What You Should Know To Convert Your Golf Cart To Lithium Batteries
Does your golf cart not perform as well as it should? Lithium golf cart batteries can increase your power and mileage, giving you an even better ride. It may be helpful to know a little bit more about the whole process before you start converting your old lead-acid batteries to lithium.
How To Know If Your Current Batteries Are Bad
A capacity test can be performed by fully charging the batteries and then discharging them to verify that the capacity corresponds to a reasonable number of specs based on the battery life.
As the life of a lead-acid battery progresses, it will lose capacity. A common way to measure this decline is to observe how long it can last under a certain amperage load. For instance, many golf cart batteries are rated for 56 amps, with an average runtime of 180 minutes. If you notice that your vehicle’s range is diminishing despite being fully charged, then you know its battery capacity has come down.
With lead-acid batteries, there are a variety of visual signs which can indicate deterioration. Corrosion on the terminals is one example. By removing the caps and looking at the lead plates inside, warping or waviness may be apparent. If the solution is cloudy rather than clear, this could mean that the paste has settled in – another warning sign. Finally, if the battery casing noticeably swells then it suggests that they will no longer work correctly. Lithium batteries do not possess such visible indicators of decline.
How To Test Your Golf Cart Batteries
First, charge your current battery pack to its full capacity. Then, hook up your battery pack to a 48V discharge machine, either a load tester or a capacity tester. Since these machines are quite expensive, most homes won’t have them, but any golf cart dealer will have them.
How To Switch Out Your Lead-Acid Batteries And Install Lithium Batteries
Make sure you have the right tools for the job before you start the removal and installation process. Getting the heavy lead-acid batteries out of the tray is easier with a socket set, gloves, a wire brush, and a hand strap with hooks.
1.Disconnect the main positive and negative connections first
2.Remove the interconnecting cables from the battery pack, discard them, and replace them with new ones.
3.Then, you can start removing the mounting straps. Some carts actually run the cables underneath the mounting brackets.
4.Remove the mounting brackets. Pull the lead-acid batteries out of the cart gradually with a hand strap hooked to the batteries.
5.The tray in which they were sitting should be cleaned with a brush to remove as much debris as possible. Check the main cables for corrosion and replace them if they are corroded.
6.Drop in some new 48V lithium batteries that will fit perfectly.
7.Install the lithium batteries by reversing the process of installing the mounting brackets and straps.
8.Make sure your cables go from positive to positive. Lead-acid batteries are wired in series, so you don’t want to replicate that.
Compared to lead-acid batteries, lithium batteries offer several advantages after conversion:
– Due to their lighter weight, they offer a smooth and quick ride.
– A no-maintenance solution is offered by them.
– Lead-acid batteries charge much slower than lithium batteries.
– The charge lasts much longer with them
– The battery life of these devices is up to 10 times longer
– Directly replaceable