Search
Close this search box.

How to Make Your Golf Cart Batteries Last Longer?

Table of Contents

Golf Cart Batteries: LONGEST DRIVE POWER. FROM TEE TO GREEN

It’s time to tee off. Knowing that your fleet of golf carts won’t swing your course maintenance team a bad hook, slice, pull or shank! Here’s the low down on all things you may need to know, to keep all your golfers’ movements around the course powered up and free from unplanned stops (barring bunker stops because getting out of sand traps is not in your control as the course manager).

There’s no halfway house stop in our trusted range of golf cart batteries for sale. From golf trolley batteries to the best in golf cart batteries prices, the Battery  team of charged up specialists will get you in and out of this maintenance pit stop in record time, and with all the power-up equipment you need from big brand golf cart battery suppliers.

Golf carts are not just for golfers

Electric golf carts are rugged run arounds not only for golfers but also for the likes of security guards and home owners within residential housing estates in South Africa, as well as for facilities and security management teams in office parks, and don’t forget about hotel and leisure or health spa environments. These zero emissions and maintenance friendly vehicles are hefty road runners in so many places and spaces!

We offer a wide variety of golf cart batteries in different sizes, models and brands fit for your specific needs.

How long do golf cart batteries last?

An electric golf cart can typically travel between 40 to 64 kilometres on one battery charge, although this depends on the model and configuration of the battery and the cart’s voltage. It is important to consider that the range to be gained per battery charge depends on whether a 2-seater or 4-seater is being powered, and how much luggage or weight is being carried. One calculation is that a round of golf requires around 40 minutes of run time and if
discharged at 56 amps, an average of two rounds is possible per charge.

So what’s the key to maintaining golf cart batteries?

Golf carts are powered by deep cycle lead acid batteries. It is important to know that the operating range depends on the age of the golf cart batteries and how they have been maintained through their operating life.

Battery brands – that we choose not to sell – need maintenance from you, e.g. they need you to check cables, terminals and posts for any corrosion. Not so with Crown Batteries that you can buy from Battery Pit Stop. This leading battery brand – manufactured in the USA – gives you maintenance free energy
storage. Crown products are purpose built batteries that require no watering or gassing.

The majority of golf carts driven today use a 6-volt golf cart battery, which is why most online searches for golf cart batteries tend to take you straight to 6v options. Of course, as any golf cart owner familiar with using a 6-volt battery knows, there are reasons why people want to find another option. Not only do 6-volt golf cart batteries tend to run out of juice pretty quickly, but they can also be lackluster when it comes to power and other performance needs.

To help make navigating the world of batteries a little easier, we’ve compiled a quick guide for anyone looking to make their batteries last longer — or who just want another option to the standard 6-volt golf cart battery.

The Best Golf Cart Battery Options

Choices:

Typically, the type of battery you need for your golf cart depends on the type of cart you drive. The reason so many people use 6-volt batteries in their carts is that most standard carts call for a 6-volt golf cart battery. If your cart doesn’t use a 6-volt golf cart battery, then the other two standard options are an 8-volt or a 12-volt golf cart battery. While you can make certain modifications to your cart to accommodate a different type of battery, most owners will stick with the model recommendations to eliminate the extra cost and potential issues down the road.

In addition to 6, 8, and 12-volt golf cart batteries, there are also deep cycle batteries, which are used in electric golf carts and offer different types of charges to make sure you have sustainable power you can count on.

There are plenty of choices when it comes to finding the best golf cart battery for your needs. Knowing which battery is right for you depends a lot on your current cart, your budget, and what you actually use (or want to use) your golf cart for. There are also, of course, some less-than-optimal options for your golf cart battery. In a pinch, you might be tempted to use a marine battery, but while it will likely work for a short period of time, it will shorten the amount of time you can go without a charge and potentially hurt other components in your cart in the long run. No matter how many times your neighbor tells you to use a regular car battery in your golf cart, don’t — out of all of the golf cart battery options out there, a car battery is one of the worst, especially when it comes to longevity.

Pros and Cons

  1. Lithium Golf Cart Batteries. Lithium golf cart batteries are known for their longevity, which is one of the reasons they’re becoming more popular in general. Lithium golf cart batteries can last through 5,000 charging cycles. That’s more than twenty times the longevity of a standard 6-volt golf cart battery or 12-volt golf cart battery. Caring for a lithium golf cart battery, however, can be more difficult than it seems, and a failure to properly maintain them can nullify all of the advantages they offer.
  2. 36 Volt Batteries. One of the more affordable battery options for your golf cart, 36v batteries are ideal for carts used in standard settings — like cruising around on the golf course or driving slowly on smooth sidewalks. 36-volt batteries are not, however, ideal for offroading, although you can modify them so that they work with carts designed to go faster.
  3. 48 Volt Batteries. Most golf cart owners who choose to use a 48-volt battery do so for off-road purposes. Basic battery options like 6-volt golf cart batteries or 12-volt golf cart batteries can contest the efficiency and capability of a 48-volt. They are, however, more expensive to purchase. But, by upgrading your cart to a 48-volt system, you also increase the value of your golf cart if and when you ever decide to sell it.

What types of golf cart batteries are out there?

There are a four types of golf cart batteries available on the market:

    • Flooded Lead Acid (or ‘wet cell’ batteries) are the batteries that you fill with water
    • AGM Lead Acid Batteries
    • Gel Lead Acid Batteries
    • Lithium-Ion Golf Cart Batteries

Flooded Lead-Acid Batteries

Most golf carts on the road today have traditional Flooded Lead-Acid batteries, but that is rapidly changing as Lithium Batteries are increasingly offered on new carts by all major manufacturers. But traditional deep-cycle lead acid batteries still work well for most all golf cart applications you can imagine (including off-roading, and more), and are still offered as standard equipment by all the major golf cart makers.

AGM & Gel Lead-Acid Batteries

Very few carts use AGM or Gel batteries, but because they are lead-acid batteries as well, they work very similarly to Flooded Lead Acid batteries. They just tend to cost more without providing any additional power output or charge-time benefits.

Lithium Golf Cart Batteries

The most explosive growth in the golf cart battery world these past few years has been Lithium Golf Cart Batteries. This is evidenced by the fact that almost all carts offered by EZ-GO and Club Car these days are offered with Lithium-ion Batteries. This was not the case when we first wrote this guide a number of years ago, but lithium has quickly proven itself to be the best power solution for golf carts; and we anticipate all carts will use lithium battery power in the future.

Golf Cart Lithium Batteries are different than those lithium batteries found in cell phones and other small devices. The type of deep-cycle Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFeO4) batteries used in golf carts are one of the most stable and safe forms of Lithium-Ion batteries, and are optimized to provide a steady current.

Lithium-ion batteries still cost slightly more than Lead-Acid batteries do up front, but they provide some major benefits:

Benefits of Lithium Golf Cart Batteries

    1. Last 3x – 5x as long as lead acid batteries (up to 5,000 charge cycles vs 1,000 with lead-acid)
    2. Require no maintenance (no watering or cleaning)
    3. Lithium-Ion batteries do not lose power as their voltage dips (lead acid batteries get ‘tired’ as they are used)
    4. Recharge speeds of are significantly faster than lead acid (80% charge can be achieved for lithium in as little as 1-hour; full charge in 2-3 hours)
    5. Lithium-ion batteries (72lbs avg.) weigh 1/4 the weight up Lead Acid batteries (325lbs avg.)
    6. 95% Less Harmful Waste than lead-acid batteries

Can I just use regular car batteries to replace my golf cart batteries?

You absolutely cannot use car batteries in your golf cart. Regular car batteries are not used to power the entire car (the combustion motor does that job). A car’s accessories (lights, radio, etc.) are then powered by its alternator once the car is running, which converts the combustion motor’s mechanical energy into electrical energy. Car batteries are mainly used to simply get the car started and to power accessories from time to time (when the car is not running).

Because car batteries are designed to run at a much lower discharge rate than deep cycle batteries, you cannot use them as the primary power source for your golf cart.

Are my golf cart batteries 6-volt, 8-volt or 12-volts?

The quickest way to determine what type of batteries your cart has (and what voltage) is:

  1. Lift up your golf cart’s front seat and locate your golf cart batteries
  2. Inspect your batteries for the number of acid holes they have on each battery head cover. Each battery typically has 3, 4 or 6 holes on top
  3. Take the number of acid holes on one of your batteries and multiply that number by 2 to determine what the voltage of one of your golf cart batteries is

When replacing batteries in your golf cart, be sure to us the proper 6-volt, 8-volt or 12-volt golf cart batteries after inspecting your setup.

Do I have a 36v, 48v or 72v golf cart?

Example: 36-Volt Golf Cart (w/ 6, 6V Batteries system):

3 acid holes x 2 volts per hole = 6-volts
6 volts x 6 total cart batteries = 36-volt cart

Example: 48-Volt Golf Cart (w/ 6, 8V Batteries system):

4 acid holes x 2 volts per hole = 8-volts
8 volts x 6 total cart batteries = 48-volt cart

Example: 72-Volt Golf Cart (w/ 6, 12V Batteries system):

6 acid holes x 2 volts per hole = 12-volts
12 volts x 6 total cart batteries = 72-volt cart

To learn more about your cart’s voltage or the different batteries and charger types, follow this link to QUICKLY determine your golf cart battery voltage.

How do Golf Cart Batteries Work?

Regular Golf cart batteries (lead-acid) work in a series, meaning the electrical flow works its way from the first battery in your setup through to the last and then distributes power to the rest of your cart.

  • As mentioned in sections above, multiples of 6-Volt, 8-Volt, or 12-Volt are available

Lower-voltage batteries (6V) typically have a higher amp-hour capacity than a higher-voltage (8V, 12V) alternative. For example, see the 48-Volt golf cart example below:

  • 8 x 6-Volt batteries = 48-Volts with more capacity and longer run-time, but less acceleration
  • 6 x 8-volt batteries = 48-Volts with less capacity, less run time, but more acceleration

The reason that an 8-batteries 48V system will have a longer run time than a 6-batteries 48V system (even at the same overall voltage) is because using more batteries with lower-voltage overall will lead to less discharge across the series of batteries during use. While using less batteries with higher voltage will provide more power and discharge quicker.

How can I make my golf cart batteries last longer?

Checkout our guide on How to Get The Most out of Your Golf Cart Batteries.

You will also want to make sure you are buying “fresh” golf cart batteries.

Just like with fruit, when it comes to golf cart batteries: ‘The Fresher They Are, The Better’. Batteries work the best when they are fresh! All battery manufacturers (Brava Battery included) stamp the production date somewhere on their new batteries (this date code is federally required). It is wise to stick to buying batteries that are no older than 6 months old.

When it comes to reading date codes on Trojan Batteries, it is simple:

There is a 3-digit date code printed on each battery. If the code reads: D19, for example, the letter represents the month the battery was manufactured. The two numbers indicate the year the battery was manufactured. So according to the chart of month codes below, D19 would indicate that the battery was manufactured in April of 2019.

Are there any Red Flag issues with golf cart batteries?

Keep your eyes peeled for battery corrosion. Golf cart batteries are filled with an acid-and-water solution. The acid inside your batteries can cause a white crusty film to form on the top of your batteries, and at your battery contacts. This corrosion should be cleaned off thoroughly or it may cause your batteries to short, leaving your golf cart without power.


Golf Cart Batteries Related Products:

 EV12-155(12V155Ah) GOLF CART BATTERY
 EV6-220(6V220Ah) Electric Vehicle GEL Battery
 EV8-170(8V170Ah) Golf trolleys GEL Battery

Related Products Application:

 

Golf Cart Batteries Related Posts:

8 Things You Need to know for Golf Cart Batteries
How to Maintenance Your Golf Cart Battery?
How to Make Your Golf Cart Batteries Last Longer?
Golf Cart Batteries: Best Batteries for Your Golf Cart

Tags.

Brava Battery specialized in VRLA batteries for Solar storage, Golf cart, Caravan etc.

Our excellent sales and technical team help your business find the best ROI rate.

FREE SAMPLE

Welcome importers, wholesalers and distributors require free sample

Contact Form Demo (#3)

GET IN TOUCH WITH BRAVA

Contact Form Demo (#3)