This Dual-Engine, Diesel-Electric Golf Cart Must Be the Only One in the World

Modifying golf carts is a thing, and we’re here for it. They’re simple, they benefit from a ton of aftermarket support, and they don’t need to pass safety and emissions. What’s there not to like? The people behind the Robot Cantina channel on YouTube displayed tremendous ingenuity by building a hybrid golf cart in 2024, and they’re back with another hybrid powered by gasoline, diesel, and electricity.

Stock, this older, three-wheeled Cushman golf cart is powered by a fairly standard electric drivetrain consisting of a battery pack and an electric motor. Robot Cantina’s initial goal was to replace the heavy batteries with an on-board generator to create a hybrid. This is the same basic type of drivetrain that powers the Ram 1500 Ramcharger. The builder assembled the powertrain from scratch using a 196cc single-cylinder diesel engine, a 140-amp alternator from a Jeep Liberty, and lots of wiring. The system worked as intended but it lacked power.

The obvious solution was to fit a bigger engine, but Robot Cantina decided that the diesel deserved to stick around. The end result might be the world’s first twin-engined, gasoline-diesel-electric hybrid golf cart. The “gasoline” part of the system includes a huge, 420cc single-cylinder Predator engine that Robot Cantina converted to fuel injection to power a first-generation Honda Insight. It got its carburetor back before ending up on the back of the Cushman, and like the diesel, it’s linked to a Jeep Liberty alternator whose wiring has been modified.

Putting it all together is more difficult than the video suggests. Robot Cantina said that the project took approximately two days. It required modifying a power steering pump pulley to use as a crankshaft pulley, making a bracket for the belt tensioner, and drilling out a mounting plate using a thick piece of steel. The whole thing is dauntingly experimental, but the thought put into every last detail is impressive. For example, Robot Cantina went through the trouble of trimming excess material from the alternator belt tensioner’s bracket and painting it.

While the 420cc is bolted down and hooked up to the motor, there are still a few kinks to iron out. One is that it’s powering the motor on its own, because the diesel engine was temporarily disconnected. Another is that the golf cart broke down during its first road test and had to be towed back to the shop using a cool-looking first-generation Chevy S-10. We imagine it won’t take long to stitch it all together, however.

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