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Old 08-10-2014, 06:47 AM   #11
sportcoupe
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Default Re: 48 Volt DS With 36 Volt Batteries

I actually bought two 48v cc ds's that BOTH had six 6v batteries in them (36v). The owner was using the 48v charger too for a couple years. Unbelievable. Yes the batteries were shot when I got the carts. The carts did run but were so slow due to 36v.

Swapped in the correct 8v batteries and the carts ran like new. Nothing was damaged.
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Old 08-10-2014, 09:50 AM   #12
jdedgewood
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Default Re: 48 Volt DS With 36 Volt Batteries

It is good to know that there is at least a possibility little else is wrong with the cart. I had planned to have it running by now, but after I took the batteries out, parts of the battery rack were so corroded from acid leakage, I had to start with replacing two of the angle brackets (batteries 5 & 6). It did run with the 6 volt batteries, maybe 7-8 MPH tops.
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Old 08-24-2014, 12:21 AM   #13
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Default Re: 48 Volt DS With 36 Volt Batteries

Thanks for the help everyone, got the batteries in, 4ga cables, new tires, and a new micro switch in the potentiometer. It runs pretty good 18-19 MPH on the level according to my GPS. Found the light switch and headlight bulbs were fried and the 48 to 12 volt converter was bad as well, but not too much wrong that can't be easily fixed.
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Old 08-24-2014, 01:32 AM   #14
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Default Re: 48 Volt DS With 36 Volt Batteries

Sounds like he possibly used a 48 volt charger to charge them.
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Old 08-24-2014, 05:10 PM   #15
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Default Re: 48 Volt DS With 36 Volt Batteries

The previous owner had the cart hooked up to the 48 volt charger when I first saw it. The batteries were sweating, bulging, and even the battery tops were so swollen that the posts weren't straight. The batteries would not hold a charge beyond a trip around the parking lot, and I doubt the cart would hit more than 10 MPH.

The batteries were about two years old, I doubt that they were maintained very well, and I believe attempting to charge them with a 48 volt charger couldn't have been good for them either. I wouldn't buy it until I was sure everything worked, and he charged two batteries at a time with a 12 volt charger to get the battery pack to the point the cart would run for a little while.

I knew that I would have to get batteries right off, but didn't want to buy the cart if it was totally screwed up and needed all the expensive parts replaced. I have had golf cart shops here in the Phoenix area tell me that well-maintained batteries will last 5 years and longer, but most of the people I know that have electric carts will tell you 5 years is really pushing it in this climate.
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Old 08-25-2014, 09:30 AM   #16
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Default Re: 48 Volt DS With 36 Volt Batteries

Quote:
Originally Posted by jdedgewood View Post
I have had golf cart shops here in the Phoenix area tell me that well-maintained batteries will last 5 years and longer, but most of the people I know that have electric carts will tell you 5 years is really pushing it in this climate.
I'm pretty sure my 2008 cart was fresh off a 3yr lease at Coyote Lakes (based on the cart's nose art) when I acquired it in 2011 and the batteries in it were date coded Dec-2009 (L9) so I suspect they were the second set of batteries, which were about 18 months old and not in very good condition (would only take a 85% SoC charge).

Attached is a chart illustrating battery life expectancy based on temperatures. Looks like it drops about 15% for each 10° above 77°F.

I'm not sure how to correlate this to battery lifespan percentage, but the five year average of degree-days above 77°F annually for Phoenix area is 2,538 while it is only 271 in my area, so I suspect my current battery pack will last longer than the first two.
Attached Images
File Type: jpg Temperature vs storage capacity and lifespan.jpg (116.9 KB, 0 views)
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Old 08-25-2014, 07:11 PM   #17
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Default Re: 48 Volt DS With 36 Volt Batteries

Wow, I have heard some horror stories of 12-18 month battery life here in Arizona from golf card shops, but they usually say it has to do with poor maintenance. I have always been an internal combustion engine fan, but after owning 2 Honda Insight Hybrids, I decided I would take the electric route with a golf cart to see if I liked electric propulsion as well as I think I do. If I end up having to buy new batteries in 18 months... not so sure.

You have the days over 77 degrees right, we never get a hard freeze here in the "Valley of the Sun". As they say "It's a dry heat", but hot is hot! Has been as high as 116 degrees this summer.
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Old 08-25-2014, 08:34 PM   #18
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Default Re: 48 Volt DS With 36 Volt Batteries

Quote:
Originally Posted by jdedgewood View Post
Wow, I have heard some horror stories of 12-18 month battery life here in Arizona from golf card shops, but they usually say it has to do with poor maintenance. I have always been an internal combustion engine fan, but after owning 2 Honda Insight Hybrids, I decided I would take the electric route with a golf cart to see if I liked electric propulsion as well as I think I do. If I end up having to buy new batteries in 18 months... not so sure.

You have the days over 77 degrees right, we never get a hard freeze here in the "Valley of the Sun". As they say "It's a dry heat", but hot is hot! Has been as high as 116 degrees this summer.
If you keep your batteries well watered; don't forget and expose your plates. Batteries can take heat but not exposed plates...
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Old 08-26-2014, 08:04 AM   #19
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Default Re: 48 Volt DS With 36 Volt Batteries

Quote:
Originally Posted by jdedgewood View Post
Wow, I have heard some horror stories of 12-18 month battery life here in Arizona from golf card shops, but they usually say it has to do with poor maintenance. I have always been an internal combustion engine fan, but after owning 2 Honda Insight Hybrids, I decided I would take the electric route with a golf cart to see if I liked electric propulsion as well as I think I do. If I end up having to buy new batteries in 18 months... not so sure.

You have the days over 77 degrees right, we never get a hard freeze here in the "Valley of the Sun". As they say "It's a dry heat", but hot is hot! Has been as high as 116 degrees this summer.
I played with the batteries that came with my cart some (IE: Charged the living daylights out of them) and got them to take nearly a 100% SoC charge, so I ran them for another two years. In fact, they were still going strong when I replaced them and they are very likely still in pretty good condition since they have been on float charge since being taken out of my cart. I estimate their useful lifespan would have in in the 4-5 year range, despite their shaky start in life.

There is a reduction in lifespan due to temperature higher than 77°F, but I believe the 12 - 18 month horror stories are due to a combination of poor battery maintenance and lackadaisical charging practices, in addition to the high ambient temperatures and low humidity. Cart batteries that are treated badly don't last very long in moderate and cold climates either.

----------
I listed the annual Degree-Days above 77°F based on a 5 year average.
A "Degree-Day" is how many degrees the average temperature for a day is above (or below) a selected reference point.
For example: If the high temperature for the day is 110 and the low is 70, the average temperature for the day is 90. The reference temperature is subtracted from the average temperature to get degree-days.
Therefore: 90 -77 = 13 Degree-Days for that day.

The heating and cooling degree-days used by HVAC industry and power companies typically use 65°F as the reference point, but I found a calculator online that allows user selectable reference temperatures and uses temperature data collected from numerous local weather stations.
http://www.degreedays.net/

For the Phoenix Degree-Days I used data from Sky Harbor airport (KPHX).
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