EzGo battery upgrade for better range

[Piperporsche180]

Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen,

I'm new to the group and new to golf carts, please accept my apology in advance for my novice questions.

I have a 36V, 2002 EzGo TXT, lifted, rear seat, wind shield, larger wheels, lights, light bar, radio, fan, keypad, underbody light and a upgraded motor. It has 6: 6V batteries, would I net a longer range if I picked up 6: 8V batteries? If not, would it make sense to install 2 additional 6V batteries?

If any of the above is possible, are there converters that can be installed to reduce the 48V to 36V to avoid upgrading the motor, controller, solenoid, etc?

If any of this is feasible, would I be able to hook a 48V charger to the golf cart without damaging anything?

Thank you in advance!

[Piperporsche180]

Another reason I am asking, I'd like to install a brush guard and a winch. I feel like I'm running too much off the 6 batteries.

[scottyb]

The motor consumes amperage when it works. Every battery has an amperage capacity measured as amp hours or AH. The higher the AH the longer it can power the motor. In a pack the lowest AH in the group will determine the run time. There are 6v batteries available with 200 -260 ah.

48v changes the equation favorably because volts plus amps = watts. Watts is the work done. The increase in voltage decreases the amount of amperage used to produce the same work. 48v operation will increase your run time even though 8v batteries have a lower ah capacity. 8v capacity is typically between 160 and 190 ah. It should suffice to say you want the 190 ah not the 160-170 ah type if run time is a priority.

A second popular choice is 8/6v batteries. This can yield the longest run time if say 225 or 240 ah batteries are used. However, some of the power gain is diminished due to the significant weight gain.

I hope this helps

[Sir Nuke]

Piper....to go along with what scotty mentioned above.....you never mentioned if your drive system was stock or not (the controller, F&R(its it has one), solenoid, cables, etc...) if it is....to make the jump to 48v will require the replacement/upgrade of all of those components....plus you would need a 48v charger.

[JohnnieB]

A separate 12V battery for accessories will improve your range and if you add a winch, powering it from a separate 12V battery is a requirement rather than an option.

Anything that adds weight to the cart, reduces range.

Taller than stock tire height reduces range.

Low pressure tires (<10PSI Max inflation pressure) reduces range.

Attached is a chart showing the approximate range increases for various 48V battery pack configurations.

---------------------
What drive system, Series or PDS?

What motor is being used?

What is the tire height?

[mutant]

piper-you have attracted some of the best minds this forum can offer to your thread-prepare to be well informed/educated! enjoy!!

[Piperporsche180]

Originally Posted by scottyb

The motor consumes amperage when it works. Every battery has an amperage capacity measured as amp hours or AH. The higher the AH the longer it can power the motor. In a pack the lowest AH in the group will determine the run time. There are 6v batteries available with 200 -260 ah.

48v changes the equation favorably because volts plus amps = watts. Watts is the work done. The increase in voltage decreases the amount of amperage used to produce the same work. 48v operation will increase your run time even though 8v batteries have a lower ah capacity. 8v capacity is typically between 160 and 190 ah. It should suffice to say you want the 190 ah not the 160-170 ah type if run time is a priority.

A second popular choice is 8/6v batteries. This can yield the longest run time if say 225 or 240 ah batteries are used. However, some of the power gain is diminished due to the significant weight gain.

I hope this helps

Thank you for your response Scotty, with the addition of two 6v batteries, is there a way the motor/controller will only see 36v to avoid damage? Run time is key, so the extra weight and loss of performance isn't a big deal.

Originally Posted by Sir Nuke

Piper....to go along with what scotty mentioned above.....you never mentioned if your drive system was stock or not (the controller, F&R(its it has one), solenoid, cables, etc...) if it is....to make the jump to 48v will require the replacement/upgrade of all of those components....plus you would need a 48v charger.

Thank you for your response Sir Nuke, I went under the golf cart, it has a blue motor, there is a tag that says "D&D Motor Systems Inc, Model # 170-002-0001", "Class H", "36V". As for everything else, I will have to take a look as soon as I get home from NC tomorrow. It is a Series golf cart.

[Piperporsche180]

Originally Posted by JohnnieB

A separate 12V battery for accessories will improve your range and if you add a winch, powering it from a separate 12V battery is a requirement rather than an option.

Anything that adds weight to the cart, reduces range.

Taller than stock tire height reduces range.

Low pressure tires (<10PSI Max inflation pressure) reduces range.

Attached is a chart showing the approximate range increases for various 48V battery pack configurations.

---------------------
What drive system, Series or PDS?

What motor is being used?

What is the tire height?

Thank you for your response JohnnieB, its a Series drive system, 70-002-0001 motor, I'm not too sure on the tire size, I looked up the motor, looks like it brings top speed to 16mph, I hit 19mph on flat ground GPS verified. (24mph down hill) I wouldn't be sad if a 48V system increased the top speed a hair. Haha.

Originally Posted by mutant

piper-you have attracted some of the best minds this forum can offer to your thread-prepare to be well informed/educated! enjoy!!

I am looking forward to learning more about electric golf carts, I am very pleased so many folks responded! I have been researching how they work so I can attempt to ask questions. Haha!

[mutant]

48v will bump up the speed a bit over 36v...are you running a stock controller? i am about to get a 500 amp Alltrax from scottyB at carts unlimited...hope you enjoyed your time in my home state!!

[Sir Nuke]

Piper.....if you are getting 19 mph, seeing as you have a SERIES cart (as do I), when you get home and look under the seat as to what you actually have there (type of controller, etc....) I'd be willing to bet you have an aftermarket controller (that's a good thing).....keep us posted as to what you actually have.