Quote:
Originally Posted by Rickg
<Stuff snipped by Alan for brevity> On the last leg to home I could notice a reduction in performance, but I could still maintain 18/19 mph. I'm not sure how good this is for the batteries but I wanted to know how far I could go. I don't see myself ever going further than this, so I'm happy.
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No matter what type of electric cart you get, no matter the battery configuration or if you have solar.
Get a volt meter installed in your golf cart. It is a pretty simple DIY project and I suspect a relatively inexpensive install if you hire someone. Understanding how much your batteries are discharged is part of battery maintenance and will keep you from being another stranded casualty for the gassers to make fun of
. In addition, you will start to see trends in your pack, e.g., played Lopez and came home and pack was at 49.3 volts. In the future you play Lopez and get home and pack is at 48.5 volts....maybe a bad battery which if ignored could affect the life of the pack?
A digital meter that displays numbers is very nice as there is no doubt the pack's state of charge. My rule of thumb for my packs is to not discharge more than 50%. If you decide to follow my rule, then you would consider heading home when your digital meter displays 48.4 volts while sitting idle. At 48.4 volts will have plenty of juice left and in a pinch can discharge 80% (about 47 volts). On my last ride my cart with 8-6v
39 month old batteries was at
40 miles when I crossed that 50% threshold. Based on my tracking such mundane things for my packs, I estimate my cart could have gone another 20'ish miles before crossing the dead line at 80%.
My carts came with an analog meter. If you do not have a meter that displays numbers, take some time to find out where on that type of meter 48.4 volts is. I have the meter below. On this type of meter, based on my rule above, I try to
never let the needle be in the green when sitting idle. IMO 48.4 volts on this meter is where the 'F' line is. This picture is after a full charge. Good luck....
