Lithium Golf Cart Conversion is Cheaper than you Might Think! 🔋

Рет қаралды 79,325

Күн бұрын

Converting a golf cart from lead acid batteries to lithium batteries is more affordable than you might think. I've had several golf carts over the years and my main complaint is having to maintain and replace lead acid batteries after at the end of their usable life (which is about 2-5yrs costing $1k-$1500). Luckily the price and design of lithium batteries has come a long way since the last time I checked and now you can get an equivalent replacement kit for about the same price. Not to mention the fact that you drop about 275lbs, gain storage space, never have to worry about topping off with distilled water, AND THEY LAST 10-20yrs! That being said, this was a no-brainer for me.
Full Article: rogueengineer.com/converting-...
48V Big Battery 2X Kit: bigbattery.com/products/48v-2...
Other Big Battery Golf Cart Kits: bigbattery.com/golf-carts/?re...
Big Battery Coupon Code: ENG10
Range Test & Review Video: • Big Battery Eagle Lith...
0:00 Remove the Lead Acid Batteries
1:18 Place and Secure Lithium Batteries
3:12 Install Parallel Busbar
3:58 Cable Management and Checks
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Пікірлер: 66

@TheCC89 Ай бұрын

Golf carts take a specific voltage, 36v or 48v or 72v in some cases. They are also designed to run on a certain amount of Amperage. From my experience and knowledge from being a golf cart mechanic, you Need 2 to 3 - 80 to 100amp lithium 48v batteries in parallel to run a cart as designed. Adding 4 or more may require some carts to up grade the controller to a higher amperage or risk burning up the motor and controller. (The average golf cart stock controller is 200- 325 Amps.) There is a lot of specific information in compatibility these Lithium ion battery companies are failing to share. My guess is they know the compatibility isn't right, but is close enough. Stating "add more batteries for more travel" is a white lie... Adding more 48v batteries in parallel only adds more amperage, which can indirectly increase travel distances but not specifically. Amperage for the most part equals torque/power and potentially run time. Too low of amperage is bad and creates heat in the controller and motor, burning it up. Too high of an amperage is bad as well and creates heat in the controller and motor, burning it up...! -Over charge your lithium batteries... BOOM! -Run your batteries too Low or let the batteries get to Cold or Hot..., BOOM goes your wallet. Also, There is no fixing a lithium battery like you can with a acid. To be Clear, I like the concept and think it is headed in the right direction, but the lack of details and specific compatibility for each individual cart, voltage and brand needs to be addressed, especially if you as a individual are buying from a company and not from a Golf cart dealer who knows the right batteries and amperage for your cart. You can not just slap any voltage and any amperage in any cart! I'm not just talking about this video, a lot of Lithium battery companies give very vague information about what you should or should not use/do. ( They make Batteries, not Carts!) The whole add more batteries, get more travel is BS and just a marketing technique to sell batteries. Add to many or too little batteries and you'll fry every electrical component on your cart, even though it is a 48v battery.😂 The one thing no one is talking about, is why not add 4- 12v lithium batteries in series or 6- 8v like a standard set up? What is the benefit besides weight in using 2- 48v lithium batteries in parallel Versus 4- 12v lithium batteries in series? I have a feeling Lithium just can't produce the amount of amperage a Lead Acid battery can at low voltage and has to be ran in Parallel to make up for that.

@davidgeorge7443 4 ай бұрын

I did this upgrade also, very happy. Now I want to install a hookup for a 3000 watt, pure sine inverter. Any wiring suggestions?

@fathergratwick 5 ай бұрын

I'm not sure if they are still doing it but big battery was selling the NMC (lithium ion ) type 58.8v chargers for their lifpo4 (lithium iron phosphate) batteries which actually work best and safest with the correct 58.4v lifepo4 chargers everyone else uses as the standard for such 48v 16s packs. Ive read the sister company and manufacturer for these batteries (Battery EVO ) and Big Battery have had a falling out so I dont even know if these are available anymore.

@jimmywilkes8330 5 ай бұрын

Where did you find the new charging receptacle? I have a Club cart precedent and I want to do the same thing.

@tedburge 6 ай бұрын

Very good info,

@qitstrn 8 ай бұрын

I just switched out my lead acid for lithium. Night and day difference in power and like you mentioned the stock batteries weigh 350lbs. Taking that out is a huge deal. I went with Epoch but I was also considering Big Battery. Both are very high quality kits

@chrisginoc 4 күн бұрын

Was it hard to do it at home?

@sdwaddell23 7 ай бұрын

Where do you hook up the voltage step down for accessories like lights, cell phone charger, etc? Great video.

@donovanmiller2382 6 ай бұрын

I was looking for that answer too.

@BANNINGCUSTOMGOLFCARTS 2 ай бұрын

The way you can connect your accessories when you install any kind of lithium battery is adding a voltage reducer 48 to 12 connected to the main positive and main negative these are the 2 Cables from the controller

@spnspn29 4 ай бұрын

In your list of 2 batteries but you used 4 is there a kit for that?

@MichaelJosephJr934 4 ай бұрын

Would this work on a 2013 EZGO?

@cn65666 8 ай бұрын

Are these safe to store inside? Before switching, I'd like to see the safety features explained given all the lithium battery fires being reported. Fire departments say each battery should be stamped OEM, locked in a metal box and have it's own charger which shuts down the battery under certain temperatures.

@georgelarson9465 7 ай бұрын

The batteries he used are Lithium Iron Phosphate Chemistry and it is way safer than other Lithium batteries. I too had this concern and have been running this type in 6 carts for over a year with hard use. Rentals.

@hxtr-DH 6 ай бұрын

My LiPo4 HUSKY BigBattery is sitting right next to me in my cabin. They're very safe batteries. Best battery for a Golf cart and for my cabin.

@jasonhatfield4747 6 ай бұрын

Lithium batteries are far safer than lead acid. You shouldn't be in a closed in space with a lead acid ever, especially when charging. Lithium is sealed and gives off nothing. As long as you don't puncture them with a projectile or light them on fire, there is nothing to worry about.

@jaimeaguilera8310 2 ай бұрын

Where can I buy these batteries

@brianlewke9692 8 ай бұрын

I have a club car ds and want to use lithium battery , do you recommend lithium battery for a gas golf cart?

@AP-st1li 7 ай бұрын

Completely unnecessary

@fullsack 4 ай бұрын

Do I have to use a charger specific to the lithium ion batteries? Or can I just put in the LI batteries and use my existing charger?

@b0bsaget007 11 күн бұрын

It depends on the charger. Some modern solid-state chargers like the Lester Summit 2 can be reconfigured to work with the lithium batteries. If you don't have one like that, then it would be safest to get a charger specifically for the batteries you are considering.

@adrian.petrila 6 ай бұрын

What's the difference using 1 vs 2 vs 4 lithium batteries if the end net result is 36 or 48v anyway? Seems that 3 or 4 12v batteries end up much cheaper that a single large 36 or 48v battery?

@hxtr-DH 6 ай бұрын

Capacity. By putting the batteries in Parallel keeping the 36v or 48v you extend the range by only draining each battery equally and not all at once on one battery. Using one Eagle BigBattery is about 1.5kwh, adding 3 more you get 6kwh which extends your range quite a bit. To get 6kwh at 48v of potential using 12v batteries you need a lot of batteries. If you don't care about range then your 12v in serial to get 36v or 48v junk will work fine but not close to the range as this setup 4x 48v batteries will using less space.

@fathergratwick 5 ай бұрын

3 or 4 12v batteries will have a smaller amp output and when wired in series that output doesnt increase like when wired in parallel (it doubles) also the 12v batteries in a series will not stay balanced and over time one of the 12v batteries will reach a full state of charge before the rest and when it does it shuts off charging to all the batteries including the ones that werent yet fully charged over time this difference grows and the battery capacity becomes greatly reduced. Series wiring of lithium batteries is not a good idea without separate chargers for each battery (like the special noco battery charger made for this)

@fathergratwick 5 ай бұрын

Most 12v lithium batteries can only be series wired with up to 4 connected together before the bms in them wont work correctly making these pack limited to 100a output and then theres the huge balance issue with this.@@hxtr-DH

@trashman1613 2 ай бұрын

You need to run at lest 2 of these battery’s for good power. And at this time, I think this battery has been discontinued. I ordered 2 in Jan 2023. Desired I need more run time. When I called to order another in Jan 2004 they told me that they don’t make this model anymore. But, lucky they keep a fee for people like me. Now, you only need one 48volt Falcon (which is like 2 eagles in one package). But you can add them up for range.

@fathergratwick 2 ай бұрын

@@trashman1613you can still order them from battery Evo (the manufacturer who made them for the sister company big battery). There has been some sort of drama between the 2 companies and I believe big battery might be switching to a different manufacturer.

@chuckb1448 4 ай бұрын

You had Four 48 v batteries, could you simply run the cart with One 48v battery? I'm guessing you have Four 48v batteries simply for a longer run time? Am I mistaken? I simply can't afford Four lithium batteries lol, I'd just buy me another vehicle for that cost :)

@michaeljr8615 5 күн бұрын

No. The less batteries or less cells the weaker your golf cart. One battery wront even move a hundred lbs

@tboogz284 Күн бұрын

Not sure even if this is relevant to you now, but the amp/hour rating is the important part. Just installed an allied 36v 105ah battery conversion kit, 1x 36 volt lifepo4 battery is doing the job of 6 lead acid batteries plus some it seems. If I ever need to add more capacity, the manufacturer of the kit offers add on batteries and wiring instructions.

@benjaminhartman4488 7 ай бұрын

I was under the impression that lights were lower voltage. Won’t these batteries blow your lights?

@rogueengineer 7 ай бұрын

They are wired through a voltage step down converter.

@Snix-GlXY 10 күн бұрын

Is it faster

@kennedy7955 6 ай бұрын

How much were the batteries?

@markthrush2139 8 ай бұрын

What is the Amp hour? Does the 4 lithium ion batteries = to the 6 lead acid batteries

@rogueengineer 8 ай бұрын

2 lithium batteries is equal to 6 lead acid. I just added 2 more to double the range

@roymurphy8138 8 ай бұрын

@@rogueengineer that doesn’t answer the question. Each of the 48 volt batteries has an amp hour rating. What is it? 25? 30?

@katherinedai5911 7 ай бұрын

@@roymurphy8138 48v30ah

@fathergratwick 5 ай бұрын

@@roymurphy8138 so lithium batteries are good for 100% of their rating since they can be used to full discharge without damage (bms shuts off the battery when at lowest safe voltage which is after the full ah rating is used) and they also have much less voltage sag through the whole range of SOC. lead acid can only be discharged to 50% safely before the battery damage starts occuring shorting life and the cart slows down before that. These packs are 30ah a piece so the 2 pack is 60ah (due to being wired in parallel not series) which is directly comparable to the range of a 120 ah lead acid pack. If you ignore the fact that theres no peukert effect like lead acid has which actually makes the 60ah lithium range more comparable to a brand new 150ah lead acid pack

@youtubular007 6 ай бұрын

what keeps these batteries balanced with each other during charging/discharging?

@robertallencad1 5 ай бұрын

I bet the BMS in both batteries are the same and work as one or at least know and comminicate as an overall unit. I might be wrong and it is handled by the charger software. There are probably a bunch of software/hardware solutions for this. I hope this helps some! Bob

@fathergratwick 5 ай бұрын

@@robertallencad1 this is not really accurate the bms do not communicate but due to the fact that the 2 batteries are wired in parallel and not a series their is no balancing issues like you would have with 4 12v lithium solar/rv type batteries wired in series the charger would keep charging while one by one each battery would stop accepting a charge via the bms until the last battery is full. not the most ideal way to do it but with the correct charger voltage of 58.4v the battery would theoretically not overcharge to an unsafe damaging level anyway if the bms failed to shut down the charging input. This is one reason the specific charging voltage for a 16cell 48v lifepo4 battery is between 55.2 and 58.4v (not 58,8v like the chargers Big battery were selling with these kits)

@hectorsalazar2217 7 ай бұрын

where did you buy the waterproof plug device to be able to use the old charging hole under the seat ?

@rogueengineer 7 ай бұрын

amzn.to/3PEoBux

@jaysunkreuze1466 7 ай бұрын

Right now lithium is cheap. Get it while you can. I switched everything except my truck over to lithium iron phosphate. I will be building a 28' cargo trailer into a RV with 2000 watts of solar and 24v lithium batteries. Heat will be done with two of the Chinese diesel heaters and cooking will be all electric. No propane! Water will be heated with a diesel heater water heater conversion kit. A dual motor ebike will tow my kayak to the lakes from my camping spots in the state parks.

@spideypool8868 Ай бұрын

might be a dumb question but if i get just one 48v battery, do i need the busbar?

@rogueengineer Ай бұрын

I think you have to have a minimum of 2 batteries.

@spideypool8868 26 күн бұрын

@@rogueengineer okay, thank you for the teply

@jamespritchett1886 8 ай бұрын

What’s the cost of the new batteries compared to old batteries

@thekey147 8 ай бұрын

At 8:39 he has a comparison of the kit vs older batteries!

@rogueengineer 8 ай бұрын

About the same but you do need a new charger so that’s the added cost

@itsdezman 7 ай бұрын

@@rogueengineerwas the charger the only other component they needed to be replaced?

@fathergratwick 5 ай бұрын

Best to not buy the charger from big battery unless they now sell the correct 58.4v 16s lifepo4 charger to go with it. When using a 58.8v charger (meant for 4.2v NMC type cell batteries) here you would be relying on the overvoltage safety protection circuitry in the bms to shut down the charging on the battery every time which is not good practice and simply not as safe.. Lifepo4 chemistry is 3.65v max per cell and a 48v pack is made of 16 cells in a series which = 58.4v and this is why 58.4v MAX is recommended for such batteries and what the competitors all use.

@WrongTimeWatch 8 ай бұрын

Now i "need" a golf cart

@rogueengineer 8 ай бұрын

😂😂😂

@dindongditch1776 5 ай бұрын

Beware big battery packs suck moisture will get in and the company will do nothing mine were 6 months old….. good luck

@lsee6145 4 ай бұрын

Bummer..What environment were you using them in?

@joeking433 Ай бұрын

I think the lithium golf cart batteries are coming down just like the car lithium batteries.

@roberthocking9421 6 ай бұрын

Lithium battery was considered responsible for a fire at the eastern golfclubmelbourns Victoria, Australia. Golf club completely destroyed.

@fathergratwick 5 ай бұрын

And people love a good news story that supports what they want to believe.. Yet far far more golf courses and building in general have still burned down from things like faulty building wiring or even critters chewing on such wiring...

@chevyracing1080 2 ай бұрын

No BMS to manage/balance voltage? Bad idea..

@rogueengineer 2 ай бұрын

it's built into the batteries

@yt650 8 ай бұрын

I have a golf cart and I would have preferred be electric, however I ended up with a gas powered cart. I do not use my golf cart for golf and I live in the north eastern United States. I do not charge my electric car indoors nor do I keep it there. I would not keep a golf cart with lithium ion batteries in my garage.

@joeking433 Ай бұрын

I will never have another gas cart. I have an e-bike I've kept in the garage for years with no problems.

@paulevo511 6 ай бұрын

Imagine getting a case of range anxiety...on a golf course! If you get out and walk you will help your health and save the lithium for those who think that they really need it.