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Old 08-07-2018, 11:22 PM   #1
wadeod
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Default For future reference, how do I get more distance out of a charge???

So the New Yamaha Drive 2 AC has been great for my first round of golf.

the charger displays 10 notches and I drove 7 miles round trip and a round of golf and was left with 3 nothes. So I guess that means I used 70% of my battery?

I was sweating it the whole time with visions of me having to be towed, but it looks like it may work for me now.

Im just concerned as batteries get older or if I want to play a few extra holes I might be getting close to a dead cart.

So.................my question is how do I get more distance from a charge.

1) Im thinking next time, when my tires get bald, maybe going to like a 20 inch tire, which would increase my distance by about 15%.

2) Is it better to gun it the whole round like we usually do "petal to the metal", or do i get more distance if I go about 14 mpg instead of 19mph.

any suggestions on how to milk out a charge for more distance
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Old 08-08-2018, 12:14 AM   #2
cgtech
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Default Re: For future reference, how do I get more distance out of a charge???

Charge it often, that's number one. Charge after every drive. Anything longer than a single trip to the end of the driveway equals a charge. Lead batteries all develop lead sulphate crystals over time. The lower the average state of charge the batteries are used And stored at over their lifetime, the shorter the life. Batteries left sitting while dead/low state of charge have the most buildup problems. The higher you can keep the charge as a overall average over the life of the batteries, the longer they will live. Also, use only distilled water when filling batteries. As for battery electrolyte levels, I prefer the fluid level just 1/4 inch or so above the plates. That level suits the battery operation fine, and will reduce battery acid and corrosion mess. I think the water should be checked every 2 weeks, or more for heavy use, you will soon get a feel for the water consumption rate. But, as batteries age, they will use more water, so don't get too stuck in the schedule. The batteries are new, so they are only delivering about 80% of their capacity right now. They will "break in" over the first 100 charge/use cycles to reach their plateu and peak until they start a decline at the end. Key during early life, Charge them
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Old 08-08-2018, 09:09 AM   #3
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Default Re: For future reference, how do I get more distance out of a charge???

Quote:
Originally Posted by cgtech View Post
Charge it often, that's number one. Charge after every drive. Anything longer than a single trip to the end of the driveway equals a charge. Lead batteries all develop lead sulphate crystals over time. The lower the average state of charge the batteries are used And stored at over their lifetime, the shorter the life. Batteries left sitting while dead/low state of charge have the most buildup problems. The higher you can keep the charge as a overall average over the life of the batteries, the longer they will live. Also, use only distilled water when filling batteries. As for battery electrolyte levels, I prefer the fluid level just 1/4 inch or so above the plates. That level suits the battery operation fine, and will reduce battery acid and corrosion mess. I think the water should be checked every 2 weeks, or more for heavy use, you will soon get a feel for the water consumption rate. But, as batteries age, they will use more water, so don't get too stuck in the schedule. The batteries are new, so they are only delivering about 80% of their capacity right now. They will "break in" over the first 100 charge/use cycles to reach their plateu and peak until they start a decline at the end. Key during early life, Charge them


Listen to this guy, he knows his stuff

Also, switching to a narrower and taller tire will help as well. If you can fit a 20" tire, consider a mild ATV style tire. The extra height will help, and the tire design will help as well. The stock style turf tires are real wide and square. ATV tires are more rounded so have less contact patch = less rolling resistance. I wouldn't do anything aggressive... golf course rangers wouldn't appreciate that too much. but a mild "all terrain" type ATV tire would work nicely and ride smooth.
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Old 08-08-2018, 10:29 AM   #4
kernal
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Default Re: For future reference, how do I get more distance out of a charge???

Agree with all above.

My experience: 18 years in a extremely golf cart friendly little city, essentially a bunch of subdivisions with 3 golf courses. 100+ miles of paved cart paths.

Things that reduce range based on my experience (electric carts): weight, temperature, throttle technique, rolling resistance.

Not much you can do about weight other than if you go solo you can go farther.
You will go farther in the summer than the winter. Batteries will have about 15% less capacity at 60° than at 80°. Mashing the go pedal to the floor and holding it there until a stop and doing it over and over has about the same effect as adding two large adult passengers ~500#, maybe worse.
Keep tire pressure up. 20psi on turf tires and at least that on DOT tires. (some courses are very picky about tires on personal carts)
Cruising on the trip back and forth to the course should extend range. This might depend on conditions however. IF the trip is completely unencumbered like an interstate maybe not so much. Otherwise my carts are more efficient at a medium cruise speed. My AC cart likes about 15mph and my DC cart about 12 mph. Both (48v)are capable of speeds beyond 20 mph.

Regarding 20" tires. I have them on my AC cart. Because of it's power, they are not detrimental to it's performance and in fact increase top speed about 4 mph. To determine if they actually increase range would be difficult to prove I suspect. Some, maybe a lot, of the gain would be lost because of the increase in torque (amps) required to get them turning and the loss of mechanical leverage in inclines.

Lastly, its important to measure the batteries state of charge as accurately as you can. Most factory installed SOC meters attempt to act like a gas gage. I have found them to be useful as a guide but there is an easy and cheap way to be more precise. With an inexpensive digital multimeter and the included chart you can get a better handle on how much of your battery capacity you are really using. When you are done with the cart for the day, wait about 15 minutes before you hook up the charger and take a reading with the meter and compare it to the chart. Don't need to do it every day. Once a month maybe after you get a feel for it. This way you can spot trends as the temperature changes and the batteries age. Might keep you from getting surprised and stranded sometime down the line. Lots of people install a digital meter permanently in the cart.
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Old 08-08-2018, 11:37 AM   #5
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Default Re: For future reference, how do I get more distance out of a charge???

I just had a thought. Was that your first use of the cart? Brand new batteries should always be charged fully before first use including if its a new cart and even if the seller says the batteries are charged. Trust but verify. The segmented state of charge meters that normally come on ptv carts can be misleading.
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Old 08-08-2018, 08:42 PM   #6
wadeod
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Default Re: For future reference, how do I get more distance out of a charge???

Yes that was first time. And yes I made sure a full charge. And yes I plug it in. Even if I just went a mile.

And I put on “tow” switch when I charge because manual says to , otherwise run risk of messing up electrical it says.

What do I do in winter when I’m not running it for few months?
Do I put on “tow” and leave plugged in? Or Charge every week or two?
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Old 08-08-2018, 09:58 PM   #7
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Default Re: For future reference, how do I get more distance out of a charge???

I have read that breaking new batteries in "gently" will result in a longer battery life. That means avoiding "pedal to the metal" and using a "soft start" technique to keep the amp draw to the minimum. I am currently breaking in my new Trojans and trying to limit my amp draw to under 100 amps on my heavy work cart (I have an amp meter on my dash).

It is also suggested to avoid deep discharges for the first 20 or more charges ... what I read on this forum is to keep your state of charge at 75 to 80% for the first number of charges (that is a discharge of only 20 to 25%). Drawing your batteries down deeply early in their life can result in a shorter life.

Even once your lead acid batteries "break in", for maximum battery life (measured in years), you should not discharge below a 50% state of charge.

Carefully used and maintained batteries can last you 5 years plus

A number of people on this forum report battery life of 2 years or less.

How you use and maintain your batteries will determine your battery life.

As mentioned on early posts ... keep them charged and charged them often.
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Old 08-11-2018, 04:23 AM   #8
Tha_B_Man
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Default Re: For future reference, how do I get more distance out of a charge???

My batteries are in their 8th year of service. I’ve always been easy on the throttle, especially since upgrading to Alltrax 400 controller, whiplash : ). I’ve kept water to max fill and keep cart on charger most of the time, might go a few days now and then off the charger. My batteries are also running headlights, stereo and 10in subwoofer. So far so good.


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