DIY Lithium Conversion
 

So I see there are many lithium conversions going on, many spending quite a lot to do so. I wanted to play too, but I couldn't spend as much on the project as others.
I paid $550 for the batteries, several hundo on stuff I didn't end up needing. I did end up with an Alltrax controller later, but that's really optional. There are risks with this approach, but I did it for considerably less than the bolt in options.

Start out:
Stock drive train 2011 Ezgo TXT48 in freedom mode with 6" lift and 23" tires.

I removed all six 8v lead acid batteries and the accessory 12v deep cycle batt.

For lithium batteries I purchased two modules from a Chevy volt. A 48v module (12 cell) and a 24v (6 cell) module. I could just use the 48, but it maxed out at 50.4V if you charged it 100% and I wanted more V for more speed.
I could not use the entire battery as a traction pack, so I used 14 cells for the traction pack, this left 4 cells which I am using as the 12v accessory battery. I know those who are familiar are wondering about the max V, we'll get to that in the next few posts...

Also, I did some boneheaded moves that I saw other people recommending, those will also be in the next few posts!

Here is the pack after install Day 1.
http://www.buggiesgonewild.com/pictu...ictureid=27862

Re: DIY Lithium Conversion
 

The batteries are 47 Amp Hour (when new) Chevy Volt modules. If you are reading this you probably already know that the Amp Hours on a lithium battery have a far greater % than can be actually used without damaging the battery when compared to lead acid. I did end up later doubling the capacity as I need to pull a float in a parade with this cart and I don't think 47AH is enough for that.

I went with the Chevy Volt modules for a few reasons.
#1 is that in the Chevy Volt, they never fully charge nor discharge the cells. Fully charging them and fully discharging them stresses and ages the batteries so in theory a 3 year old Chevy Volt battery pack should be aged less than a comparable lithium battery pack of the same age from a different manufacturer.
#2 is Chevy Volt cells are cheaper and about the right dimensions right off the start.

The cells are harder to work with if you want over 48v, which is a BIG part as to why they are cheaper. But I did a 36v lithium conversion last night and it was the easiest mod I've ever done (more on that later).

Re: DIY Lithium Conversion
 

For whatever reason my pictures blast in and destroy the dimensions of the page so you have to scroll left and right.

So I'll post the text then post the pic separately.

http://www.buggiesgonewild.com/pictu...ictureid=27861

Re: DIY Lithium Conversion
 

I'm interested to see what all you did and your thoughts on "boneheaded" moves! Maybe your information will help me steer away from those.

Re: DIY Lithium Conversion
 

I did a test post with your big pic:

http://www.buggiesgonewild.com/test-...ml#post1554156

I used the paperclip on the top row.

Click on the thumbnail and you get a reasonable sized image. Click on that and you get another Tab. Click on that and you get full size. Right Click Save Image As...

Re: DIY Lithium Conversion
 

Nice. I went with 3 48v batteries in parallel to get 141ah. My motor is stock 36 volts. I drive 4.5 miles to the golf course one way, play 36 holes and drive home and still have 40% SOC. 8)

Re: DIY Lithium Conversion
 

Nice Riso!

That's a heck of a lot of lithium in there, looks good.

Re: DIY Lithium Conversion
 

Thanks Yurtle! I'll try the paperclip.

So, here's my BONEHEADED MOVE #1:

Online I saw people stating you need to separate the pack electrically so it's physically one pack but two separate electrical entities, one for traction the other for accessory. You do NOT have to do this and it was a dumb idea. Just set the electrical cable at the last cell you want to use for the one part of the pack and that same cable is now the other polarity for the remaining part of the pack.

I cut the electrical connection instead of just leaving well enough alone because of the people on you tube. Do not do what I did... :roll:

Re: DIY Lithium Conversion
 

Your pictures are 2880 x 2160 pixels and very few people, if any, have their monitor resolution set to anything near that width and height.

Using the paperclip on the top row next to the smiley face to attach the pictures to your posts solves the problem. Only thumbnail size pictures are seen attached to the post and when they are clicked on by the reader, they open to the max resolution of the monitor they are being viewed on. If a more detailed view is desired by the reader, left clicking in the image will display it full sized and the image can be scrolled to bring points of interest onscreen.


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Looks like several people beat me to posting pictures 101. :lol:

Re: DIY Lithium Conversion
 

How do you charge the Accessory portion? Also, couldn't you hook up a "Turbo" switch to use ALL of the batteries? Could be a HD SPDT Contactor (solenoid), or a manual SPDT switch.