Battery Charging; Charger Shuts Off After 16 Hours; Deep-Discharge; Early Excessive Discharging - Club Car DS Villager 4 Maintenance And Service Manual Supplement

14
BATTERIES

Battery Charging

BATTERY CHARGING
See General Warning, Section 10, Page 10-1.
The charger supplied with the Club Car electric vehicle resolves the most common problems associated with
battery charging. Undercharging and overcharging are prevented provided the charger is allowed to shut off
by itself. Also, all cells are automatically given an equalization charge at low current, which prolongs battery
life. Batteries should never be left in a discharged state, as this too affects the internal components and can
reduce the capacity of the battery. The batteries should be charged every day they are used. However, the
batteries should not be charged if they have not been used.

CHARGER SHUTS OFF AFTER 16 HOURS

This may be due to 1) new batteries, 2) hard use, or 3) cold temperatures. A catch-up charge may be neces-
sary when these conditions are present. On those days when all or some of the vehicles do not get used,
check the batteries 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.
See Section 15 – Battery 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 (pro-
vided 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 grad-
ually increase their range.
Page 14-4 2008-2011 IQ System Electric Vehicle Maintenance and Service Supplement