How long do golf cart batteries last?
Most golf carts on the market are changed from oil tankers to electric drives. The environment-friendly lithium batteries will not pollute the environment. But it is inevitable that golf cart batteries have a lifetime. The service life of ordinary lead acid batteries can reach 300-500 times, lithium iron phosphate batteries can reach 4000-6000 times, and lithium titanate batteries can reach about 20000 times. How long can the golf cart battery last?
In this article, we will understand the main factors that affect the battery life of golf carts. This should let you know the battery life. How to prolong the battery life.
What are types of golf cart batteries?
There are Four types of golf cart batteries:
Immersed lead-acid (wet) battery
AGM lead-acid battery
Gel lead-acid battery
Lithium ion golf cart battery
Most golf carts are equipped with floodlight lead-acid batteries, but the modification of lithium ion batteries is simple.
The cost of lithium golf cart batteries is higher than that of lead-acid batteries, but it brings significant benefits.
Longer life than lead-acid battery
No maintenance, no watering or cleaning
Do not lose power when the voltage drops
Charging is much faster.
Less weight
The battery life depends on the charging times and maintenance quality, so the used battery is not worth taking risks.
How long do golf cart batteries last?
Generally speaking, the battery life of a golf cart depends on many factors, including battery type, service environment, charge discharge ratio, etc. Under normal circumstances, lead-acid batteries can be used for 2-3 years, and lithium iron phosphate batteries can be used for 8-10 years. However, if it is left idle for a long time in a high-temperature environment (such as in a hot garage in summer) or for several months, it will indeed shorten the battery life.
Replacing a depleted battery is not only frustrating, but also costly and time-consuming. Therefore, proper maintenance is very important to ensure the continuous use of your golf cart battery.
Let’s look at the worst case. If you buy a cheap battery, often overcharge it, neglect its maintenance, and store it improperly, you will be lucky to use it for 2-3 years.
On the other hand, if you buy a high-quality battery, adhere to good charging habits, frequently clean the battery and control its water level, use it less than five times a week on average, and store it at a cool temperature, then there is no reason why you can’t use it for ten years.
This extra care can save you hundreds of dollars in frequent battery replacement costs.
Why choose lithium golf carts battery better than others?
This is why you should consider upgrading your golf cart battery with high-quality lithium-ion battery.
Lighter weight
Not surprisingly, standard sealed lead acid (SLA) batteries are very heavy. Also, the longer you want your battery to last, the heavier it will be.
These batteries make even the lightest golf cart very heavy. The heavier your golf cart, the slower it moves on the course. What’s worse, if you play on the wet lawn, the car will sink in.
No one wants to be responsible for leaving tyre marks on the fairway.
Lithium golf cart batteries are much lighter. This makes your golf cart easier to handle and helps you reach comfortable speeds faster.
As an added bonus, lighter golf carts require less power to move. Less power means less battery consumption, so you can expect a longer charging cycle each time you use it.
Long-Lasting
Lithium-ion batteries are long lasting in comparison to the other types of golf cart batteries. They come loaded with a battery management system (BMS) that controls charging and discharging, helps protect against overcharging, or complete discharge. Moreover, lithium-ion batteries can be fully drained without shorting it and catching fire.
No maintenance
When you buy a golf cart, you may think that the only maintenance you need to do is the golf cart itself. But if you have SLA batteries, you also need to maintain them.
These batteries need to be topped up with distilled water every few months. If the battery in the battery dries, the battery will stop charging.
Although it only takes a few minutes to recharge the battery, you should stay away from the golf course.
Lithium batteries are almost maintenance free. All you need to do is check the connections and clean them as needed. This means less time to repair and more time to perfect your swing.
Environmentally friendly
Once you are ready to replace the batteries, you can recycle them. But some batteries are more difficult to recycle than others.
Lithium batteries are easier to recycle and have less pressure on the environment. This means they are the most environmentally friendly battery type on the market!
All you need to do is find a licensed battery recycling station.
No risk of acid leakage
The SLA battery is filled with corrosive acid. This is part of keeping the battery charged and generating electricity that your golf cart uses to run.
If the battery leaks or the housing is corroded, you will have to face acid leakage. These spills will cause harm to golf cart components, environment and health. The only way to prevent them is to always keep the batteries properly charged and stored.
For most golf cart owners, this is not an option. After all, you go out with a shopping cart, rather than storing it for several weeks at a time.
High quality lithium batteries do not contain the same acid as standard SLA models. They protect cells and can produce the energy you need. This means that even when checking their wear, you will not be exposed to the chemicals inside.
How to prolong the lifespan of golf Cart batteries?
Correct charging method of lithium battery
Take time to prevent overcharging. Do the right thing at the right time. Although compared with lead-acid batteries, lithium batteries themselves have excellent electrochemical performance. However, anything that deviates from the equilibrium state will have security risks. For the purpose of detailed description.
Charge when needed. Under normal circumstances, when the battery power is too low, there will be a reminder when the golf cart or RV battery has no power. At this time, you need to replenish the battery in time. Although the battery power is too low, it will not lead to direct safety accidents, but excessive use will lead to over time. The battery structure is damaged.
Do not overcharge. The lithium battery unit is also composed of many components. The new battery is very good. If it is used for a long time, the function of which component may decline, so there is a safety risk of overcharging. Generally speaking, many dangerous accidents are caused by over charging. The explosiveness of a ternary battery is far greater than that of a lithium iron phosphate battery. Why is phosphoric acid battery safer than lithium iron phosphate battery? This is closely related to the properties of the material itself, and details can be found in this article.
Use a suitable charger. Do not use an inappropriate charger to charge the battery. For example, some people may ask whether it is possible to use a lead-acid battery charger to charge the lithium ion battery? Of course not. Click here for more details.
Correct discharge method of lithium battery
Charge in time to prevent excessive discharge. Ordinary battery users do not know the danger of over discharge, because there is usually no safety accident report of over discharge. In addition, some people even believe that regular deep discharge is conducive to maintaining battery performance.
In fact, this is not the case, because the memory effect of the lithium battery can be ignored, and there is no deep discharge to eliminate the memory effect. Theoretically, the total cycle life of deeply discharged lithium batteries will be longer, but the risk is that excessive battery discharge will lead to low battery voltage and failure to charge normally.
Correct maintenance of lithium battery
Suitable temperature, cold and heat proof. When the lithium battery is idle, there is usually no safety accident. The purpose of daily maintenance is to put the lithium battery in an appropriate environment, so as to delay the aging of the battery. The water side shall be protected from humidity and the hot side shall be protected from sunlight. Therefore, the environment suitable for daily maintenance of lithium batteries should be four words: ventilated and cool. Whether the lithium battery is idle alone or in the electrical appliance, these four words should be followed.
In the correct use of lithium batteries, the charging method of lithium batteries is the most important, because incorrect charging methods will lead to safety problems, discharge and daily maintenance will only affect the service life of lithium batteries, and lithium batteries themselves are also a consumable. No matter what method we take, we can not avoid their final wear, but we use the correct method to delay their aging.
Read more: Lithium Golf Cart Batteries: The Ultimate Tutorial
Where can you find the best golf cart battery manufacturer?
ELB is a Custom Battery Pack Manufacturer who provides customized lithium batteries for golf carts, RVs, Energy storage system, etc. ELB has a strong technical force, well-trained employees, and professional workshops and production equipment. Products are produced in strict accordance with international standards, our ELB has obtained ISO9001, ISO18001, CE, CB, RoHS, BIS, UL, KC, UN38.3 and other certifications. If you are looking for golf carts batteries, you can consult ELB directly for more details.
