Member with Cart Identity Crisis

[RNajarian]

I want to thank the pillars of this forum that helped me get my 2006 American Custom Golf cart back on the road.

I was told it was built on a Club Car Precedent chassis then modified to look like a H3. However, it is likely ACG started getting knock off CC Precedent frames from China and “frankencarting” the rest. I had a two month saga trying to figure out how to take off the brake drum. It ended up being an EZ-Go tapered, keyed brake drum.

https://www.buggiesgonewild.com/showthread.php?t=168287

In addition, I have been told my pedals are of CC DS origin.

Here is my quandary . . .

I have been reading members reports that they are getting upwards to 50-60 miles with the Lithium upgrade. I am considering that upgrade so I started reading the various threads here and also decided to email the manufacturer and ask them for their recommendation of which lithium package they recommend. This was their reply. . .

“No we don't recommend any lithium battery kits for our cars. So far of the 4 different lithium battery conversions that we have tested with our drive system, none of them have lasted more than 45 seconds before the high discharge battery cut off comes on and shuts the battery pack down. “

What do you guys think?
What component/part do you think is the weak link?

Thanks

[NoleFan4Ever]

Sounds like a BMS issue and they need to utilize a different one. What kind of controller do you have in there.

And Lithium distance is based generically on the amp-hour capacity. 60 a/h Leaf pack gets ~22 miles or so on normal cruising. A 120 a/h will be in the 40-45+ range, but tires, motor, driving conditions, etc. all play into that...

[RNajarian]

Thanks for the reply.

According to the wiring diagram it is an Alltrax 4844 Controller.

I can’t imagine the car can’t be relatively easily converted to Lithium

[NoleFan4Ever]

That was the old AXE (Series) controller and was good to 400a. Its been out of production for several years now. It would obviously work with a 48v lithium pack.

Bottom line, you are theoretically only changing out the chemistry. It is still gonna be a 48v system as far as the controller is concerned. It does not know if it is AGM, FLA., Lithium, etc.

It sounds like their issues was in the BMS they were using. I have seen that with small ones that were designed for small 48v electric chairs or bikes. They are low amperage at load.

[RNajarian]

Originally Posted by NoleFan4Ever

That was the old AXE (Series) controller and was good to 400a. Its been out of production for several years now. It would obviously work with a 48v lithium pack.

Bottom line, you are theoretically only changing out the chemistry. It is still gonna be a 48v system as far as the controller is concerned. It does not know if it is AGM, FLA., Lithium, etc.

It sounds like their issues was in the BMS they were using. I have seen that with small ones that were designed for small 48v electric chairs or bikes. They are low amperage at load.

Great insight! Thank you.

I am surprised why they would chose a lower capacity controller in their current models since their cars have not gotten any smaller or lighter over the years.

I’ve uploaded an electrical spec sheet for this (and other) Alltrax legacy controllers. It looks like it can handle a 400A load for 2 minutes. So you are definitely right.

Still a Newbie here so I’m trying to learn as much as possible. My current battery setup is still working OK. I’m just preparing for that upgrade when the day comes.

By then Lithium prices may even come down a bit.

[NoleFan4Ever]

They will normally choose the cheapest route to meet the need.