The PRI Tradeshow AEV Build Crunch

Deadline: December 12th, 2024
Make: Advanced EV
Model: Advent

Sponsors: Energy Products, Vast Racing Products, Power Sync Batteries, Detroix Digital

The countdown is on! Here at Boulevard Carts, we’ve rolled up our sleeves and set our sights on creating a high-performance beast of an electric golf cart, just in time for the PRI (Performance Racing Industry) Tradeshow this December in Indianapolis. Our canvas? The Advanced EV Advent – a sturdy, reliable, and altogether classy ride that’s about to get a serious overhaul. This won’t be your typical leisurely custom golf cart – think more golf cart with a hunger for speed. And with the PRI show just around the corner, we’re in high gear to bring it all together.

For those of you who share a love of juiced-up, customized carts, buckle up, because this build is all about pushing limits. Over the coming weeks, we’ll be tearing down, building up, and tweaking every inch of this Advent to max out its performance and style. This blog will track our progress, setbacks, aha moments, and inevitable “why didn’t we think of this sooner” lessons. So, whether you’re a DIY pro or just like seeing what’s possible with a little imagination (and a lot of Detroit adrenaline), stay tuned as we tackle this custom cart build – with updates coming fast and frequently!

[Log: 11/1/24] The Champagne Advent 2

We’ll, here she is… The Advanced EV Advent 2, looking sharp in a sleek Champagne finish. It’s not just a looker – it’s built for performance, and we’re putting that reputation to the test with this build. For now, the Advent’s sitting on these shop rollers, but we’ve got some MH Racemaster slicks (23×8.5-15) for the rear, while the fronts will be holding down a set of 205/40-14s. Those aren’t your everyday golf cart wheels, and for what we have planned, they’ll be going to work – and then some.

As for Advanced EV, for those of you who are new to the scene, this is a company that knows the headaches of the golf cart industry firsthand. After decades in the dealer environment, a group of dealers decided enough was enough. They came together and created Advanced EV with a vision of reliability, quality, and all the features that other carts seemed to miss. With a manufacturing hub in Rosenberg, Texas, Advanced EV has grown from high-quality golf carts to a lineup that includes buses, utility vehicles, and neighborhood cruisers.

This Advent 2 Champagne edition is the perfect starting point for our build, and with each update, you’ll see just what makes Advanced EV a standout choice for projects like ours.

[Log: 11/7/24] Widening the Body

Alright, gearheads, let’s dive into the nitty-gritty. We had to give this little golf cart a bit of a steroid injection. To fit those monster wheels and tires in the back, we had to widen the body by a whopping four inches! Yeah, you read that right. We basically had to split the body in half and stretch it out like a rubber band.

To get a better sense of the scope of what we’ve gotten ourselves into, here’s a couple of good shots of the calculated slice going down the length of the body. Insert manacle laugh here. There’s no heading back now!

Finding the appropriate locations that could be severed, stretched, filled, and blended was a challenge in of itself, but we made it happen and we’re very pleased with the results.

We 3D printed some custom spacers to wedge between the severed body, making it wider at the back than the front. It’s looking more like a little dragster! After all that bodywork, we had to smooth everything out with some filler and lots of sanding. We’re talking hours tedious work. But hey, that’s the price you pay for a proper go-fast golf cart.

[Log: 11/14/24] The Battery Surround

Let’s talk about some serious creative intuition here. We’re not just making this golf cart a little bit faster; we have to make it functional for the driver as well. In the last week we’ve been working on squeezing the driver’s seat in. Getting it as low as needed and as far back as possible, so even a big guy can fit in this little racer.

Normally, your battery storage is below the front seat, but because race car…we’ve gone a different direction. This is where things get interesting. To make room for the ever-so slightly upgraded power management system, we’re ditching the passenger seat. Yep, this is now a party-of-one. We’ve had to get creative with the battery mount, Frankenstein-ing a custom battery surround out of some old golf cart bodies we’ve been meaning to toss. It’s a bit like a mad scientist experiment, but it must have been destiny.

We’re getting closer to the finish line, and this thing is shaping up to be a real monster.

[Log: 11/25/24] The Rollers Have Arrived

Ho ho ho! Santa stopped by a little early to drop off these wicked 15″ MODZ® Formula rollers in machined black and he didn’t forget to mount up the rubber either! We like the way the ol’ man operates and can’t wait to get them mounted up!

Now, while that body is in for some fresh paint, let’s talk about getting this thing closer to the ground. Oh yeah, we went there. The front end has been dropped 2.5 inches. Why? To get that center of gravity down. It’s like squatting down in a drag racer—you’re closer to the action, and it just feels right. But we had to keep it practical, too. You’ve got to be able to turn lock-to-lock without scraping or rubbing, so we worked some engineering magic to keep it nimble despite those monster front wheels.

Now, the rear—this is where things got really interesting. We dropped it 3.5 inches. Sounds simple enough, right? Well, not so fast. Because we’re running those 23-inch tires out back, which are more commonly seen on lifted carts. What does that mean? It means the brakes said, “Hello! I’m touching the stock frame here!” And that’s no bueno. So we added a big ol’ notch to the chassis to make room. Problem solved, and as a bonus, we’ve got more clearance when the suspension flexes.

Speaking of suspension, this baby’s got an adjustable 3-level system. Manual adjustment, but it’s versatile enough. Want a show stance? Adjust it down. Need a bit more clearance for use outside of the drag strip? Raise it up.

[Log: 12/10/24] Let’s get Tech’d Out and Fresh Paint

Come see this cart for yourself at the PRI Show in Indiana