BATTERIES
Battery Care
2008-2011 IQ Plus Electric Vehicle Maintenance and Service Supplement
Page 14-5
14
Add water only after charging unless the electrolyte is below the level of the plates. If the electrolyte level is
below the level of the plates, add just enough water to cover the plates and then charge the batteries. After
charging, fill with water to the level indicator. Filling a battery to the level indicator before charging will result
in overfilling because the electrolyte level will rise during charging and some of the electrolyte may bubble out
of the cap. This reduces the battery’s capacity and corrodes the metal parts around it.
The electrolyte level should be checked weekly to be sure electrolyte is at its proper level
. Never allow the electrolyte level to fall below the tops of the plates because this will cause the
exposed part of the plate to become permanently inactive. For best results, use a battery watering gun to add
water to batteries. Check the electrolyte level more frequently in hot weather or when batteries are old.
WATER QUALITY
To keep batteries in good working condition, the purity of water used is very important. Distilled water is quite
pure and is the most common type of water used in batteries. Other acceptable types are deionized water and
water from reverse osmosis. Ordinary tap water should not be used because it contains an excessive amount
of impurities that will degrade battery performance.
Distilled water is produced by distillation, a process in which water is boiled, the steam is collected and then
condensed back into water. This process creates a finished product free of minerals, having left all the impu-
rities in the original water sample. Club Car, along with our battery manufacturers, highly recommends that
distilled water be used in electric vehicle batteries.
Deionized water is the purest form of water, but it is also the most expensive. Deionization removes all ioniz-
able particles (organic and inorganic) from water through ion exchange. Positively and negatively charged
ions are removed from the water and replaced with H+ and OH- ions. When these two ions are combined,
they form H2O, or purified water.
Reverse osmosis is a method of removing solids from water by forcing it through a membrane. The mem-
brane rejects all solids while allowing purified water to pass through. The choice of membrane determines the
amount of impurities that the water may contain.
Water from municipal supplies, ponds and wells usually contain detrimental levels of dissolved minerals and
chemicals. If using tap water, it is important to use an in-line deionizer to remove impurities that can damage
batteries and significantly reduce battery life. If tap water is used without a deionizer, regular water analyses
must be conducted to check for impurities because water companies commonly revise their additives on a
periodic basis. The following chart lists the maximum allowable minerals, solids, and contaminates in parts
Figure 14-4 Battery Electrolyte Level
ELECTROLYTE
LEVEL AT LEAST
1/2 IN. (13 mm)
ABOVE PLATES
OR TO
LEVEL INDICATOR
PLATES
LEVEL
INDICATOR
BATTERY
CAP
