Solar Panel Roofs on Golf Carts
 

Does anyone have information and /or experience concerning the effectiveness of a solar roof? Are they worth the price? Do they increase a golf carts ability to travel farther distances?

Do you know where I might get expert information from someone other than a manufacturer who is selling solar roofs?

I have a solar panel on my golf cart. You don't get a great increase in range with a solar panel. I think that my batteries will last a little longer having the solar panel. They are 3 years old and when the cart is standing still on my speedometer it shows 51.2 volts. I think you may see some increase in range. As to whether its worth it my solar panel cost $1700. With the colder weather lately my batteries are losing a charge faster than when the weather is warmer. I try to conserve the batteries by driving slower to "distant" courses which helps.

I can't give you a definitive answer regarding solar panels. I got mine from Solar for Golf Carts at 352-209-2049.

John

At $1700 that does not sound like a good deal. I could replace all of my batteries at least twice at that price. That would give me an 8-12 year life on my batteries assuming 4 years per battery exchange.

Solar
 

When we get to Lithium Batteries for the carts the Solar will work so well charging at home each night might be a weekly not a nightly event.

Star Cars has a experimental unit right now that is working with Lithium batteries.

Other cart companies are slow to give up on Lead Acid technology because it still works well.

A battery is most efficient at 80 degrees.

Well if range was my primary concern, I’d have my cart retrofitted with 8 six volt batteries instead of the standard 8 eight volt arrangement. I believe Sta-Rite Golf and Accessories, who advertise here, offers this conversion.

Check out this web site. http://solarenergygolfcarts.com/index.html I have talked to them and they seem to have a good product. I will be moving to TV in Jan and plan to put one on our electric cart. They are very diviserfied in their applications. I would not hesitate to give them a call and get the details.
B&BTexas

So if a solar panel doesn't increase your range, do you have to plug in at night? Or do you have plenty of spare capacity at the end of each day the solar takes care of all your cart's energy requirement?

Thanks for the link. The FAQ claims it can increase range 30% for a charge cycle. Of course, battery life saver was going to rejuvenate my three old batteries also :a20:

Kidding aside, I look forward to learning more about it....

I plug my cart in whenever its parked in the garage. Why not!

John

Solar panel on golf cart
 

Greetings,
A newbie, wannabe here!
Although I don't have an exact experience with solar panels on carts,
I do have a solar system that I personally installed and maintain on my home here in Alabama about 4 years ago. They all work about the same.

I have been thinking about creating an electric vehicle/cart partially powered with solar. Basically, as long as it's in the direct sunlight it will produce power to charge the batteries but you can't get enough of them on the top to run it full time so as it's charging while riding down the road it will extend the charge of the batteries and to that extent will extend the range.

Jrheydt: $1700. sounds like a lot to me. You should compare them by price per watt and prices have been dropping lately as companies are going out of business or reducing production. On the 120 watt, 12 volt versions I use the price I have paid per watt is $4.50. You will need 48 volt versions that probably will run more (I have not priced them lately). Another important aspect is the panel needs a controller to limit the batteries from being overcharged and protect them although that might not be as important in the golf cart situation. Battery maintenance is very important for optimal performance. Hope this helps.

Solar Panel Gives Small Trickle Charge
 

The solar panel for Club Cars from the site mentioned puts out about 3 amps at 15 volts. That means at 48 volts it is giving about 1 amp. When you first plug in your charger, it charges at 30 amps! That is big bucks for a small benefit.

I made a couple of quick checks and a 230 watt, 48 volt panel will put out about 5 amps and the new cost is about $2.00 per watt or about $500. each panel. Wow. Prices have really dropped more than I expected. I have seen even lower prices for offbrands. It wasn't too long ago that people were easily paying $7.50 per watt.

Do you know how close golf cart mfg are to using lithium batteries

I just did a Google search on lithium battery golf cart and came up with some interesting sites. One is already selling conversion kits but they are not cheap. I think the price of the batteries will have to come way down before it becomes feasible.

VG

Close
 

I believe within a year we will see them come down in price. Already are for cars. I have seen test cars running on stackable lithium computer batteries.

Lock in and out very clean installation!