25
Battery Charging
BATTERIES: ELECTRIC VEHICLES
for state of charge. Any battery with a specific gravity lower than 1.250 will need a catch-up charge. If the problem
continues after a catch-up charge has been performed, check the battery charger.
Charger. .
DEEP-DISCHARGE
Never discharge batteries to the point the vehicle will no longer operate. This will considerably shorten the cycle life
of the batteries, and may permanently damage the batteries. It is possible the batteries will not accept a charge if
they are completely discharged. The deeper the discharge, the harder it is on the batteries. For this reason, it is
recommended that Club Car electric vehicle batteries be charged after each use (provided the charge cycle will not be
interrupted and the charger will be allowed to shut off automatically). Placing the batteries on charge after each use
reduces the depth of discharge and prolongs battery life.
EARLY EXCESSIVE DISCHARGING
When vehicle batteries are new, they do not reach their full capacity until they have been used and recharged 20 to 50
times. If they are excessively discharged early in their life, their effective service life will be shortened. It is advisable to
limit the use of any vehicle with new batteries for at least the first four weeks and then gradually increase their range.
INCOMING AC SERVICE
Make sure the incoming AC line service is sufficient. If circuit breakers are tripping, fuses blow during the night or the
charger does not give the required starting rate when sound batteries are put on charge, an AC line problem exists.
The electrical service to the vehicle storage facility should be sufficient to deliver adequate voltage and current to each
charger with all the chargers turned on. If not, consult your local power company or electrical contractor.
See See
Section 26 – Battery Charger. .
FLEET ROTATION
Rotate vehicle usage. It is very hard on batteries if the last vehicles in at night are the first ones out in the morning.
Spread the workload evenly, giving all vehicles the same amount of use. This will keep your fleet in balance and will
not overwork certain sets of batteries.
See following NOTE.
NOTE:
When vehicles are being rotated, the Club Car CDM (Communication Display Module) can be a very helpful
service tool. Monitoring the value of function 3 with the CDM simplifies vehicle usage scheduling.
Communication Display Module (CDM), Section 22, Page 22-36.
NUMBERING VEHICLES AND CHARGERS
Return the vehicles to the same charger each night if possible. If the vehicles are put in a storage facility at random
and a vehicle dies while in use and testing shows the batteries are sound, then the problem is most likely with the
charger. However, finding the problem charger may prove to be quite time consuming. Numbering the vehicles and
the chargers and returning each vehicle to its designated charger each night can significantly reduce the amount
of time spent troubleshooting a problem.
Page 25-6
2007-2009 Turf 252, Carryall 252 and XRT 900 Maintenance and Service Manual
