8V vs. 6V batteries

dallas0porter

Last week I acquired a 48v cart that wouldn't charge above 40v, it has no power and won't hardly drive over it's own shadow before I need to put it back on the charger. I ran the cart a few years ago with new batteries and it would lift the front tires a foot off the ground on a take-off. I called around today trying to figure out what battery set-up would best suit me. Half of the people told me to go with 8-6v Trojan ?T-105? where as, other folks were telling me I needed to go (6) 8v batteries. One fella also told me he sells a cheaper brand and will stand behind it for 4 years!

In conclusion, I got the cart for my dad to cruise the Georgia hills on. fairly steep grades and a long way from any power. I just want to make sure I'm not setting him up for failure!

BGW

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sowilliams

Lot's of opinions here on this subject but I like the six 8v setup just because they fit in original battery tray and overall are about 130lbs lighter. Just got a new set of T-890's today. Going in cart tonight.

vagabond

The only reason I'm running 8 6v is because I started out at 36v just a couple of months earlier.
When I do replace I'll probably go 12 v, the extra ah is nice to have with either the 6 or 8 volt, but in my case I don't need it

chloe

You can answer your own question by determining how long he may operate the cart in that terrain. If he will only be out for an hour or so, I would go with the 8 volt units. If, on the other hand, he might be out longer, climb some very long, steep grades or a combination of the two, I'd go with the 6 volt setup.
As suggested above the ampere hour rating should be your determining factor. The 6 volt batteries have a greater rating and will, therefore last longer. The down side is the additional weight.
There is a tradeoff with either decision.

JohnnieB

A 48V battery pack will give you roughly the same performance no matter what you build it with. The difference is mostly in how far the cart will travel between recharges and how long the batteries will last before they have to be replaced.

However, 8 x 6V is heavier than 6 x 8V, so acceleration is a bit less, as are other weight related performance factors. (Basically 8 X 6V is akin to having an extra passenger on cart all the time)

Attached is a list of various 48V battery packs, showing how they stack up against each other for cart range and battery lifespan, as compared to the standard 36V 225AH (T-105) battery pack.

IE: A 48V pack made up of Trojan Ranger 160 batteries (8V - 204AH) will give you the max range and longevity for 6 x 8V pack. About 20% greater that the standard 36V pack.

However, for max range and longevity of any 48V pack, a 8 X 6V pack made up from Trojan T-145 or Crown CR-260 batteries (both 6V - 260AH) will give you about 53% more range and longevity.

Attached Images

48V kWh Comparisons.JPG (105.4 KB, 0 views)

dallas0porter

JohhnieB I called Trojan yesterday afternoon, I explained what I wanted out of my cart and the tech guy insisted that I will get a longer run time out of the Ranger 160 8v package than I would out of any 6v package. But some of the local Trojan dealers opinion's differ, saying that even though the ranger batteries are meant for longer run time, they don't come close to out performing a good 6v setup

JohnnieB

The Trojan tech guy needs a new abacus.

It is simple arithmetic. The more Amp-Hours in the battery pack, the longer the run-time and run-time equates to range.

The cart will use about the same number of AH each mile it travels regardless of weight.
(Granted, you will use slightly more AH per mile, but only a few %.)

Let's say your cart uses 4.0AH/Mi and you discharge the pack to 50%SoC.
With the Ranger 160 (8V 204AH) 48V pack, 50% SoC is 102AH used, so the range will be 25.5 Miles.

With a T-145 (6V 260AH) 48V pack, 50% SoC is 130AHm so the range is 32.5 Miles.

Even if the increased weight of the 8 X 6V pack increased the AH/Mi by 5%, it would still give you a range of 30.95 Miles.

Basically, a 260AH battery pack has about 27.5% more AH than a 204AH battery pack and the increased range is the same, excluding the weight factor.

I have no idea what the weight factor actually is, but sticking with 5%, which may be far higher than reality, any 48V pack made out of 6V batteries greater than 215AH will have a greater range that a Ranger 160 48V pack, so it really doesn't have to be all that good of a 8 X 6V setup.

dallas0porter

That is a big help gentlemen, thank you. I think I'm going with the T-145'S. I will soon let you know the turn out!