipacks in their golf carts, and the results were impressive. The golf club is in Cape Coral, Florida, and hosted the debut of the product in the U.S. Palmetto Pine is the first golf facility to go green with solar powered carts, and on their cart barn and maintenance buildings.
The club’s president is committed to the promise of SETI Power Packs and will help fund the project and assist with future experimental testing.
The Coral Oaks Golf Course, also in Cape Coral, is another believer in the groundbreaking tech, and head golf professional Allan Magnusson was quoted as saying, “this is the future of power supply for every golf cart and RV on land or water.”
Other entities like the University of Notre Dame, home to Indiana Michigan Power’s largest and most ambitious solar energy project, has expressed interest in the capacitor technology, and Fort Myers-based Gator Golf Cars has signed an agreement with SETI to use their power packs in their custom golf cars.
Sanders says that perfecting the technology for use in golf carts and other small utility vehicles is just the tip of the iceberg for SETI. The company’s website shows the potential for powering homes, industrial and commercial use, efficient power storage, street lighting, drones, robotics and military applications.
“For the golf cart and LSV market specifically, SETI’s new graphene power pack technology will be a game changer,” Sanders said. “Those looking for a much longer lasting, faster charging, lithium free innovation will find our solution better than a battery, and the future of the industry.”
