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The price of oil hit a new high on Friday, which has many people searching for cheaper and more efficient modes of transportation.

“Because of gas, people are looking for alternatives, and the newest thing now is using a golf cart to use for in-town driving,” Electric Cars and Carts employee Ethan Struwe said.

Struwe says the business has had a 50 percent increase in sales this summer compared to last year.

Because the carts are modified golf carts, they can only reach a maximum speed of 25 mph. Struwe says this limits the carts’ uses in some towns. In Gas City, electric carts are only permitted on roads that have speed limits less than 35 mph.

“It’s a real popular issue [electric golf carts] now in a lot of small towns here in Indiana,” Struwe said.

Struwe said the electric carts are easily maintained, but Gas City resident Virgil Meyer says these carts have a hidden cost.

“When they get old and corrode, go buy six batteries for a golf cart and see how much it costs you,” Meyer said.

The cost to buy one of these electric carts is anywhere from $1,500 for a basic golf cart, to as much as $14,000 for a decked out model.