For many of us, it has been possible to witness the rapid expansion of the global golf cart market firsthand. Now, several new reports from leading think tanks, market data firms and business journals are providing hard evidence and analysis that new golf carts are shaking up the transportation industry.

And they are doing so to a far greater extent than most people realize. Neighborhood electric vehicles (NEVs) and low-speed vehicles (LSVs) have brought golf carts out of golf courses and onto city streets. And they are making a bigger impact on the transportation industry than other types of electric cars are, including those designed by Tesla Motors.