EZGO TXT Lithium Upgrade

[rib33024]

Originally Posted by impaper

I am surprised by the responses thus far. I thought more people would be interested in heading down this path.

Yes a lot of members would like to go down this path. A few of the members here have done this. And a lot more, probably would do it if the cost wasn't so high.

[DaveTM]

Frankly, I would like to go this way. The weight savings and the longevity are the reasons why. This is because I use my cart for hunting and most of the time I hunt, the weather is in the 20 degree range which plays havoc on the run time of lead acid batteries.

So, I've discussed this with my Son who #1 is an engineer, and #2 works for one of the large auto makers. I've provided him with the web sites that have the components for a lithium conversion and he has come back with a list of questions for me that I cannot answer. He basically has done this to say "Look, your not an engineer. If you were....you would have the basic understanding of how this works, what is critical, not so much critical, and how to not get yourself into deep trouble with it. Lithium is NOT lead acid. You can run your lead acid batteries with green gunk on the terminals for a month or so. I don't know what the "bad signs" of running lithium are.

[Volt_Ampere]

Cold temps will reduce range with Lithium batteries also. All batteries are subject to performance variation with temperature. Basic Chemistry. I am happy with my Lithium upgrade but I am hesitant to recommend it to anyone without some electrical experience. FLA batteries handle abuse much better. A single over discharge of a Lithium pack will ruin it. Overcharging a Lithium pack can cause a spectacular fire. For me, the interest in doing something different and the 250 plus pounds weight savings is worth it.

[agpfl]

Luckily I don't have to worry about the cold. My understanding is that the BMS will take care of balancing and preventing overcharging. A concern would be a complete discharge and rendering the batteries useless.

[NCPW]

Maybe you've already found this thread, but if not, it should provide you with a lot of info related to your TXT and going with a lithium conversion.

http://www.buggiesgonewild.com/elect...txt-build.html

[Volt_Ampere]

A proper fully functioning BMS should protect against both Overcharge and over Discharge but some don't do both. You want at least two protections against Overcharge as this is the dangerous failure mode. The charger should shut off at full charge and the BMS should shut the charge off if it detects overcharge conditions on ANY cell. I built my own monitor for over Discharge that monitors all of the cells. It displays the approximate %SOC and alarms if any cells go too low. I have never triggered that because I recharge when I get down to about 25% SOC.

[DaveTM]

Originally Posted by Volt_Ampere

I built my own monitor for over Discharge that monitors all of the cells. It displays the approximate %SOC and alarms if any cells go too low. I have never triggered that because I recharge when I get down to about 25% SOC.

Ya See......it's the little things like this that are, well,......important if you like to keep your garage and house from catching on fire.

[BobBoyce]

I have been shopping sources of LiFePO4 (Lithium Iron Phosphate) cells that I can use for my new build. I do not want to use Nissan Leaf or similar type of Lithium cells that have a greater risk of catastrophic cell failure. I'm seriously considering the use of a single set of 200 A/H cells in series to minimize intercell connections and BMS complexity.

Bob

[cgtech]

Originally Posted by BobBoyce

I have been shopping sources of LiFePO4 (Lithium Iron Phosphate) cells that I can use for my new build. I do not want to use Nissan Leaf or similar type of Lithium cells that have a greater risk of catastrophic cell failure. I'm seriously considering the use of a single set of 200 A/H cells in series to minimize intercell connections and BMS complexity.

Bob

I have info on 2 different 100ah cells of the type you are looking for, if you want.

Here's a link to some LiFePO4 200ah cells I was looking at for a EV build that has since been retired. http://elitepowersolutions.com/produ...roducts_id=149

[Volt_Ampere]

You still need to strap them all together physically and electrically. It is very easy with the Leaf cells - not as easy with other cells.