If you are planning to buy an electric golf cart, one of the most important things you should pay attention to is the batteries. When it comes to 12 Volt Golf Cart Batteries, one of the most important things you should consider is whether your cart makes use of lithium or lead-acid batteries.
For many decades, deep-cycle flooded lead-acid batteries have been the most common option when it comes to 12 volt golf cart batteries. However, recently, lithium batteries have become popular as well.
There are several reasons that lithium batteries are gaining in popularity over lead-acid batteries. These include:
Low Maintenance
Unlike deep-cycle flooded lead-acid batteries, lithium 12 volt golf cart batteries require no maintenance whatsoever. This results in you saving hours of time and the cost of maintenance tools. Furthermore, without lead acid, you don’t need to worry about the risk of chemical spills from your batteries.
Eco Friendly
Lithium batteries are far better for the environment as compared to lead-acid batteries. This is because they don’t take as long to charge, which means they use less energy. Furthermore, they do not contain any hazardous materials. Lead-acid batteries, on the other hand, contain lead, which is significantly harmful to the environment.
Battery Life
Lithium batteries can last far longer than lead-acid batteries. On average, lithium batteries provide between 2000 and 5000 cycles of usage. Lead-acid batteries, on the other hand, only last between 500 and 1000 cycles.
While lithium batteries cost more when purchasing them, the longer battery life means that they pay for themselves over their lifetime. Furthermore, the extra savings that result from lower energy usage and maintenance costs means that you save even more money!
Charging Speed
Once your battery is dead, it takes approximately eight hours of lead-acid batteries to be fully recharged. Lithium batteries, on the other hand, can be charged up to 80% within an hour and fully charged in under three hours.
The shorter charging time means that you don’t have to worry about being off the green for as long as you would in a golf cart with lead-acid batteries. Furthermore, partially-charged lead-acid batteries can result in a reduced life span. Other the other hand, lithium batteries don’t have a bad reaction if they are only partially charged, so you don’t need to worry until the batteries are fully charged to use your cart.
However, there is one major drawback of lithium 12-volt golf cart batteries. They are far more expensive than lead-acid batteries are. While lithium batteries can pay for the extra cost over their lifetime, the higher cost means you have to invest more upfront when buying or replacing your batteries.
Final Thoughts
It can be possible to use lithium 12-volt golf cart batteries in a golf cart that has been designed to use lead-acid batteries. However, you will need to take your cart to a professional in order to retro-fit or modify your golf cart.
If you’re looking for electric golf carts that run on lithium batteries, or are looking to modify your cart in order to have it operate on lithium batteries, contact Carts & Parts at (937) 459-8891 today. We’ll help guide you on all the steps necessary to modify your cart and answer any questions that you might have if you’re in the market for a new golf cart!
