Truth in battery labeling

[Oneunder]

Is there a way to test a new battery to confirm the Ah is what the label says?

[gornoman]

Scientific testing is best suited to laboratory conditions and controls. What is the purpose of your question? Do you suspect foul play?

[Oneunder]

I have been in communication with a company regarding Lithium batteries. Some of the information I have gotten has made me a tad skeptical. So with regards to the Ah, I was just curious if there was a way to verify it the same way you can test the volts with a volt meter.

[Volt_Ampere]

If Lithium was the way to go, the cart manufacturers would be doing it. I wouldn't do it given my battery experience.

[scottyb]

Lithium is not cost effective. You can buy 2 sets of lead acid batts for the cost of Lithium. Lithium has been used for many years in RC models. They are not without problems and their C rating is all over the map and often in doubt. They can and will drop a cell just like a lead battery.... and then so much for the extended life they are selling.

[JohnnieB]

Originally Posted by Oneunder

I have been in communication with a company regarding Lithium batteries. Some of the information I have gotten has made me a tad skeptical. So with regards to the Ah, I was just curious if there was a way to verify it the same way you can test the volts with a volt meter.

Lead acid batteries and Lithium batteries are very different animals so comparing Amp-hours isn't a good measure of how well they perform and/or last in a specific application.

Which of the several types of Lithium batteries wasn't mentioned, but in general terms:

A 36V Lithium battery pack costs about twice as much as a 36V Lead-acid battery pack.

A 36V Lithium battery pack weighs about 25% as much as a 36V Lead-acid battery pack

For Lead-acid, about 50% of the rated AH capacity is usable.
For lithium, about 80% of the rated AH capacity is usable.

A Lead-acid battery charger is simple.
A lithium battery charger is complex.

Monitoring the SoC of a Lead-acid battery can be done with a digital voltmeter.
Monitoring the SoC of a Lithium battery requires Coulomb counting, or similar process.

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Usable kWh would probably be one of the better yardsticks to compare the two very different types of batteries.

More info comparing the two types can be found in EV related searches.

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Personally, I''m going to stick with Lead-acid golf cart batteries until the kinks have been worked out of the Lithium golf cart batteries.

[Oneunder]

I appreciate all the feedback. With respect to cart manufactures. I believe they use the best-cheap battery options to keep the entry price down. If lead-acid was truly the way to go, all the electric vehicles would go in that direction. I am not saying lithium is the best option but enjoy exploring the alternatives. A perfect example is the 36/48v to 12v converters. Ez-Go recommends this for light kits but does not include them on carts with lights.

[DOOmsman]

These things go into a flare type burn. I call it a whoosh. It is not an explosion per se," said aviation consultant Richard Lukso. "I've heard that whoosh four times, so I know what I'm talking about."
Meanwhile, Lukso faced the same problem as Boeing - once a fire got started in a big lithium-ion battery, it is tough to put out, since it creates its own oxygen and has its own fuel. The cost and weight of safeguards to stop heat spreading between cells, and to contain a fire, offset lithium-ion's advantages.

[Oneunder]

It's true the lithium-ion is less stable than the LiFePO4 that I am looking at. That aside, I understand the differences members have on this issue from past posts.

Back to topic, thanks for info comparing the Ah. Doesn't sound like there is a way to reliably tell if you are getting a 155 Ah or a 180 Ah unless you have a confirmed unit for comparison of run time.

[JohnnieB]

Originally Posted by Oneunder

It's true the lithium-ion is less stable than the LiFePO4 that I am looking at. That aside, I understand the differences members have on this issue from past posts.

Back to topic, thanks for info comparing the Ah. Doesn't sound like there is a way to reliably tell if you are getting a 155 Ah or a 180 Ah unless you have a confirmed unit for comparison of run time.

Setting various pros and cons aside, you can get a rough comparison by multiplying the volts time the AH rating at the 20 hr rate to get Watt-Hours.

Then multiply the Lead-acid pack Watt-hours by 0.50 and the Lithium Watt-hours by 0.80 to get usable Watt-hours for comparison.

Doing it this way does lean in favor of Lead-acid because the fact the Lithium pack weighs less isn't taken into consideration, but it is a question of how much difference in run-time does carrying one less passenger actually make.