In this week's blog we're giving you three signs your personal transportation vehicle battery may need to be replaced. If you've used lead-acid batteries in the past some of what we're about to cover may sound familiar. Unfortunately, lead-acid golf cart batteries don't have an indicator light that lets you know exactly when they're about to fail. Here are three warning signs it may be time to replace your golf cart batteries with a RELiON InSight 48V system. These require no special tools or knowledge to complete, but could save you a long push (or walk) home.
1. Reduced Power / Longevity
Just as you were about to rub in the birdie (and skin you just collected) on the 14th hole your foursome drives off, leaving you in the dust to play catchup or your cart freezes altogether. If you notice a reduction in power climbing hills or reaching top speed your golf cart batteries may be nearing the end of their useful life. Your fully charged lead-acid batteries should be able to get you through two to three rounds of golf.
InSight 48-volt batteries will give you enough power for four to six rounds of golf. Depending on how aggressively you drive and how hilly the course is you can expect to see 20-35 miles per charge. Additionally, two InSight lithium golf cart batteries are drop-in replacements coming in at about one fifth of the weight of their lead-acid predecessors. Even if you aren't mechanically inclined, they're a plug and play replacement you can easily install one evening after the course is closed. If installation is outside of your comfort zone, we can recommend a local dealer within our nationwide network to install for you.
2. Visual Signs
If you get home after that round of trailing your foursome because your cart just can't keep up be sure to inspect your batteries. A couple signs to look for are bulging or cracked cases, excessive leaking, discoloration, broken or loose terminals. Any of these conditions are signs it's probably time to replace your golf cart batteries. Reliability notwithstanding, replacing damaged lead-acid batteries immediately is important for user safety from fire and or chemical burns.
One of the leading causes of early lead-acid battery death is poor maintenance. RELiON 48V InSight batteries require very little maintenance. No scrubbing corroded terminals, checking electrolyte levels, or adding distilled water. Not only is there less time spent maintaining InSight batteries they require less time to charge. A properly functioning lead acid battery could take 12-16 hours to fully charge. Comparatively, two InSight batteries take 5-7 hours to charge. Which brings us to our final point on when to replace your lead-acid batteries.
3. Extended Charging Time
Another sign your golf cart batteries are nearing the end of their life is extended charging periods. The chemical reaction within all batteries is finite, regardless of chemistry all batteries have a limited lifespan. As the electrical potential of cells declines internal resistance increases causing your battery to charge at a slower rate. If you begin to consistently notice longer charging times your batteries may be in their final days. Couple longer charge time with a reduction in travel distance or power and it's definitely time to replace your batteries.
Even the best lead-acid deep cycle battery operated and maintained to the highest standards will have a maximum life of about 1,000 cycles at 50% depth of discharge. In comparison RELiON InSight batteries have a minimum cycle life of 3,500 cycles at 80% depth of discharge. Although the upfront cost for lithium deep cycle batteries appears higher in comparison the real cost per cycle at 80% depth of discharge is about 70 cents per cycle for lead acid and only 40 cents per cycle for lithium batteries.
Longevity, a seven-year warranty, and reduced maintenance coupled with technical support based in the USA make RELiON InSight batteries the best choice for replacing your lead-acid golf cart batteries.
To learn more about how to calculate your energy needs and find the optimal battery for your application and usage, visit our Lithium Battery Selector Tool.
Check out our built-from-the-ground-up InSight series, and contact us with any questions about performance, finding the right model to fit your needs or engineering custom solutions.