2021 Icon I40L Eco Battery Lithium Upgrade Experience (NEOS)

[Itchy75]

I recently decided to upgrade my 2021 I40L to a lithium battery pack. After scouring multiple forums and also doing my own research, I decided to go with Eco Battery’s kit. I wanted to share my personal install experience so others will have an easier time if anyone decided they wanted to go the same route as I did.

Battery Kit from Golf Cart King: https://www.golfcartking.com/eco-bat...se-cart-model/

The kit highlight was a new cluster for the dash which is a very nice feature. You don’t have to drill any holes to install a new SOC% meter. It also included a new charger and 12-volt reducer and obviously a battery with most of the wiring that will be needed. One thing that was lacking was the absence of instructions. Basically, they are non-existent.

My install findings/experience:

Battery:

After removing the original Trojan batteries, I shaved off all of the center battery dividers to make room for the new battery pack. An oscillating tool made short work of that.

I wanted to place the battery in the center of the cart with the connections pointing toward the driver’s side. I found that the 4AWG wires coming from the controller were not long enough to allow for this orientation. No matter where I placed the battery, one cable wasn’t long enough, or it was right up against the charger.

I decided to place the battery under the passenger’s side, facing the driver, and ordered a new, longer 4ft 4AWG battery cable from amazon to connect the positive side of the battery to the controller. This orientation also allowed for some extra storage space under the driver’s seat. The negative lead was fine in this setup.

Cluster:

I had to call Eco Battery to figure out how to hook the battery’s signal cable to the new cluster, as no instructions were included. After talking with a tech, they sent a short video showing exactly what to do with the included pigtail. It was very straightforward and easy once shown what had to be done. Once connected, it fit perfectly into the dash. Very clean.

Charger:

After removing the factory Icon charger and its wiring, the new charger bolted onto the top two pre-existing holes from the original charger’s location. No drilling. I also added some double-sided tape to the bottom right corner to keep it from vibrating against the frame being that it is only bolted on with two fasteners.

The remote charge status indicator under the driver’s seat no longer functions and there is no way to hook it up.

The 2nd pigtail from the original Icon charger is no longer used and is left dangling under the run/off switch. After I had everything hooked up, the lights and accessories all worked, but once it was put into gear, nothing happened. I thought I screwed something up. I decided to look in NEOS to see if I could find a solution. Line 5 is “Charge Safety Lockout” and was set to 1. I changed it to 0 and saved. The cart now would go in forward and reverse as intended, but lost the safety feature of not being able to drive while it is plugged in. After talking with the same tech from Eco again, he informed me that a jumper can be used to connect those two wires in that connector together, to negate the need to change this setting in NEOS. This adapter/pigtail should have been included in the kit as well IMHO.

12-volt Reducer:

I didn’t use the new reducer that was included in the kit. I didn't feel like cutting and splicing wires, and there was nothing wrong with it, so I left well enough alone. One thing to note, the factory-installed reducer draws its power from the controller box and isn't hooked directly to the batteries.

I figure I can use it at a later date with its own fuse block if I decide to add more accessories.

Charge Port:

The kit also did not come with a new port, nor would it connect to the existing connector without splicing wires. I decided to remove the OEM port and purchase a new power inlet socket that utilizes an extension cord female end. It’s much more convenient.

Power Socket from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009ANV81S...roduct_details

The original’s hole was a larger diameter than that of the new port. I picked up a piece of carbon fiber board and some stainless-steel fasteners to cover the original hole and give it a nice, clean look. I used a scrap piece of die bond on the back.


All in all, it took an afternoon and a 12-pack to install the majority of the kit to get it up and running so far as to test functionality. Then another afternoon for the spit and polish, with a few brews there as well.

I haven’t had a chance to take it for a spin yet as it’s too cold and windy here in Wildwood, NJ. I’m going to try and get it out ASAP for a test run. I did however get it up to full speed on jack stands in my garage without issue.

If anyone decides to go this route and has any questions, feel free to ask.

Thanks for your time.

-Jim

[Itchy75]

REDACTED. Can't figure out how to upload all pics...

[Itchy75]

Figured it out, here are some pics of the install...

[Itchy75]

A few more pics.

The green wire was the jumper I made to test the Safety Lockout. It would only be needed if one doesn't have access to NEOS to change that setting.

[derelicte]

It comes with new dashboard!?! That is awesome! I wonder if they can reprogram the factory one for us?

[DaveTM]

Nice and clean! Very nice!

[Reliableone]

Looks great. Nice looking cart.

[UroGator]

Itchy, nice write-up. So how does the performance compare to the lead acids (ie. Top speed, range)?

[derelicte]

I had the eco battery installed from day 1 so I can't provide a comparison, but I do have experience with them.

Top speed won't change. Range should go up, they weight lot less and as a result, the ride might not be as good. They are zero maintenance.

[patz83]

I contacted the company you ordered from and they said they don't include the new cluster for the icon. just the small gauge. I don't know if the person at the store doesn't know? I won't order the kit unless I can get the cluster.