Types of battery recommended for DIY electric vehicle conversion
If you are planning to build your own pure electric car, at some point in time, you will ask…
What are the best batteries for my DIY conversion project?
Because of the falling prices of high torque electric motor, controller, power inverter etc, more and more people are converting a regular gas guzzler automobile into a pure electric car as a way to:
- Save money
- Become more energy independent
- And break their dependence on the big gas companies
However, using a pure electric vehicle, in most cases, requires you to make a considerable initial investment that you won’t see the return for several years.
One of the biggest expenses associated with a homemade electric car is the batteries in the battery bank.
Therefore, choosing the correct batteries for your electric vehicle is crucial (and keeping the batteries alive as long as possible is also critically important)!
You don’t have to buy new and expensive batteries
Before we tell you what 3 batteries we recommend for your electric car conversion project…
It’s important to first note that you don’t have to buy the 3 batteries we recommend brand new.
Instead, you can use the EZ Battery Reconditioning program to:
- Get old or used batteries for free or dirt cheap
- Recondition them back to “good service” condition
- Then use those reconditioned batteries for your electric car rather than buying new overpriced batteries
Doing this will save you a considerable amount of money when building the battery bank. This approach also enable EV enthusiasts with a small budget to have access to a DIY electric vehicle.
But that still leaves the questions…
What are the best batteries to use in a homemade electric car?
The 3 best batteries for a homemade electric car
The following are 3 types of battery we’ll recommend for you:
1.Electric Golf Cart Batteries
Electric golf cart batteries are the most widely manufactured batteries on this list.
They also work great in a pure electric vehicle. So it’s no surprise that they’re one of the most commonly used batteries in battery banks for DIY electric vehicles.
Even though the five to six year life span of golf cart batteries may seem relatively short, golf cart batteries more than make up for their deficiency in this area by being very durable and cheap.
In addition, golf cart batteries can also be found almost anywhere, making them a great choice for battery banks.
If you really want to build a high quality but inexpensive battery bank, one of the best options is to:
Get old or “dead” batteries from golf courses or golf cart service shops for free …or dirt cheap.
All you have to do is call them and ask if you can have their old batteries probably lying around and cluttering their work space.
Then recondition those batteries to like-new condition. When the batteries are in good working condition, you can then use them for your EV battery bank.
2. Industrial or Forklift batteries
A battery bank that uses one or more industrial batteries follows the opposite philosophy of a golf cart battery bank.
Instead of relying on multiple strings of smaller batteries, you use a few or even one battery to store all of your electric car power requirement.
Because these batteries aren’t usually manufactured to standard dimensions, you will have to have one made that is just right for your needs.
Or you can try to find an old industrial or forklift battery that’s the correct size for your system and use that.
Like golf cart batteries, there are sometimes ways to get free or cheap forklift batteries. All you have to do is search on the internet and make some calls.
Talk to the people at industrial companies and see if they have old or “dead” forklift batteries. Offer to dispose of it for them or pay them a little bit.
If they agree, you can then recondition the battery and use it instead buying a new pricey industrial battery.
3. L16 Batteries
If you want batteries that have a little more capacity than golf cart batteries but don’t want to spend on industrial batteries, L16 batteries are a good middle ground.
These flooded lead-acid batteries were originally designed for supermarket floor scrubbers.
The good thing with these batteries is that they last a bit longer than golf cart batteries – about six to eight years.
However, they are often twice as heavy and the 6-volt models can be twice as expensive.
The Conclusion
Remember, different DIY electric car will have different power requirement and will need battery banks that are sized accordingly.
If you build a battery bank using any of the three batteries mentioned above, you should be able to create a battery bank that is just right for your electric vehicle.
As per our recommendation above, our three favorite batteries for homemade electric car are golf cart batteries, industrial batteries and L16 batteries.
One of the major cost in a homemade electric car conversion project is the battery bank.
Buying new battery can cost you upwards of $3000 – $6500!
Are there any ways to reduce the cost of EV battery bank?
There are but it involves you doing some leg work and time investment.
The idea is to source for used deep cycle battery as shown in the video above and reconditioning them into working condition.
And to revive the dead or weak batteries, you can use the EZ Battery Reconditioning program to learn how to:
- Get old or “dead” golf cart batteries, industrial or L16 batteries
- Recondition them back to 100% of their working condition
- Use those “like-new” batteries instead of buying new overpriced batteries to save a lot of money
The guide will also show you how to recondition many other types of old, dead batteries back to 100% of their working condition again (so they’re just like new), including:
- Car batteries
- Laptop batteries
- Cell Phone batteries
- Marine batteries
- PLUS MANY MORE!
So if you’re ready to learn how to recondition all types of batteries…
…back to 100% of their working condition
…Then click the link below
