Cloud Energy Lithium, the good, the bad and the ugly

[StanMI]

New here and looking for guidance.

Have a 2020 with origional batteries, new ones are in the near future. Cloud Energy seems to produce a fairly easy to install lithium alternative that hits a price point just above or close to the cost of LA.

would like to see some feed back ( positive or negative) on this product.

I realize "you get what you pay for", but it's really hard to justify close to three thousand for top of the line batteries.

This is a double post in Club Car and E-Z-GO. Widest possible coverage.

[B.Harper]

I bought the Cloud Energy (48v 100Ah) battery on Amazon and installed it about a month ago, and honestly, the quality has really impressed me so far. I didn’t expect it to be as well-made as it is. I paid $1099 and, in addition to the battery, it included the charger, BMS display, & ratchet straps. It’s been working great, no complaints. In the month I’ve had it, my kids have used the cart for about 30 minutes every evening to cruise the neighborhood and, aside from the initial charge, I’ve only had to charge it once more. Power delivery is smooth, and the weight reduction has noticeably improved the cart’s handling. That said, I know I’m still in the honeymoon phase, I’d also love to hear from other people who’ve had it for a year or two. On another note, I’ve read that the Cloud Energy customer service is surprisingly helpful. From what I understand, it’s a Chinese company () with a branch based in California.

[InvalidUsername]

Have 2 60Ah batteries for 120Ah for around $1300. All good, no bad or ugly. They have REPT cells with JBD BMS, which has peculiar characteristic of shutting off charging when a cell first reaches 3.65V.

[falv]

I've had the Cloud Energy 48v 105Ah for about 3 months now in a 2013 Ezgo TXT. I've seen a significant increase in speed / range over the Trojan batteries I had (although they were about 5 years old so an increase is to be expected). I would highly recommend their golf cart batteries. The only negative I can think of is the app to monitor the health of the batteries is pretty minimal, but it still provides all the basic info you need.

[Capt. Lenny]

Originally Posted by InvalidUsername

Have 2 60Ah batteries for 120Ah for around $1300. All good, no bad or ugly. They have REPT cells with JBD BMS, which has peculiar characteristic of shutting off charging when a cell first reaches 3.65V.

JBD probably doesn’t have any cell balancing in itso the cella are probably out of balance.

[InvalidUsername]

Originally Posted by Capt. Lenny

JBD probably doesn’t have any cell balancing in itso the cella are probably out of balance.

They balance when charging stops

[Beerman24]

I just ordered the 105ah. They gave me a better deal after asking them a few questions. They seem to have great customer service so for $1158 I bit the bullet, was going to do the 100ah but for a tad more went with the 105. Time will tell but they seem to be in it to win it for now at least..

[Beerman24]

Here is the info on their 48v batteries, from CE direct:

“Our battery BMS use JBD brand, below is the cell and BMS information of the model you are inquiring about

GFA48-100: Sunwoda Cell, 2C rate, 200A BMS

GFA48-105: Sunwoda Cell, 3C rate, 250A BMS

GFS48-60: REPT Cell, 2C rate, 200A BMS

GFS48-100: SVOLT Cell, 3C rate, 200A BMS

[Capt. Lenny]

Originally Posted by InvalidUsername

They balance when charging stops

From what I’ve read, JBD has a passive balancer capable of 50ma. Passive balancers bleed off energy from the highest cell through resistors causing heat which is wasted energy. An active balancer would be a better option. Active balancers take excess energy from the higher cells and send it to the lower cells. An active balancer can typically be added to a JBD BMS but with the sealed case of the Cloud Energy battery it makes it impossible without destroying the case. Correct me if I'm wrong but I'm here to learn also.

[ojo]

Originally Posted by Capt. Lenny

From what I’ve read, JBD has a passive balancer capable of 50ma. Passive balancers bleed off energy from the highest cell through resistors causing heat which is wasted energy. An active balancer would be a better option. Active balancers take excess energy from the higher cells and send it to the lower cells. An active balancer can typically be added to a JBD BMS but with the sealed case of the Cloud Energy battery it makes it impossible without destroying the case. Correct me if I'm wrong but I'm here to learn also.

Capt., exactly my experience with the JBD BMS and passive balancing. If the voltage difference between the cells is too high, you'll have to balance for days to get them
closer together. According to Pat's recommendations, I went with an additional active
balancer ( Neey, 4a ) and it works much better. I'll replace it now with the JK unit, which
includes active balancing. I've read, most effective way to balance the cells is while
charging.