Cheap LiPo upgrade to 48v 50amh NOJOKE Lithium 2 pack for $309.00. Total upgrade $700

[jamminred]

I decided to take a chance and order two packs of the NOJOKE LifePo4 batteries from Amazon. Each pack contains two 12v 50 amp batteries. The total cost for the upgrade was around $700, including shipping. These batteries are manufactured in China, so it took almost 30 days for them to arrive. However, they were packaged very well and I didn't encounter any issues like some of the other reviews mentioned, such as the tops coming off easily.

I own a 1994.5 Marathon and had previously been using a heavy 36v lead acid pack. The new LifePo4 batteries are much lighter, weighing around 50 pounds in total. The cart's responsiveness has greatly improved, and it now reaches a top speed of approximately 24 mph even with two adults on board. As for the range, I haven't done an extensive test yet, but based on my normal use of around 10 miles, the voltage doesn't decrease significantly.

Right out of the box, when the batteries were connected in series, they read 54 volts. I'm still waiting for my new 48v charger to arrive, which will allow me to conduct more thorough testing.

[jamminred]

here is a link to batteries if interested in that
Nojoke 12V 50Ah LiFePO4 Battery (2-Pack), Deep Cycle Rechargeable 12V Lithium Battery, Built-in 50A BMS,10 Years Lifetime, for Marine, Trolling Motor, RV, Camping, Solar (12V 50AH 2-Pack) https://a.co/d/0IMRCAS

[mtollin]

Help me with the math here. In series you are using 24 volt batteries when you use to use 36 volt, and you're going to use a 48 volt charger, and your 24 volts is putting out more than 50 volts???

[Volt_Ampere]

What are the discharge current ratings???? These don't look like they are made for golf carts?

[jasonojordan]

You will inevitably run into a issue with a battery not fully charging if you try and charge them all off one charger. Might not be today, tomorrow, or next week but it will happen. As VA said these batteries look pretty light duty for us with a cart. But perhaps your use case and lack of any other mentioned mods may be a saving grace for you and this setup working for now.

[jamminred]

Originally Posted by mtollin

Help me with the math here. In series you are using 24 volt batteries when you use to use 36 volt, and you're going to use a 48 volt charger, and your 24 volts is putting out more than 50 volts???

its a total of 4 individual 12v 50amp batteries so Im running 48v when they are in series. hopefully that clears it up

[SBIRD!]

Keep us posted please.

[jamminred]

Originally Posted by jasonojordan

You will inevitably run into a issue with a battery not fully charging if you try and charge them all off one charger. Might not be today, tomorrow, or next week but it will happen. As VA said these batteries look pretty light duty for us with a cart. But perhaps your use case and lack of any other mentioned mods may be a saving grace for you and this setup working for now.

Thank you for your response! Regarding your statement about the charger, I'm considering whether it would be beneficial for me to invest in a 4 bank charger to charge each battery individually every time, or if it would be safe enough to simply do a monthly or bi-weekly top-up charge on each battery individually, while using the 48v charger for nightly charges? do you have any thoughts on that?

As for the batteries themselves, I appreciate Volt's suggestion. I understand that these batteries may not be intended for heavy-duty use, and if I had a newer cart than a 1994 model, I would probably opt for something more suitable. However, I'm hoping that by not making any major upgrades, these batteries will still perform adequately. I'll definitely keep everyone posted and provide feedback on how things go.

Thank you once again for your response and helpful insights

[Pat911]

Originally Posted by Volt_Ampere

What are the discharge current ratings???? These don't look like they are made for golf carts?

Continuous is 50A with no mention of peak. Not adequate at all but may work in the OP’s situation. Hopefully they self reset as at some point they’re going to trip.

[Volt_Ampere]

Continuous 50 Amp isn't a golf cart battery! I would have to severely limit my cart's performance to run under 50 amps. That and the series thing would make this a no bueno for this application IMO.