Converting used electric golf cart to lithium system.

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Old 08-16-2020, 01:06 PM
DrErnie DrErnie is offline
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Default Converting used electric golf cart to lithium system.

Never had a electric golf cart. Been maintaining gas golf cart, riding mower, etc. for years. Tired of dealing with oil, gas/exhaust stench. Intrigued about buying a used electric golf cart and installing a lithium conversion kit to eliminate hassles with lead acid maintenance. Promos on lithium; more power, quick charging, less corrosion with stainless steel terminals, no storage concerns, 5 yr. warranty. I'm sure there are pitfalls regarding the condition of the used cart; motor condition/compatability, OEM electrical system and as well as many other concerns. Curious if anyone has done this lately and what were the regrets if any.
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Old 08-16-2020, 01:10 PM
ctmurray ctmurray is offline
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Battery Brothers, does such conversions; taking a used cart and modifying for Li ion batteries. 5 yrs ago when I first came they had one for sale. They are located just outside the villages proper.
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Old 08-16-2020, 01:26 PM
MCJEFE MCJEFE is offline
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I've built several lithium battery packs myself and even documented the journey on one of the packs.

1st the cart and motor does not care where the power comes from as long as its in the acceptable range voltage/amperage for the controller and motor.

2nd I would steer clear of "drop in" conversions that use 4-6 batteries. To many compromises are made for them to fit in the original holes.

Check out RoyPow S51105. It is a purpose designed 105ah lithium battery which should give you a conservative 50 miles depending on tires and driving style. It should cost around $1,850 including the installation kit and charger. I believe that Advantage Golf Carts in Orlando/Ocala is a dealer and doing the installations for around $400.

Here's my build thread. Something like 26k views now. Lol

DIY 101 - 14 cell Nissan Leaf lithium pack
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Old 08-17-2020, 09:20 AM
MorTech MorTech is offline
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I built a 150ah pack using 16ea LiFePO4 prismatics.

The RoyPow appears to be a good solution and also check with Luxus Golf Carts in Leesburg. They carry the Evolution carts and Crown Lithium packs that they can install in existing carts. Get a used cart with AC motor...A used EZGO RXV would be good but the acceleration from the 235A controller is a bit slow for my liking. You can always purchase a Navitas 440A drop-in controller that is bluetooth/smartphone programmable. Electric cart projects get expensive quick but still cheaper than buying new from the villages.

TAC 2 AC Controller | Waterloo, ON | Navitas Vehicle Systems

Navitas Vehicle Systems - YouTube

How To Add Torque to Golf Cart | Navitas 440a / 600a Controller | Club Car DS & Precedent Golf Cart - YouTube

Maybe get it to do wheelies
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Old 09-28-2020, 02:00 PM
Amocat00 Amocat00 is offline
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The RoyPow is a good system.
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Old 09-30-2020, 01:35 PM
dahrens1 dahrens1 is offline
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Default E-Z Go Express S4 Elite

When I get to TV in a couple of weeks and start my GC shopping one of the models I want to take a look at is the E-Z Go Express S4 Elite which comes with Samsung SDI Lithium Batteries with an 8 year warranty. It also has 56 volt AC motor and 235 amp AC speed controller. But I would also be interested in what it would take to convert a good used electric cart to Lithium batteries and a modern speed controller so OP please keep us informed of your progress as you go.
Thanks also to the other people that posted their thoughts and experiences on this topic.
Dave
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Old 10-15-2020, 01:49 PM
lennyclark lennyclark is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ctmurray View Post
Battery Brothers, does such conversions; taking a used cart and modifying for Li ion batteries. 5 yrs ago when I first came they had one for sale. They are located just outside the villages proper.
I talked to them last year and they seemed motivated and interested in converting my old golf cart to lithium ..plus when I talked to them the guy I talked to seemed articulate and excited about lithium
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Old 10-15-2020, 03:24 PM
charmed59 charmed59 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lennyclark View Post
I talked to them last year and they seemed motivated and interested in converting my old golf cart to lithium ..plus when I talked to them the guy I talked to seemed articulate and excited about lithium
They are very excited about selling the batteries, but they are having trouble actually getting them to work out. They are having trouble coming up with chargers that don’t overcharge the batteries and shut them down, and gauges that show how much charge is left.

We had them change our electric EZGo to lithium about a year ago. They are still picking it up every few months to try and fix those two problems.
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Old 10-15-2020, 03:31 PM
charmed59 charmed59 is offline
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We also had a Columbia par car upgrades to Lithium by Lexus, the Columbia dealer. The gauge does work, the battery does charge correctly, but the distance is much shorter than they promised. It looks like we can get about 25 miles on a charge, they promised 40.

The Trojan battery on the EZGo does seem to get at least 50 miles on a charge. They claim 70, but who is spending that kind of time in a cart. With lithium you should be able to plug them in even on a partial charge and it doesn’t hurt them, so we just plug them in whenever we are home.
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Old 10-15-2020, 03:57 PM
Regor Regor is offline
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Can't help on the conversion stuff, but for what it's worth, bought a 2021 EzGo Elite about 3 weeks ago. Happy as can be. Over 60 miles per charge. 8 year replacement warranty on the battery packs. It goes 22mph (uphill and downhill). Starting from a dead stop at the bottom of the bridge over 441, it hits 17 mph by the top. Compared to the piece of junk Quietech from Yamaha that I had, it's amazing and quiet!
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Old 10-15-2020, 06:32 PM
Silliness Silliness is offline
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I did a little research on this topic and some people said that the lighter weight of equivalent lithium batteries did make for a much rougher ride.
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Old 10-18-2020, 09:48 PM
Footer Footer is offline
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The Roypow 105AH battery conversion is $2400 at STM Golf Carts in Ocala. They are a great family owned business. They have conversion kits for EZGO and Yamaha. You will get about 60 miles range. Weight savings is ~300 pounds. They have done many conversions, but most with the 56AH battery because most of their customers live in smaller retirement communities and 30 mile range is fine. Call Sam at STM if you have questions.

I was going to do this but ended up buying an Evolution Classic 4 Plus with 130 AH battery good for 75 mile range. Haven't taken delivery.

People on the Buggies Gone Wild forum have done the Roypow conversion and been very happy but STM has a lot more references.

I don't think the dropping in 4 replacement lithium batteries works as well. And it's more expensive.
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Old 10-20-2020, 05:35 AM
MorTech MorTech is offline
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I would stay away from the 4ea 12V lithium drop in batteries.
The Evolution lithium carts are relatively inexpensive and ride nice with good stereo.
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Old 10-20-2020, 11:47 AM
Silliness Silliness is offline
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Will Prowse on his Youtube channel is testing Tesla Model 3 battery packs. Looks pretty good.
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Old 11-24-2020, 12:05 PM
Aviator1211 Aviator1211 is offline
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I am extremely satisfied with the ReLIon Lithium batteries I just bought for my cart. Easy to install, excellent performance, Zero maintenance for the life of the batteries (estimated 24,000 miles ... probably longer than the life of the cart), up to 50 mile range without any degradation with age, range is can be increased at any time by adding another battery, 400 pounds less weight on the cart, reduced weight and higher peak current provides fantastic acceleration (I now zip across busy intersections), Bluetooth charge indicator so I can track my batteries on my cell phone, small lightweight charger, far superior to gas (no oil changes, no trips to gas station or storing fuel in my garage, no stink, no air pollution, much less noise pollution, much smoother operation, regenerative braking, less weight). Why would anyone want to drive 1950s lawn mower technology when they can have 2020 Tesla technology?
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