Although batteries have been around since before the turn of the century, they continue to improve to meet the changing demands for capacity and life. For the golf car industry, batteries now come in a variety of designs that have significant advancements to deliver longer cycle life, provide more capacity, and cycle up to full-rated capacity faster than previous designs.
Currently, there are three primary battery designs available to golf car owners and fleets which can make it challenging to decide which provides the best performance based on usage, cost, and other individual factors. The most widely used are flooded lead-acid (FLA) and absorbed glass mat (AGM), both of which are lead acid chemistry. The newest design, lithium-ion batteries like U.S. Battery’s ESSENTIAL Li™ golf car batteries, have also entered the market. All three have certain advantages and disadvantages that can help you determine what works best for your particular application.
Lithium Ion
Lithium-ion batteries are the newest in the golf car battery market. This chemistry offers zero maintenance, reduced weight, faster charging, and higher average cycle life compared to other chemistries. Cycle life claims are wide-ranging, anywhere from 2,000 to 5,000 cycles but this is often based on individual cell testing and can be very misleading. Other factors like battery pack size, charging, and specific cathode chemistry can also significantly affect cycle life. The bottom line is that you can expect roughly four to five times the cycle life of lithium-ion chemistry compared with lead-acid batteries (AGM or FLA).
Take U.S. Battery’s new ESSENTIAL Li™ battery line for example. It comes in a 48-volt GC2 model designed for golf car applications and features a built-in battery management system (BMS) that monitors and optimizes battery performance, offering worry-free operation. These batteries come at a higher initial cost than lead acid batteries, but over their service life, they can provide a lower total cost of ownership.
Flooded Lead Acid (FLA)
Flooded lead-acid (FLA) batteries are the industry standard and are still widely used because they are safe, cost-efficient, reliable, and offer a wide range of capacities. Given the fact that they are nearly 100 percent recyclable, it makes them a good choice for those who are also environmentally conscious. Updates to the modern FLA battery include improved initial capacity, faster cycle-up to peak capacity, and enhanced cycle-life from the advancements of using tetrabasic lead sulfate crystals that are formed in a more uniform pattern for positive electrodes.
Although advances have made FLA batteries more cost-efficient and longer lasting, they do require regular maintenance in the form of periodic water replacement and cleaning. It’s important to make sure batteries are kept fully charged to prevent sulfation and to avoid freezing in cold weather.
Absorbed Glass Mat (AGM) Lead Acid
Absorbed Glass Matt (AGM) batteries are very similar to flooded lead acid batteries with the key difference being the sealed construction of AGMs. The electrolyte is contained in absorbed glass mats that surround the battery’s electrodes, very similar to a sponge. The batteries are sealed and thus require no maintenance. These batteries have also continued to advance in design through improved positive electrode corrosion resistance and the addition of carbon-enhanced negative active materials to improve charge acceptance. AGM batteries have a higher cost compared with FLA batteries but they are an excellent option for applications with difficult-to-access battery compartments or in applications where corrosion is a concern. The same advantages of FLA batteries have such as recyclability, safety, and robustness, make them a great choice for those looking for maintenance-free batteries without the high cost of lithium-ion.
Knowing the benefits of each design can help you make a more informed decision on the next set of batteries for your golf car based on your usage, capacity needs, and overall cost. For more information on U.S. Battery’s new ESSENTIAL Li™ Lithium Ion, FLA, or AGM batteries, visit www.usbattery.com.
