Golf Cart conversion to Lithium

[TOM BECKWITH]

Have a good Club Car golf cart that badly needs the old acid type batteries replaced. Seriously considering going to 48 volt Lithium battery's. Looking at Lithium battery kits, the price is from $800 to $3000+. Checking with local dealers, $3200 is their price range based on an EGO Battery. My son-in-law is a very good with cars etc.

I am looking for input on what works, what to avoid, etc., so I can pick a good battery and system. Any suggestions/advice will be appreciated

 

[old bear]

Ya buy a New cart....

 

[swsig]

Ya buy a New cart....

Or ya upgrade your fire insurance...

 

[LVSteve]

To charge a lithium battery you need a special charger. A lead acid charger on a lithium battery is not a combo I want to think about.

 

[ColbyBruce]

Message member "dharris", he works on carts for a living and might be a great source of information for you.

 

[TOM BECKWITH]

Lithium batteries for golf carts come with correctly designed chargers, gage , safety features for overcharge, 12V stepdown for lights, etc. I would guess most folks are not familiar with the many items that were gas that are replaced with Lithium with equal power. I presently use a 16" chain saw, a weed whacker, a 24" hedge trimmer, and an air compressor/emergency car jumper all run on Lithium. Yes, I still have a SUV, a pickup, a tractor, and a 54" zero turn, all gas powered.

I am hoping that those that have made this change can give me some good knowledgeable advise.

 

[ColbyBruce]

This shop sold me the Trojan batteries for my Yamaha cart for considerably less money than any other place in metro Atlanta. It might be worth a drive.

 

[DWalt]

After having two sets of batteries stolen from my golf cart in the same year, I gave it away. I wasn't using it enough to justify buying another set, had no place to lock it up.

 

[John in Yuma]

Wait and see how it goes with Tesla's aluminum ion batteries. They will probably/possibly be much less explosive than current lithium ion types.

 

[bamashooter]

Lithium conversion will be closer to 3 times the cost of conventional, wet - cell cart batteries. Plus the additional parts, charger, labor.

 

[Narragansett]

I have 2 EZ-GO carts, and I would not convert from lead acid. I would need a second mortgage. Keep them watered with distilled water, and they will last 5 years. Trojan is a good battery, but most batteries are Exide or East Penn, I don't care whose name is on it.

And don't ask me why I have 2 carts. I should have none

 

[Pete99004]

I have read all the comments you received, and have to say no good answers came your way. Lots of Lithium battery types and configurations out there. I have an old 36v Club Car. I also have a diesel pusher RV and have converted both to LifePo4 Lithium batteries and can't be happier. Because I have a need for 12v, I elected to go with 3 12v batteries at 100 AH each in lieu of one 36v. Do your research of LifePo4 Lithium batteries, and a charger that fits the profile for them and you will find a good answer for your golf cart and possibly other vehicles in your fleet. l would be happy to point you in the right direction if your interested, just drop me a note. Lithium Ion batteries can catch on fire if not handled and charged properly, LifePo4 Lithium do not catch on fire. Still need to have a charger that can handle the profile required for these so you don't overcharge them, but other than that, it's easy to convert over. Hope this helps a bit.

Pete99004

 

[johngalt]

most of my experience with lithium batteries is in laptops. No idea if those conversion systems have the same issues as with computer equipment, but the batteries in my laptops have suffered a 100% failure rate. I've become skeptical of their durability.

 

[Pete99004]

most of my experience with lithium batteries is in laptops. No idea if those conversion systems have the same issues as with computer equipment, but the batteries in my laptops have suffered a 100% failure rate. I've become skeptical of their durability.

Laptop manufacturers use a variety of battery types, but many laptops use Lithium Ion batteries. These are designed to be operated between 90% charged and 20% discharged. Many people don't realize this. They leave them plugged in overnight, or worst - all the time. The charger will continue to trickle charge the batteries when full. This will trash the batteries quickly. Try setting your laptop up to notify you when your down to 20% of charge, then charge back up and unplug the charger when you are up over 85% to 100% charged, don't leave it unattended when charging. This may help your battery life. Hope this helps. Pete99004

 

[Mike SC Hunter]

I have 2 EZ-GO carts, and I would not convert from lead acid. I would need a second mortgage. Keep them watered with distilled water, and they will last 5 years. Trojan is a good battery, but most batteries are Exide or East Penn, I don't care whose name is on it.

And don't ask me why I have 2 carts. I should have none

I have 2 carts.......One for home use and one used at the lake house............But the most fun ride is my John Deere Gator......Gas.....4x4.....48 mph top speed.

 

[ColbyBruce]

"But the most fun ride is my John Deere Gator......Gas.....4x4.....48 mph top speed."

You need a companion animal to ride along with you.

 

[DWalt]

Wait and see how it goes with Tesla's aluminum ion batteries. They will probably/possibly be much less explosive than current lithium ion types.

A seemingly great idea, but from what I have read, it will be a long time, if ever, before an aluminum ion battery can be developed to the extent that it becomes a commercially viable product. I am all for it.

 

[duman444]

I converted my 2017 Club Car Precedent from (4) Trojan to (4) Lossigy LifePo4 100AH batteries. Used (4) 12 volt rather than a single 48 volt so I could run lights/accessories off a single battery like you do with the Lead Acid. Bought batteries and charger from Amazon. Cost was around $1,000 including charger and new battery voltage gauge which I installed where the idiot battery life light was in the cart. Cheapest I could find on Trojan was $1,600. Cart is lighter, batteries use the same tie down system as the Trojans. Use cart to run around neighborhood, all flat ground. Can drive the 5 mile neighborhood about 4 times before batteries need charging. A difference with the Lithium, when they get below about 46 volts they die. No slow down to let you know they need charging-cart just dies. Had to get towed home once early on, before I started keeping a weather eye on the gauge.
Charger is small and light. I wired it directly in to the battery string and mounted it under the seat. Has a 6' cord to get to a standard 120V receptacle.

 

[Pete99004]

I converted my 2017 Club Car Precedent from (4) Trojan to (4) Lossigy LifePo4 100AH batteries. Used (4) 12 volt rather than a single 48 volt so I could run lights/accessories off a single battery like you do with the Lead Acid. Bought batteries and charger from Amazon. Cost was around $1,000 including charger and new battery voltage gauge which I installed where the idiot battery life light was in the cart. Cheapest I could find on Trojan was $1,600. Cart is lighter, batteries use the same tie down system as the Trojans. Use cart to run around neighborhood, all flat ground. Can drive the 5 mile neighborhood about 4 times before batteries need charging. A difference with the Lithium, when they get below about 46 volts they die. No slow down to let you know they need charging-cart just dies. Had to get towed home once early on, before I started keeping a weather eye on the gauge.
Charger is small and light. I wired it directly in to the battery string and mounted it under the seat. Has a 6' cord to get to a standard 120V receptacle.

I did a similar thing on my 36v cart. Need to be sure the BMS can handle series connections and the surge voltage limits are high enough to prevent stall outs on steep grades. You probably experienced that when it died out at 46v, because you should be able to run those down to about 44v before the BMS shuts them down. Many BMS settings are for 10v shut down on the low side, but some are at 11v rating. But even at 10v (or 40v for series wired) the BMS may not be able to handle much of a grade change or heavy load. Some of the less expensive batteries sold on Amazon aren't really rated to handle golf carts, so be sure to check with the mfg. before purchasing.

Pete99004