Best LifePO4 battery pack suggestions

[abozic75]

There is a ton of knowledge out there on these forums, and I hope to tap into some of that with this question/request.

I have a 2016 Ezgo 48v TXT. All stock motor and controller. the Trojan batteries will soon need to be replaced. I would love to move to Lithium due to lower maintenance, better storage, and less weight.

I've been browsing through the forums and haven't seen any consensus on a recommended lithium battery pack. I've seen recommendations for building your own, but I have limited electrical knowledge or time to complete something that could potentially cause a lot of damage.
I've browsed BigBattery, RoyPow, Allied, Dakota, Relion, and looked at Ebay retailers as well.

The campsite I drive at is pretty flat, paved mostly, will likely put a 3" lift on with a little bigger tires down the road. With all of that said, I am hoping to get some opinions on the best lithium battery solution, best bang for the buck I guess.

Welcome either your preferred battery supplier, or the ones to stay away from and why.

Thanks in advance for any answers.

[Alex D]

For simplest simplicity and goo reputation I will go with Allied lithium packs when it becomes my time for battery replacement. Good warranty as well. For the best bang for the buck experts here use Nissan LEaf or similar packs and construct a pack themselves. But that's not for me.

[abozic75]

Thanks Alex. Appreciate the response.

[abozic75]

Not too many responses on this thread so maybe a better question would be what specs should I be paying the most attention to when looking for a lithium poser solution for my golf cart? For example. Amp hours, peak discharge, continuous discharge,...

[JBERGER]

Originally Posted by abozic75

Not too many responses on this thread so maybe a better question would be what specs should I be paying the most attention to when looking for a lithium poser solution for my golf cart? For example. Amp hours, peak discharge, continuous discharge,...

Probably best to see your answers in the Lithium EZGO section and check out the Club Car Lithium group too. Lots of details in those dedicated sub-forums.

[abozic75]

Not too many responses on this thread so maybe a better question would be what specs should I be paying the most attention to when looking for a lithium poser solution for my golf cart? For example. Amp hours, peak discharge, continuous discharge,...

[Bama Brad]

I you are like me, I just wanted a drop in that I felt safe with. Here is a thread that compares some of the most popular choices. I have a 48v hunting cart with high amp controller and have never had a problem, so I think you will be OK with which ever you chose. Most come with charger, digital voltmeter and BMS built in. You will like the difference in performance, no maintenence and they are "suppose" to last at least 15 years. Money well spent, IMO

https://www.buggiesgonewild.com/showthread.php?t=173142

[abozic75]

Nana Brad thanks for the link. I did like the comparison chart. Those are the ones I’ve looked at mostly. What pack have you gone with? I ask because you mentioned you have a 400amp controller. I do plan on upgrading the controller sometime down the road or maybe a motor rebuild and if I invest in a lithium pack I want it to work with those upgrades.

[Bama Brad]

I have the Roypow 105ah with a 500 amp controller and use it in the woods, going thru muddy creeks, up pretty steep hills with 2-3 Hefty guys and have never had it shut off. If I were to buy now, I would look at extreme team or evolution because of their customer service and being here in USA. I don't think you would regret it, I certainly haven't.

[bronsonj]

Originally Posted by abozic75

maybe a better question would be what specs should I be paying the most attention to when looking for a lithium solution for my golf cart? For example. Amp hours, peak discharge, continuous discharge,...

So all the specs are important...
Amp Hours is range (think how many gallons your car gas tank holds). Most people use 100 amp hours or more.

Peak Discharge is important, as is how it is measured. Is that peak discharge for 3 seconds? Peak discharge for 5 mins? I've seen it measured many different ways. Most of the time your controller will not reach the max amps it'll pass or it will only pass them for a second, maybe two. So I would look for a 5 second discharge rate that will meet or exceed your needs. But sometimes the 5 second rate is not available... But a lot of people exceed that peak discharge rating and have had good success.

If you get a pack that will handle your peak discharge then it'll handle your continuous discharge.

The limiting factor in both discharge methods is the BMS. Sometimes people bypass the BMS for the controller but still charge through the BMS.

Voltage is another important factor. A 48v lead acid pack will go from 50.9V fully charged to 48V drained. A 14S LiFePo4 pack will get to 50.4v if you fully charge it, so some people go this route. But remember, that V is Speed (generally speaking). A fully discharged 14S pack is 35V, well below the discharged V of a lead acid. So your speed will suffer dramatically as you start to run the pack down some. An option is a 16S pack. 16 times 3.60v is 57.6v (which you will probably want to charge to a lower V for longevity) but a fully discharged 16S pack is 40v. Significantly higher than the 14S pack.

My stock 2013 TXT48 controller ran on my pack at 57.6v just fine. I did change to an Alltrax because I wanted to program the cutoff voltage and the Alltrax let me do that. So my cart goes from 57.6 down to 45.5v, even though in practicality I never go below 48v.

--- Caveat --- I know my lithium ion pack is different than your chemistry, so you will want to research to see what charge/discharge voltages do to your chemistry longevity. For Lith Ion there is a dramatic reduction in longevity as you get closer to full charge.