Lithium Conversion - A Novice View

GEM Forum
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With the help and guidance of others (@Inwo, @LithiumGods, @Reddevil) here in the forum, I’ve just completed a conversion to Lithium using a 25cell pack (aka green cells).

I’ve got a 2006 e4 with a stock DeltaQ charger that cannot be reprogrammed. So far so good and I’ve tested the recharge capabilities with success.

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I bought the 25cell configuration in a 1x5 and 2 1x10 configurations. Looking back, I should have opted and/or asked for 5 of the 1x5 packs as they fit in the existing battery trays of the 2006 underneath the seat and require no modification. As a result, I had to split the 1x10 into 1x5 packs and reband the batteries, and add 2 additional battery plates. In all, not a huge deal, but took some time to cut, separate, and reband the cells together. The good news is this was my only lessons learned. The rest of the process was seamless and straight forward.

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The forum here is loaded with information and folks were helpful and answered questions. While I was a bit nervous going down this path and doing the DIY approach, I’m glad I did. I saved about 1k over what two of the local golf cart and Polaris dealerships quoted me for Trojan AGM replacements, including their labor.

In all, it was about 2 hours of work to replace. It was not complicated and was pretty straight forward. I ended up following a wiring guide posted by @LithiumGods that closely mirrored my setup.

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As I wired in each set of cells, I tested the voltage to ensure that with each extension, the total voltage in the packs increased accordingly (which they did). In the end, when I flipped the master power back on I was greeted with a nice green light.

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So far, I’ve run about 6-7 miles today and the difference in performance is noticed instantly. There is no lag, the car accelerates instantly, and the pace and acceleration, even with 3 adults and taking an uphill climb, was noticeable and impressive. This is a huge improvement over the gel lead acids I just replaced.

In all, I would highly recommend anyone looking at replacing batteries to go this route and if I can be of any assistance on what I did ahead of time or with the conversion, let me know. It really was a kit that @Inwo sold and it all worked flawlessly. I would do this again without hesitation.

2 Likes
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looks great . Thanks for sharing your install , it helps others when they are considering the same thing . Did you keep your Gel settings on your DeltaQ ? what was your max charge voltage ?

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Also , the first thing i now do on a conversion is remove that black cross bat under the seat . Originally i just cut out the horizontal piece and kept the vertical section . On my current Gem i removed the whole thing . No problems and it makes the install and future maintenance much easier . Then i put a piece of heavy duty velcro between the seat bottom and the flat white plastic lip . Super easy to remove the rear seat .

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I thought the volt gauge in the dash stopped working after a lithium conversion? I did a reset a few times but it always goes down and never up.

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Gauge will go up if interlock is connected and charger is connected to the same terminals as original charger.

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the gauge should work fine after lithium conversion

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Can you hood the green wire from the DQ to the green wire of the GEM harness after a a LiPo firmware upgrade? I have always left the green wire from the DQ disconnected and the Green from the GEM to 72+.

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Yes, green wire works the same.

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@Inwo
Well all be dammed - learn some thing new everyday - even on vacation.

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Well. Yet another thing for me to go out and fiddle with. thanks. :100:

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New member here, would like some more info to make a conversion.

I am in Southeast Florida, thank you in advance.

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There is a wealth of information on the message boards you can read through. Here’s a good place to start -

If you give us more info, we can probably give you some better direction e.g. what car do you have? What are your driving goals - speed, distance, hill climbing, range? If you want all, could get expensive and require changes to gears and motors. Budget?

Folks on here have come up with some pretty straightforward, drop in options (again, not knowing the specifics of your car). For example - New 22s 82v 90ah+ Gem battery Available now - #4 by Inwo

That kit, you’d just have to connect b+ and B- and you’re running. Depending on your car, could need charger programming and a magic magnet to remove the speed limit. 2016+ are a little trickier to get over 25mph.

Lithium is a game changer with these cars and really unlocks their potential. When I bought my 2016 (upgrading from a 2000 with lithium and an AC setup… which I wouldn’t recommend doing in a pre-2005 car $$$), I had zero interest in driving it until I got a chance to install lithium and mod it to go faster than 25 mph.

I don’t know anyone on here that’s successfully installed lithium and regretted it.

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Wow, that is fast and informative.

I believe what I have in garage, inherited from previous owner, is 2005 E4 Gem. Will confirm that once I get back to house. This will be used in a neighborhood setting, SE Florida and max speed is 25-30 mph and no hills. So range and max speed not important, just want low maintenance and longevity for the cost to upgrade,

Thank you again for the quick replies and welcome to the forum.

Andy

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In that case, motor and gears should be fine. One of those drop in kits with a BMS would make sure you stay within within the voltage limits (upper and lower) and the battery should last you a LONG time.

Now the question is if your charger is programmable or will work with the lithium setup you choose.

I personally would remove the speed limiter. Doesn’t mean you have to be going WOT all the time but nice to know you can if you need to. Would need some help on this one… don’t the 2005s have the T3 controller which can be easily bypassed in terms of speed?

@Inwo @LithiumGods what options do you have for batteries these days?

@Inwo @LithiumGods @AssyRequired thoughts on the T3 controller and removing the speed limit? I’ve never messed with a T3 before. I guess we’d have to confirm that’s what’s actually in there.

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T3 cant be bypassed with a programmer. Install a magic magnet.

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Perfect… throw one of those on and you’re off to the races. Thanks @JarJarJava