Bigger than a golf cart, smaller than a sedan and powered by the sun, INTI, an electric car made by Solar Transport Systems, is set to debut this summer.
Over the past year, the Palm Bay company has been trialing a demo vehicle at The Villages, according to COO Les Morton. He believes INTI will be a popular mode of transportation for residents of master-planned developments and other communities where speed limits are low and golf carts are allowed, as well as visitors to vacation hot spots in the sunny Caribbean, where pre-sales of INTI have been strong: A resort in the Bahamas has placed an order for 100 cars, while one in the Dominican Republic wants 30.
"We had somebody from Washington state who wanted to buy one," says Morton, "and we're like, 'Sure, but I'm just letting you know that you'll be plugging it in all the time.' It's really built for the sun."
Unlike Teslas and Rivians, INTI can be charged via a standard 110-volt household power outlet, with a full charge taking about five hours. Its range is 100 miles, but buyers in what Morton calls the solar belt — from South Carolina to the Tropic of Capricorn, roughly — will get 35 to 40 miles from the solar panels alone. On a sunny day, "you don't have to plug it in," Morton says. "Just let it sit outside and you're going to have new 'gas' in your engine."
INTI is priced at $19,950, which is less than some golf carts. Morton says about 70 individual buyers put down $100 deposits initially, but some changed their minds, leaving STS with about 50 non-resort orders on its books. Because a solar-powered car has yet to truly break through into the consumer marketplace, he adds, sales have been slower than projected.
"It's like the chicken and the egg" scenario, Morton says. "People ask, 'How many have you actually sold? How many new customers have you added?' I would ask those questions. I mean, you're buying something that costs $20,000. A lot of people are like, 'Well, when I see it, I'll buy it,' and 'Hey, who is this company? Are they going to be around tomorrow?' It's a tricky situation when you're trying to get those first few sales."
Morton insists STS is in it for the long haul, and it's committed to Florida. In addition to its headquarters in Palm Bay, the company has opened an INTI assembly plant in Bradenton. Its messaging also plays up the car's safety features, which it believes will be a strong selling point as golf carts get bigger, faster and more dangerous.
"It's built with a steel roll cage" like a standard passenger automobile, Morton says. "It has three-point seatbelts, side-impact bars and bucket seats. If you roll this car, you'll walk away from it. We built it with lightweight materials, but also strength. We wanted to build it right from the beginning with safety in mind."
— By Brian Hartz