Section 13 - Batteries; General Information - Club Car Precedent 2004 Maintenance And Service

SECTION 13 – BATTERIES
∆
DANGER
• See General Warnings, Section 1, Page 1-1.
∆
WARNING
• See General Warnings, Section 1, Page 1-1.
• Battery – Explosive gases! Do not smoke. Keep sparks and flames away from the vehicle and
service area. Ventilate when charging or operating vehicle in an enclosed area. Wear a full face
shield and rubber gloves when working on or near batteries.
• Battery – Poison! Contains acid! Causes severe burns. Avoid contact with skin, eyes, or
clothing. Antidotes:
- External: Flush with water. Call a physician immediately.
- Internal: Drink large quantities of milk or water. Follow with milk of magnesia or vegetable
oil. Call a physician immediately.
- Eyes: Flush with water for 15 minutes. Call a physician immediately.
• Use insulated tools when working near batteries or electrical connections. Use extreme
caution to avoid shorting of components or wiring.

GENERAL INFORMATION

The batteries supplied with an electric Club Car vehicle are different from those supplied with an automobile.
The outward appearance of these two batteries is similar, but the operating characteristics are very different.
The Club Car electric vehicle battery is a deep-cycle battery, and the automotive battery is a "starting, lighting
and ignition" (SLI) battery. They should never be substituted for one another.
An automotive battery has to deliver high-cranking currents of 300-400 amperes at a sufficient voltage for sev-
eral seconds and maintain an accessory load of 10-25 amperes in stop-and-go driving. The energy removed
from an automotive battery is immediately replaced by the alternator or generator. As a result, the automotive
battery operates at 90 to 100% of full charge at all times.
The batteries supplied with an electric vehicle must supply 100% of the energy required to operate the vehi-
cle. These batteries therefore, receive a deep discharge down to 30% to 40% of their full charge capacity.
Then they must be recharged, hence the name "deep cycle." The average amperage draw is considered to be
56 amps on a 48 volt vehicle, although it varies greatly depending on the vehicle and how it is operated. Deep-
cycle batteries are specifically designed to handle this type of service.
The rechargeable lead-acid battery turns chemical energy into electrical energy and vice versa. The main
active elements within a battery are the positive plates, the negative plates and the electrolyte (sulfuric acid).
Another very important element (but inactive) is the separator. The separator does exactly what its name
implies – it separates the material of the positive and negative plates and prevents them from touching each
other, which would create electrical short circuits. The separator is porous enough to allow charged ions to
pass between the positive and negative plates, but not allow the two materials to contact each other.
Whenever two unlike metals are immersed in an acid solution, an electric current is generated. In a deep-
cycle battery, the negative plates contain lead (Pb) and the positive plates contain lead dioxide (PbO
plates are immersed in a sulfuric acid solution (H SO ) (Figure 13-1, Page 13-2).
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2004 Precedent Electric Golf Car Maintenance and Service Manual
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). These
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