How to Choose The Best 12V Golf Cart Batteries？

Golf carts have long been out of the reach of golfers. Now, you can see golf carts passing by in parks, zoos, and waterfronts. They are very quiet and have no roar, and that is because they use golf cart batteries. Golf cart batteries come in all sizes and types and are the fuel that powers electric golf carts.

What types of golf cart batteries are available?

There are 4 types of golf cart batteries on the market.

• Liquid-rich lead-acid batteries (or "wet cell" batteries) are batteries that you fill with water
• AGM lead-acid batteries
• Colloidal lead-acid batteries
• Lithium-ion golf cart batteries

Liquid-rich lead-acid batteries

Most golf carts on the road today are equipped with traditional liquid-rich lead-acid batteries, but this is rapidly changing as all major manufacturers such as Aolthium are increasingly offering lithium batteries in new carts. However, traditional deep cycle lead-acid batteries are still suitable for most golf cart applications you can imagine (including off-road, etc.) and are still offered as standard equipment by all major golf cart manufacturers.

AGM and Gel Lead-Acid Batteries

Few carts use AGM or gel batteries, but because they are also lead-acid batteries, they work very similarly to liquid-rich lead-acid batteries. They tend to cost more without providing any additional power output or charging time benefits.

Lithium-ion Golf Cart Batteries

The most explosive growth in golf cart batteries over the past few years has been in lithium golf cart batteries. As it turns out, almost all of the carts offered by EZ-GO and Club Car today are equipped with lithium-ion batteries. Lithium is quickly proving itself to be the best power solution for golf carts; we expect all future carts to be powered by lithium batteries.

Golf cart lithium batteries are different from lithium batteries used in cell phones and other small devices. The deep-cycle lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) batteries used in golf carts are among the most stable and safest lithium-ion batteries, optimized to deliver a consistent current.

Lithium-ion batteries still cost slightly more than lead-acid batteries, but they offer some key advantages.

Advantages of lithium golf cart batteries

• 3 to 5 times the life of lead-acid batteries (up to 5,000 charge cycles vs. 1,000 for lead-acid batteries)
• No maintenance (no watering or cleaning)
• Lithium-ion batteries do not lose energy due to voltage drop (lead-acid batteries "fatigue" with use)
• Lithium-ion batteries can be charged significantly faster than lead-acid (lithium batteries can be charged to 80% in as little as 1 hour; fully charged in 2-3 hours)
• 12v100ah lithium-ion batteries (25 lbs. on average) are 1/4 the weight of lead-acid batteries (100 lbs. on average)
• 95% less hazardous waste than lead-acid batteries

If you are interested in purchasing lithium-ion batteries for your golf cart, we can purchase plug-and-play lithium batteries for golf carts from Aolithium.

Can you use 12v battery in a golf cart?

You better choose 12v lithium ion battery for your golf cart, because most of the current golf carts need 36v, 48v, or 72v battery specifications. 12v lithium iron phosphate batteries can provide you with all these specifications by connecting them in series or parallel.

36V golf cart

A system of 6 6 volt batteries ...... is typically found in Club Car, Ezgo and Yamaha Brands as well as older golf carts (pre-1990's) such as Columbia, Harley Davidson (yes - Harley used to make golf carts as they also made boats under the AMF). For this system, you will need a 6 volt battery charger, which is charged separately by placing the charger connections on the positive and negative terminals of each battery. Or you can use a 12-volt battery charger by connecting the charger to the positive terminal of the first battery and then connecting the negative terminal to the negative terminal of the second battery. This will reduce charging time as you will need to make fewer connections and may reduce charging time depending on the charger output.

48V golf cart

The system consists of four 12-volt batteries. They are typically found in newer golf carts (early 2000s to about 2008), including Club Car (Precedent models 2004-2008.5), Ezgo Rxv models and Yamaha Drive G29 models, as well as several other models and makes of golf carts. For these systems, you simply use a 12-volt battery charger to charge each battery individually by placing the charger connections on the positive and negative terminals of each battery. You can also speed up the process if you happen to find or use a heavy-duty battery charger or an older sckool charger with 12v/24v adjustable output in your car. You can then charge the bank faster (subject to charger output limitations) by placing the charger connection on the positive terminal of the first battery and then connecting the negative terminal to the negative connection of the second battery which constitutes 24 volts. This will reduce charging time as you will need to make fewer connections and depending on the charger output may reduce charging time.

72V golf cart

The system consists of 6 12 volt batteries. For these systems, you simply use a 12-volt battery charger to charge each battery individually by placing the charger connections on the positive and negative terminals of each battery. on the positive and negative terminals of each battery. If you happen to have a heavy-duty battery charger with 12v/24v adjustable output, you can speed up the process again. (This used to be common in cars and dealerships) You can then charge the bank faster (limited by the charger output) by connecting the charger to the positive terminal of the first battery and then connecting the negative terminal to the negative terminal of the second battery to make up the 24 volt battery. This will reduce charging time as you will need to make fewer connections and depending on the charger output may reduce charging time.

How long do 12v golf cart lithium-ion batteries last?

We have had a very detailed article on this subject explaining the life span of lithium-ion batteries. Lithium-ion batteries are typically capable of 3000-5000 cycles. If you take good care of your golf cart's battery, you can expect it to last five to ten years. When you drive a battery powered golf cart, it is important to charge and maintain your cart properly so that your battery lasts as long as possible.