Previous post about batteries got answer saying gel cells can last 4 to 6 years in a GEM. How many miles or discharges does that represent? I got 4000 mile at 12 to 15 miles at a time (40 to 50 % discharge according to instrument panel display), out of Deka EV31 flooded batteries, maybe 350 trips/charges.
Will gel cells do better than this? I think I unknowingly got one bad cell or battery and then the whole bank would not charge and froze in the very cold winter.
Torgan graphs say their gels will give 1000 - 50% discharges/charges. Does anyone believe that? Thanks
Guaranteed better than the flooded. That’s why GEM offers the GEL 8G31 as a better Option versus the Flooded EV31. I personally got 5 yrs and a friend got 6 years. But we are seasonal and only drive like 1500 miles each year. Batteries are judged by Life Cycles, not time. One life cycle = discharge of 20% remaining charged back to 100%. most batteries at that life cycle are said to have about 600 life cycle charges. But that will increase with more care and other recycle charges. Beware that some battery mfg’s rate their life cycles at only 50% charge remaining. This is incorrect but it makes their number higher which looks better. In reality, its probably the same as any other battery. At 50% = the gems are supposed to be like 1000 life cycle charges. If you did that every day it would be like 3 years of use.
My employer has four GEMs which I maintain. Our 2005 was ordered with GEL batteries and still has the originals after five and a half years and 11,000 miles. I do not believe in replacing all the batteries together. I load test each battery and only replace if near failure. No two batteries are exactly the same. I have consistently found that service life varies even within the same set of batteries installed in the same vehicle.
We just had to replace one of the gel cells in our 5 year old Gem. It’s back to it’s old self again and the turtle has turned off. I hope we don’t have to put too many more in soon, because they cost $220 and it’s not too easy to remove the spats and put one in the back.
Revi, after 5 yrs you did good! That’s what I got. But replacing only one at this time, you will see that turtle again soon. It’s always best in a series circuit to replace them all at once, with this amount of mileage and age to the batteries. buy your gel batteries at NEV Service, they are wonderful!
I hope we don’t see that turtle, but I fear we will.
I found a place that sells the batteries, and the local vocational school said that they would work on the car, so I guess whenever a batt dies I’ll stick another one in until they are all done.
C’est la vie for us electric car owners I guess.
Thanks NEV tech, I know we need to replace them, but we don’t have the money to do all 6 right now.