It is not at all a time-taking or a very tough job to change a homemade electric car battery cables. However, those not familiar with battery-operated vehicle, a glance inside the battery storage box is enough to make them perplexed seeing an assortment of wires scattered haphazardly inside the compartment.
There is no specific pattern in which cables are connected to the several terminals. However, you need not get alarmed seeing so many wires. With a systematic procedure, you can change the electric vehicle (EV) cables without any difficulty.
EV cable connections to the terminals can be either serial or parallel systems. It is the way in which the cables are connected to the terminals that decides whether the system is series or parallel. Some uncommon design of EV battery pack will have both serial and parallel systems, known as series/parallel connections.
If sufficient time is devoted and all other conditions are fulfilled, it is necessary to change all the power cables inside the battery compartment at some point. The running efficiency of the DIY electric car will drastically come down, if the power supply from the batteries to the vehicle drops down considerably. This happens when the cables are either damaged, worn out or the insulation is snapped.
This will have an adverse effect on the speed of the electric car even on a flat ground and when climbing a hilly terrain, it further slows down to a drag. Under such circumstances, there is no other alternative, except to change the wires. If a systematic maintenance schedule is followed to check the wiring and insulation, there will not be any scope for emergency situations.
It is a simple job to change all the cables of EV battery provided the instructions detailed in the owner’s manual are meticulously followed. There are also two important points that one should bear in mind while changing the worn out cables of the battery.
Firstly, one should replace old cables only with well-matched new cables. For example, if old six-inch, four gauge wires are being replaced, the new wires that one buys for replacement should correspond to the same measurements of six-inch, four-gauge.
Secondly, you should not take out all the cables at a time to avoid errors in case you forget the procedure of connecting the new cables to the terminals while replacing the old wires. It is, therefore, advisable to disconnect one cable at a time from the terminal and substitute it with a new wire and then only one should proceed to replace the other cables one by one.
This eliminates erroneous connections and the work can also be completed quickly. In case of any doubts or confusion, it is better to consult the owner’s manual or if necessary, visit the concerned website and look for online instructions on the correct procedure for connecting wires to the terminals by means of illustrations.
It is essential to ensure that there are no errors in the connection as this can damage the batteries or cause explosion. After it is ensured that all the wires have been correctly connected, the cover of the battery compartment can be closed and the electric motor started.
It is also necessary to ensure that the lights and turn signals are functioning properly before the electric car and is taken out for a test drive. An excellent way to increase the working life of the power cells in the batteries and enhance the functioning of the EV is to replace old and damaged battery cables with a new set of cables at the right time.