How long will my batteries last? I budget for 3-4 years.
My last battery pack lasted 5.5 years. That statement means nothing unless you know about
:
- my battery configuration,
- how I used my cart
- how I maintained my pack
I can answer those questions:
- 8-6 volt Trojan T105s
- I cannot quantify this, so no facts here to help, but I never (except once) discharge the pack to less than 50% SOC
- I do the best I can. Keep them charged, watered, clean...
Some experiences that
may help…
I did some testing when the batteries in my cart were
two years old:
driving 22 - 26 miles left the cart at 75% SOC
driving 45 - 50 miles left the cart at 50% SOC
- your mileage likely will vary based on your three answers above
- mileage will decrease with age to some degree which I have not measured (this test was with two year old batteries).
On that same trip, I took the cart 63 miles with an ending voltage of 47.6 (A bit less than 40% SOC) Do not do this routinely (see pretty picture below for my test runs).
Looking at a couple of
cycles versus discharge charts (One cycle means, taking the cart out for a ride to discharge, then fully charging)
Looking at some charts on the Internet (google “cycles vs depth of discharge images”):
If you discharge the cart:
20% SOC EVERY time you use it, you should expect 2000 to 3000 cycles
50% SOC EVERY time you use it you should expect 1000 to 1300 cycles
As you can see there is quite a difference in the charts <lol>. My gut feel is that even the lower numbers are optimistic but I have no way to prove that. I have never attempted to track the discharge SOC versus cycles of my carts and have no intention on starting.
We have two ELECTRIC golf carts, which makes over usage a non-issue. Living in Mallory also has its advantages as far as distance to things. No matter where I lived in TV MY CHOICE would be electric and I would not have an issue with range.
If none of what I am trying to convey makes any sense, I suggest taking the good advice already provided by some electric owners or get a gas cart
