What to Know About Voltage and Amperage in Golf Cart Batteries

By
author- Caleb Amundson
-
What to Know About Voltage and Amperage in Golf Cart Batteries

What to Know About Voltage and Amperage in Golf Cart Batteries

If there is one thing that can be overlooked when looking at an electric Golf Cart’s batteries, then it would have to do with determining voltage and amperage in golf cart batteries– essentially the difference between 36 Volt on up to 48 Volt systems. The reason understanding their differences is so important is due to the large expense of replacement batteries. By knowing their differences ahead of time, you will be able to decipher which battery pack is suitable for you when making your golf cart purchase.

 

Voltage in a Golf Cart Battery Pack

First, we are going to take a close look at Voltage in a battery pack and what that determines. For comparison purposes, we like to take a look at the automotive industry since we all our familiar with horsepower and MPG. Therefore, Voltage in a battery pack inside of an electric vehicle has to do with power. It does not have to do with fuel. Therefore, voltage in a battery pack within a golf cart will be comparable to the horsepower in a car. With this knowledge in place, we can determine a 72 volt system can be more powerful than a 48 volt system, and a 48 volt system can be more powerful than a 36 volt system. If you took notice, we said that it “can” be more powerful. The reason for this is due large in part to the controller inside the vehicle. A controller determines how much Amperage is delivered from the batteries to the controller. What does amperage have to do with a battery pack? Let’s discuss.

 

Amperage in a Golf Cart Battery Pack

Volts is great to know, however the true knowledge lies with the total amperage in a battery pack. To get a better idea of what amperage is like in a car, let us discuss the relationship between Horsepower and MPG. Horsepower within a car determines the acceleration and power of your car. If there is no fuel in the car though, then the vehicle is not going to go anywhere. That is the importance of MPG and also how big your gas tank is in your car. It determines how far you can travel before having to fill up the tank. Well, Amperage in a golf cart is like the gas tank in your car. It will determine how far you can travel on a single charge in an electric Golf Car. The more amperage in a battery pack, the further you can drive before having to charge.

 

Click here to learn how to determine the age of golf cart batteries.

 

The Importance of Distinguishing your Battery Pack

Now that we understand the differences between Amperage and Voltage, we can begin to break this down so we can locate the differences between various battery packs. For standard golf carts, we will typically see a Six Eight Volt Battery System. This can be visually determined by locating six batteries with 8 cells per battery. A cell is distinguished by a battery cap that is used for watering the batteries. With batteries used in Golf Carts, each cell will represent 2 Volts. Let’s take a look at the 5 most common battery packs we see in the market:

Battery System Total Volts Total Amps (Approx) Travel Distance
6-6 Volts 36 Volts 1,350 Approx 22 Miles
4-12 Volts 48 Volts 600 Approx 12 Miles
6-8 Volts 48 Volts 1,020 Approx 19 Miles
8-6 Volts 48 Volts 1,800 Approx 35 Miles
6-12 Volts 72 Volts 900 Approx 17 Miles

 

*Battery Amperage calculated using Trojan Batteries at a 20 Amp-Hour Capacity Rate

Now, that we have broken this down, we want to make sure we iterate that top speed, acceleration, and other parameters will alter travel distances. Therefore, we calculated mileage distances off a standard 19.9 MPH calculation and an acceleration rate of 20 MPH within 10-11 seconds.

With our chart, we can see the variety of uses for each battery pack. The best battery pack to use in terms of power and range would be an 8-6 Volt Battery pack. However, if you have determined the Golf Cart will be driven less than 5 miles per day, than you can have your pick of battery packs. Keep in mind though that a standard 18 holes of golf ranges between 5-7 miles per round.

We hope this information helps you become more educated about the differences between all these battery packs and how they affect you. If you have any additional questions, please comment below!

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43 COMMENTS

  1. Hi. This article was extremely helpful. However, since I am a red neck from Idaho, I am always looking for a cheaper way to do things. So here is my question. I picked up an old Club Cart a few weeks back. It has a 6 x 6v system. Of course the batteries are trash. I just happen to have 3 good 12v gel cell 35ah batteries laying around the garage. #1: can I do just a straight up swap, the 3 x 12v for the 6 x 6v? #2: about how many miles can I expect to get out of that pack considering they are only 35ah batteries?
    #3: Is there some kind of formula I can use to figure miles/hours of use from what ever a batteries’ voltage is and it’s amp hours rating?
    #4: I also hear the term amp use rate. Ie. 20amp rate. what does that mean?
    Please, any info/help you can give me on all this will be greatly appreciated.
    Thanks,
    Don

  2. Hi Don!

    Great questions! You can do a straight up swap between the 3 x 12V and 6 x 6V, however, the vehicle will be severely limited on range. Also, you will not be able to use your standard charger that is with the vehicle. There is a formula, however more info is needed such as tire size, controller output, motor size, terrain the vehicle will be driving as well as the top speed/acceleration. In terms of 20 amp rate, that determines the peak output of your charger. Now, when you charge your vehicle, it does not consistently output 20 amps, however over time (8-12 hours) it will lower its amp rate to a trickle charge (1-3 amps) to help top off the charge of the batteries.

    Hope this information is helpful!
    Thanks

  3. Hey, thank you so much for that information. I will be using the cart for running around the yard. So distance is not a real issue. Out of curiosity, why will the charger that came with my cart not work to charge the 3 x 12v pack?
    Thanks,
    Don

  4. Hi! Can I use a standard side post battery disconnect like the Wirthco 20307 on my golf cart to disconnect the batteries when in storage, or do I need a heavier duty disconnect?

  5. Don,

    The charger that came with your vehicle is designed to charge deep cycle batteries where as 12V batteries are typically starter batteries designed for a car looped in with an alternator.

  6. Pete,

    This Wirthco 20307 is designed for 12V systems and does not indicate that it will work for 36V or 48V systems. Therefore, we would not advise it. Definitely worth asking the question though.

    Thanks

  7. I love this website and information. I have a few things to add though. In any battery application, when you series batteries (positive of 1 to the negative of the next) you double your voltage, but your capacity remains the same. Three opposite applies to parallel connections (positive to positive, negative to negative), this doubles capacity while voltage remains the same. Therefore, off you have a Club Car with 6-8V 150AH batteries, hooked in series to 48 Volts, your Amp Hour rate remains 150Ah @ 20hr rate. Just wanted to touch on your Voltage vs. Amperage chart. Thank you for all of this great information. Regards, Battery Warehouse of Georgia.

  9. My husband bought me an old Ezgo cart. He has since passed away. I love this old thing, I want to know if i can simply get 6 new batteries and charger,, even if smaller – because i am just strolling around my yard,not caring about speed as long as the charge will last couple hours of stopping and going I am good with that. UPG UB12350 (Group U1) Battery – Universal Battery – 12V 35Ah – 2 Pack times 3, need 6 total. Will it work and go??

  10. Linda,

    The battery you are looking at is designed as a battery for a small wheelchair. Not for sustaining a golf cart for driving. Our highest recommendation would be to contact your local dealer via our dealer locator listing found here:

    Golf Cart Dealer Locator

    Speak with your local golf cart expert and get their assistance with finding the right batteries for your unit. We appreciate you being a reader of Golf Cart Resource.

    Thanks

  11. MRS. LINDA,

    I UNDERSTAND THE SITUATION YOU ARE IN. THE UPG 12V 35AH BATTERIES ARE AGM WHEEL CHAIR BATTERIES. FOR YOUR 36 GOLF CART YOU WOULD NEED 3 OF THESE BATTERIES (12V EACH CONNECTED IN SERIES GIVES 24 VOLTS.) HOWEVER, EVEN THOUGH THESE ARE DEEP CYCLE BATTERIES, THERE WILL BE A FEW ISSUES TO CONSIDER.

    #1 – AGM BATTERIES REQUIRE AN “AGM” COMPATIBLE CHARGER. FOR 35AH BATTERIES ONLY A 5 AMP CHARGER IS NECESSARY, BUT PERSONALLY I WOULD GET AN 8 AMP BECAUSE YOU ARE GOING TO NEED THE EXTRA JUICE!

    #2 – 36V GOLF CART BATTERY PACKS, FOR REFERENCE, START AT 200AH OR SO. A PACK OF 200AH BATTERIES IN A GOLF CART GIVES ABOUT 1.5 ROUNDS OF GOLF, TO PUT IT INTO PERSPECTIVE. WITH THE AMP DRAW FROM A GOLF CART, ON A 35AH BATTERY, YOU WILL PROBABLY ONLY GET TO PLAY 3-4 HOLES!

    #3 – DISCHARGING THESE BATTERIES SO FAST TO SUCH A LOW DEPTH OF DISCHARGE IS GOING TO SHORT THEM OUT RELATIVELY FAST. THEY ARE NOT DESIGNED FOR THE HIGHER AMP DRAIN THAT THE GOLF CART WILL REQUIRE.

    ALL IN ALL, IT IS POSSIBLE TO RUN THE BATTERIES YOU DESCRIBED ABOVE, HOWEVER, IT IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED THAT THEY ARE NOT USED IN A GOLF CART APPLICATION.

    YOUR BEST BET IS TO FIND A LOCAL BATTERY SPECIALIST/ SUPPLIER AND ASK ABOUT REFURBISHED/ USED GOLF CART BATTERIES. THEY USUALLY RUN ABOUT HALF THE COST OF A NEW SET AND COULD GIVE YOU YEARS OF SERVICE. THE CHARGER THAT CAME WITH THE CART, IF FUNCTIONING PROPERLY, WILL BE ABLE TO BE USED ON THESE BATTERIES, BUT NOT ON THE AGM BATTERIES.

    I HOPE THIS HELPS YOU OUT IN YOUR DECISION MAKING PROCESS.

    THANK YOU AND HAVE A GREAT DAY.

  12. I have an ezgo cart that needs new batteries. 4-12 volt batteries. Will the 35ah deep cycle batteries work and if so, approximately how far can i go on a single charge? And will my charger work with said batteries? Thanks for any help!

  13. Tod,

    The battery you are looking at is designed as a battery for a small wheelchair. Not for sustaining a golf cart for driving. Our highest recommendation would be to contact your local dealer via our dealer locator listing found here:

    Golf Cart Dealer Locator

    Speak with your local golf cart expert and get their assistance with finding the right batteries for your unit. We appreciate you being a reader of Golf Cart Resource.

  14. #1 – AGM BATTERIES REQUIRE AN “AGM” COMPATIBLE CHARGER. FOR 35AH BATTERIES ONLY A 5 AMP CHARGER IS NECESSARY, BUT PERSONALLY I WOULD GET AN 8 AMP BECAUSE YOU ARE GOING TO NEED THE EXTRA JUICE!
    #2 – 36V GOLF CART BATTERY PACKS, FOR REFERENCE, START AT 200AH OR SO. A PACK OF 200AH BATTERIES IN A GOLF CART GIVES ABOUT 1.5 ROUNDS OF GOLF, TO PUT IT INTO PERSPECTIVE. WITH THE AMP DRAW FROM A GOLF CART, ON A 35AH BATTERY, YOU WILL PROBABLY ONLY GET TO PLAY 3-4 HOLES!
    #3 – DISCHARGING THESE BATTERIES SO FAST TO SUCH A LOW DEPTH OF DISCHARGE IS GOING TO SHORT THEM OUT RELATIVELY FAST. THEY ARE NOT DESIGNED FOR THE HIGHER AMP DRAIN THAT THE GOLF CART WILL REQUIRE.
    ALL IN ALL, IT IS POSSIBLE TO RUN THE BATTERIES YOU DESCRIBED ABOVE, HOWEVER, IT IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED THAT THEY ARE NOT USED IN A GOLF CART APPLICATION.
    YOUR BEST BET IS TO FIND A LOCAL BATTERY SPECIALIST/ SUPPLIER AND ASK ABOUT REFURBISHED/ USED GOLF CART BATTERIES. THEY USUALLY RUN ABOUT HALF THE COST OF A NEW SET AND COULD GIVE YOU YEARS OF SERVICE. THE CHARGER THAT CAME WITH THE CART, IF FUNCTIONING PROPERLY, WILL BE ABLE TO BE USED ON THESE BATTERIES, BUT NOT ON THE AGM BATTERIES.
    I HOPE THIS HELPS YOU OUT IN YOUR DECISION MAKING PROCESS.
    THANK YOU AND HAVE A GREAT DAY.

  17. How you get 600-1220 amps (per your chart) out of a golf cart battery pack? Let’s look at the math. Eight 6v T-105’s (225ah each) gives you 48v, 225ah. at C/20, you can draw 11.25 amps for 20 hours, but since these batteries should only be discharged to 50%, you are looking at 11.25a for 10 hours.

  18. Great info! Question: I just moved to gated community (with no golf course) with long hilly roads. The most a cart would be driven in a day is about 10 miles (or more when the kids/grands come over,) but on average only 3 mile a day. Ish.

    I’ve never owned or really operated a golf cart.

    What type of battery configuration would you recommend?
    And what does one do if the batteries run dead away from home or a place to recharge?

  19. We have Club Car with 6 6volt batteries. It has been lifted and has over-sized tires. I am told that we need to get a heavy duty something or other because of the extra draw on the batteries and the heat that is generated, killing the batteries. What is the something or other that needs to be replaced?

  20. Hey Tom,

    Great questions. In your case, you could really go either way with the battery configuration – Six 6v (36v configuration), Six 8v (48v Configuration), or Four 12v (48v Configuration). In my opinion, a Six 8v configuration is the best out of the 3 – you’ll get more juice and will also last longer (compared to a Four 12v setup). If you are wanting strictly distance – than a 36v (six 6v setup) is what you’ll want, however, it will be much slower. Hope this helps!

  22. There is some great information on here concerning batteries and replacements. I was wondering if anyone has an easy way to explain to my wonderful wife the difference between the amp hour ratings? i am replacing the batteries in my 2007 EZGO TXT PDS 36V and i am trying to explain the difference between the Trojan T105s and the Duracell GC2 (which she saw at a store for $90 ea). We use the golf cart on weekends around a camp ground so the power/distance is not much of an issue. She is a stickler on price and is wondering why we should spend a couple hundred more for batteries. If anyone has a simple solution to explain to her, i would love to hear it. i went over amp draw, speed, time in-between charges, but she still insists on the cheapest batteries. Let me know your thoughts.

  23. Folk I came open y’all discussion and found my self wondering.
    Can I just do away with batteries all together and use some type of continuous 36v/48v power supply powered by a very small 1000watt 110volt gas generator.

  24. I think the original post was wrong in calculating the Amps of the battery pack. For example if you use 4x12V battery, 150 Amps each to give you 48V battery system, you have to wire it in series . When you wire battery in series, you do not increase the capacity of the battery, which is Amps, so you still have 150 Ahm capacity only (not 4 x 150 Amps = 600 Ahm) because you already have 12V x 4 = 48V.
    If you want to have 4 x 150 Amps = 600 Ahm. You have to wire 4 battery parallel . But when you wire parallel, your voltage will be the same , which is 12 V
    My company produce and sell lithium ion battery for goft cart at very low price
    Visit http://www.lionbatt.com

  25. The original post is a little off in regards to the amps. I have 4 12v batteries (M24-700ST). They are 650cca, but CCA is not the same as Amp Hours (AH). It is closer to 52AH total, because of the batteries in series. Most chargers you really don’t want running more than 10 hours, they can get hot. Because of normal battery discharge within charging, consider a 20% loss in charging. So whereas a 5amp charger will work, a 6amp charger would be ideal. Also, for you Math nuts VxA=power. Watts is power. 12v at 52AH = 624watts. If my controller is a 500 watt controller, I have about 1.25hrs of continuous run time. Since you dont entirely deplete the batteries and use about half, my run time is closer to 40 minutes. Which is true, because i have miscalculated before and had to push my 500lb cart nearly 3/4 of a mile back home. Not fun.
    Tyler from Black River Falls, WI

  26. No one seems to know the answer to my question. I have new 6 volt deep cycle batteries on my cart. It used to beep when the battery is needed to be charged. Don’t know if that still works. I have a voltmeter on the cart. At how many volts do I need to return to a charger?

  27. I have a few questions.
    1. How much energy does a typical golf round (18 holes) require from a golf cart? Terrain makes big difference but lets say typical. I find this nowhere on internet.
    2. Could 3 x 12V (108Ah) Lithium Ion batteries for 36V cart be sufficient because you can typically go to 80% DOD where TrojanT105’s (6V 225Ah) must not go lower than 50%DOD. Trojans Approx 50% of 8.1kWh = 4kWh where lithium 3 x 1.3kWh x 80% = 3.1kWh.
    3. Does anybody do the above for golf?
    4. I have a 36V ezgo cart and I dont think it can handle 48V as a straight swop, maybe the motor can handle 48V but not the rest of the controlling and electronics?

  28. TO HENNIE,

    I am NOT an expert . I do own a 48v Golf Cart . It uses 6 8volt batteries . I will try to answer some of your questions. 1. typical round of golf is about 7 miles. 2. Lithium batteries will easily last several rounds of golf. 3. I do not own Lithium , very expensive. 4. NO, NO, NO you cannot try to run 48v on a 36v ezgo cart. The best thing would be to replace the batteries with as many as possible that ADD UP to 36v . The more batteries the more “gas” you got in the tank, so to speak. Ex: 3 12v batteries is a total of 36 volts BUT won’t get you as far as say 6 6v batteries. Just make sure all those batteries will FIT , if you decide to buy more than what you already have in the cart . Hope this helps.

  29. HENNIE, like I said , I am not an expert……….a typical golf course is about 4 miles long NOT 7 miles.

  30. It would help clear up some confusion if the industry could standardize on listing energy capacity as Kilowatt-hours like the electric car business is doing.

  31. I have an older { early 90’s ]. It has 6 6 volt batteries. My Question is can I use car batteries instead of the more expensive golf cart batteries. If so what amp hours do I need? I use this cart for driving around the area. No golf coarse.

  32. Question: I have a 48v club car that currently has 6 8V, 190AH (@20 hours) batteries needing replacement. I will replace with 6 8V batteries but I’m needing to know what the results will be on performance if I replace with 165AH instead of the 190AH (@20 hours)?

  33. I just bought 6 Trojan 6 volt batteries for my 36 volt golf cart. My question is, the next time around I need batteries can I buy 6-12 volt batteries, all being deep cycle batteries, and wire them up as 2 banks of 3 in series (36v) with the 2 banks parallel? Will that give me more power or torque? I don’t really care about distance just need more torque.

  34. Question why cant you use the 36v charger with 3-12v deep cycle marine/rv batteries. As long as you monitor the charging status it should be ok? Is that a correct statement?
    Thanks you in advance!!
    Battery Troubles

  35. I just purchased a club car and its was supposed to be a 48volt 13 ~ 15 amp. I plugged the 3 prong charger in after driving for about an hour, and the charger wouldn’t kick on? So I purchased a digital display 48volt 15amp charger, and when I plugged it up, it read that the car had 53.3volts? Can you help, and is there a way to find the exact model?

  36. The chart contained in this article is totally wrong. The writer doesn’t understand the relationship between Series and Parallel and how the voltage and amperage adds up in a battery pack. The article should be pulled. It’s telling people, for example, 6 x 6volt Trojan T-105 batteries – each rated at 225 AmpHours – will provide 1350 AmpHours at 36volts. WRONG. You can wire as many 225 AmpHour batteries together as you want, in parallel, and the AmpHours available stays at 225 AmpHours. Period. The voltage increases in parallel wiring, not the AmpHours. Since you never want to pull these batteries down more than 50% -,for the health and longevity of the pack – you really only have about 112 AmpHours to use.

  37. Mistake on my comment: When you wire in Parallel the AH increases and the Voltage stays the same. When you wire in Series the Voltage increases and the AH stays the same. Sorry, it’s confusing – but important.

  39. Can someone please help me? I have a 2010 48v 6 seater star ev in storage, someone as stolen my motor, what can I do for a replacement I cannot seem to find and aside from the fact that I don’t know what I had to replace with, any advice please and thanks!

  40. Here are two really good questions:
    1. If the calculations in the original article were wrong, why have they been allowed to stand uncorrected for three years?
    2. Why is this article lacking a time stamp?

  42. I have “inherited” a lib Car Gold Cart, when I loft the seat I see 4 24 volt batteries I assume in two 48 volt series. Does that make sense? Anyway, I have charged up the batteries using a 24 volt trickle charger but the cart still wont run. Any ideas what I should check first? I also put a rebuild kit into the charger that came with it, but it wont work either, so either the chargers main stepdown transformer is shot (unlikely) or there is something wrong with the charging circuit on the Club Car.

    Thanks for any help

  43. In my previous post I see I was all thumbs, literally since this is an iPad. A Club Car Golf cart is what I meant…

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