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Old 01-29-2021, 08:31 AM   #1
HogKiller
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Default What is the point of having all this battery capacity if I can't use it?

Please help my caveman brain understand something. I'm trying to be a responsible cart owner and charge the cart before its SOC is below 60% or so based on my digital battery meter. Yes of course I want the batteries to last a long time. But what is the point of having all this battery capacity if I can never use it?
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Old 01-29-2021, 10:15 AM   #2
Jake_Daddy
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Default Re: What is the point of having all this battery capacity if I can't use it?

I think you can use it...you just have to buy batteries more often! The trade is miles per charge vs miles over battery life.
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Old 01-29-2021, 10:20 AM   #3
scottyb
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Default Re: What is the point of having all this battery capacity if I can't use it?

Even in shallow discharge situation 20% of 1200 amp hours is nearly 20% less than 20% of 1470 ah.
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Old 01-29-2021, 10:41 AM   #4
Bama Brad
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Default Re: What is the point of having all this battery capacity if I can't use it?

Quote:
Originally Posted by HogKiller View Post
Please help my caveman brain understand something. I'm trying to be a responsible cart owner and charge the cart before its SOC is below 60% or so based on my digital battery meter. Yes of course I want the batteries to last a long time. But what is the point of having all this battery capacity if I can never use it?
My thoughts too....that's one of the reasons I got Lithium pack. Cost more up front than FLA's, but cheaper in long run AND you can use lot more of stored energy (down to 20%). Not to mention no more watering and hooking up to charger after each use. I get about 40 miles per charge (little less in winter).
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Old 01-29-2021, 01:34 PM   #5
Fairtax4me
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Default Re: What is the point of having all this battery capacity if I can't use it?

You can use it all, just the battery pack won’t last as long.
There is a finite number of times the battery can be cycled (discharged then charged) before the lead plates erode away.

Charging a lead acid battery forces lead to come off of the plates and the loss of lead means an eventual and gradual loss of overall battery capacity.

The less the battery is discharged, the less it need to be charged again in order to maintain 100% SOC. There are some charts available from battery manufacturers like US battery or Trojan that estimate the number of total expected cycles you should expect from a battery based on regular discharge percentage. A battery that is discharged more than 50% on a regular basis has far less than half the lifespan of a battery which is only discharged to 80%.

It doesn’t mean you Can’t discharge the pack further. You can use the pack however you want or need. But the more you discharge the pack, the shorter the overall lifespan of the pack will be, and the overall capacity of the pack will also decrease faster. It mostly means you will have to replace the pack more often.
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Old 01-29-2021, 02:03 PM   #6
_ogre
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Default Re: What is the point of having all this battery capacity if I can't use it?

i subscribed to the plugged in when not driving it method for a while
before i figured out driving 100 yards would add another 10 hr charge cycle
installed a digital meter and now charge at 50 volts
that can be as much as a week or two down the road
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Old 01-29-2021, 02:30 PM   #7
Briboy
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Default Re: What is the point of having all this battery capacity if I can't use it?

I agree is seams Crazy, If I had a choice I would have bought a gasser. My Campground only allows electric. Only after Purchase of cart and new FLAs did I find out how much goes into maintaining them... And I stressed quite a bit over how and what to do to prolong them as best I can.
I have all but given up... I will do what is recommended and when they die I will look into the Lithium options.
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Old 01-30-2021, 10:32 AM   #8
HogKiller
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Default Re: What is the point of having all this battery capacity if I can't use it?

Quote:
Originally Posted by scottyb View Post
Even in shallow discharge situation 20% of 1200 amp hours is nearly 20% less than 20% of 1470 ah.
Whatever this was supposed to mean went right over my head. Can you unpack that?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Fairtax4me View Post
You can use it all, just the battery pack won’t last as long.
There is a finite number of times the battery can be cycled (discharged then charged) before the lead plates erode away.

Charging a lead acid battery forces lead to come off of the plates and the loss of lead means an eventual and gradual loss of overall battery capacity.

The less the battery is discharged, the less it need to be charged again in order to maintain 100% SOC. There are some charts available from battery manufacturers like US battery or Trojan that estimate the number of total expected cycles you should expect from a battery based on regular discharge percentage. A battery that is discharged more than 50% on a regular basis has far less than half the lifespan of a battery which is only discharged to 80%.

It doesn’t mean you Can’t discharge the pack further. You can use the pack however you want or need. But the more you discharge the pack, the shorter the overall lifespan of the pack will be, and the overall capacity of the pack will also decrease faster. It mostly means you will have to replace the pack more often.
Thanks. This is probably the answer I understand the best.
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Old 01-30-2021, 01:03 PM   #9
_ogre
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Default Re: What is the point of having all this battery capacity if I can't use it?

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Originally Posted by Briboy View Post
I agree is seams Crazy, If I had a choice I would have bought a gasser.
yeah, that's crazy talk in an electric cc sub-forum
i was looking for gas, when i was given my electric, i can't imagine owning a gas cart now
as for maintenance? i've done little to zero maintenance to mine over 10 years
i did change out 8 yr old batteries, fix my charger and add lights
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