Caddy-Motion - In-car caddy-cart battery re-charger

Company Description

Producers of in-car caddy cart battery re-chargers which allow greater convenience and ease of access for the golfer.

The Problem

Golfers had two issues with the existing electric caddy carts that were on the market:

1. Unable to respond to un-expected golf invitations if the battery was at home charging
2. Spatial difficulty at home as to where to charge the battery, be it kitchen, utility or garage area

John Mooney, Sales & Relationship Director at Caddy-Motion, says: "Often golfers who get a late invite to golf discover at the last minute that their battery is at home charging or worse, still in the car since the last game and unable to make another 18 holes. This showed that there was a need for this type of product. There was nothing available in the marketplace, and so Andy O’Reilly, Managing Director at Caddy-Motion, decided to examine and develop a solution using his auto-electrical experience."

The Challenge

Andy approached MotionTouch in November 2004 and asked them to produce a unit. It was to be based on certain parameters and the requisite electronic specifications were to be provided by them.

There were many challenging points about the project, for example, the charger would have to be compatible with all of the batteries on the market, as well as any cars on-board electrical system. It also had to adhere to strict safety requirements with regards to emissions and crash standards. MotionTouch also had to ensure that the system would not drain the cars own battery.

The Process

Caddy-Motion briefed MotionTouch that they wanted a durable plastic cradle to house the printed circuit board (PCB), and a number of indicator charge-measurement lights to let the user know when the battery was charging or charged. Once a design had been agreed, a prototype of the product was made and rigorously tested.

The Solution

MotionTouch had to carry out extensive research with regards to being compatable with the batteries of the caddy-carts and the owner’s cars themselves. MotionTouch literally sourced and tested the prototype with every caddy-cart battery available in the market.

Tests were also carried out to ensure that the product was ergonomic, easy to use and secure, with adjustments being made to the design and prototype as the project developed until the right solution was found. The product was then sent to manufacture at MotionTouch’s factories in China.

The Product

An in-car caddy-cart battery re-charger. This is a cradle that can be securely and safely installed in the boot of your car for ease of use. The cradle has an advanced computerised charging technology which charges a Caddy Cart battery when the engine is running or in motion.

The cradle also incorporates two LED indicator lights which inform the driver of the state of the charge of the battery at any given time e.g. red indicator reflects that the battery is still charging, while green suggests that the battery is ready for use. There is also a safety coil that stops the charging when the car boot is opened.

As the battery lifespan is important to Caddy-Motion and to battery providers, there is a charging technology within the battery cradle that is designed to control the amount of charge that the battery receives, thus eliminating any over-charging or over-heating of the battery.

When the battery is not in use, both the caddy-cart battery and the car battery are disconnected from each other. This charging technology will eliminate any possibility of either system damaging or discharging the other.

The Outcome

Caddy-Motion has been well received by a number of Golf retailers, and by a select number of high-profile players who have been personally approached by the company. It has been endorsed by Christy O Connor Snr., competitor in 10 Ryder Cups, and an initial order of 5,000 units has been placed with Caddy-Motion Ltd. by an Irish distributor.

The company is to feature in the autumn series of "Dragon’s Den" on BBC2, and Caddy-Motion were very pleased with the positive reaction by the entrepreneurs to the product.

John Mooney goes on to say: "MotionTouch had a great understanding of the concept, and their intuitive response was that this idea was innovative, realisable and technically adaptable. The ongoing technical interaction between the companies was open and focussed, and our financial adviser, worked very well with MotionTouch on the costing levels and tight control on the necessary expenditure. We found them to be dedicated, and brought the required expertise and specification to the development. We look forward to working with them on an ongoing basis, as we bring a few new products to market".