I have driven cart type vehicles since 1972, and only now, with these lithiums (specify manganese or more modern) do I feel almost free. Long distance, high voltage sustain, and zero maintenance = spoiled. It is difficult to fathom the problems and cost of older batteries (even lithium phos), once you sail down the road with such a setup. Please, everyone here, do not worry that this is a CityEl. The exact same rules apply to your GEMs.
Is lithium manganese batteries you are describing a pretty simple install? Or would someone with no experience with these have a little trouble? I can follow directions but would be a little nervous.
We just purchased a 2007 GEM E4 and it has completely dead batteries so until we get something installed we canāt drive it at all. Weāre located in Northern California near Sacramento and I havenāt found anyone who works on these yet either
Most of the batteries are found on ebay, and are usually from one of two sources. Either the chevy Volt or the BMW I3. Both of those types are the Lithium Manganese. I would check here, on the GEM forum first, as several forum members say that they sell them. You only need to know series vs parallel connections to figure out how many modules that you need for a given goal of a certain voltage and amperage. If you stay with the original voltage, you will need whatever surplus cells to add up to 48v. Check with a supplier here, or on ebay, to make sure you get the 48v or a little past it. THEN, some professional chargers can be reprogrammed for lithium. Most of the time, you need to get a special charger. My charger was specifically aligned for the L Manganese and my final voltage - all for $100 bucks. When going for the install, in your case, you may wish to have a jack of all trades or mechanic do it. Most guys who service any of the electric local golf course carts would feel comfortable installing your conversionā¦though you might have to get all the parts for them, again from ebay or someone here.
I like your setup, you can get a steal on these batteries now on Ebay, less than $170 US (domestic delivery) for 18.5v @ 60ah. I think this is the best deal going right now for a quality Lithium Manganese. I am going to order some of these, what type of BMS do you use for these? Thanks!