Battery woes

Post anything about batteries here. Lead acid, rechargeable, whatever.
salan3
Posts: 13
Joined: Tue Feb 24, 2015 4:17 am
Location: Cheshire UK

Battery woes

Post by salan3 » Tue Mar 03, 2015 10:38 am

All,
New here but I have been following Troy for a little while.
I am disabled and need to use a mobility scooter.
It uses lead acid batteries. The capacity of the batteries is 12AH (2x12V12AH=24V).
The batteries just don't last. The scooter is supposed to have around a ten mile range (remember I basically cannot walk more then a few yards).
The cold weather 'kills' the capacity. The batteries are charged (intelligent charger), then used and is always low by the end of use(will not move the scooter). As far as I can see, lead acid batteries are just not really up to the job. The weight of the batteries alone is a major drain on themselves. They are very poor performers in the cold (I have found a good 50% loss in near zero temps). They usually last about one year and that is in 'best case scenario'.
There are lithium Ion (http://www.batteryspace.com/Powerizer-L ... g-PCM.aspx" ), but the cost is way too high.
So any suggestions?/comments? To someone like myself who is disabled, your 'Quality of life' depends upon simple things like a lead acid battery. An area we need a lot more development.
Alan
Last edited by salan3 on Sun Mar 08, 2015 7:20 am, edited 2 times in total.

salan3
Posts: 13
Joined: Tue Feb 24, 2015 4:17 am
Location: Cheshire UK

Re: Battry woes

Post by salan3 » Sun Mar 08, 2015 7:03 am

Thanks for that. My replacement batteries have arrived yesterday. Need to try them out now. I keep the battery pack in the house until needed. I HOPE that I have been unlucky with battereris but I suspect that even so, they just don't really last long enough. I am exploring about some Li batteries I have been told are drop in replacements! But I still do not have a price.
Alan

salan3
Posts: 13
Joined: Tue Feb 24, 2015 4:17 am
Location: Cheshire UK

Re: Battery woes

Post by salan3 » Mon Apr 27, 2015 8:27 am

Well it's 27April and the new batteries have died. I can get less then 3 miles out of them. It's very depressing to be severely restricted by a couple of SLA's.
This is the second set of replacement batteries and they have lasted no longer. The chargers have been checked (2A output), so not sure what to do next. Right the scooter off (18months old) and fork out another £700?
Pay £25 per 1/4 hour for them to 'have a look' Everything seems fine and with new batteries I get around 7~8 miles. But after just one month it's down to max of three!!!
I can get to the local bus stop and then once in town, go the length of the high street (1/2~3/4 mile) and back. Then on the bus home with the battery meter going in the red and the power light flashing.
Feeling very low.
Alan

salan3
Posts: 13
Joined: Tue Feb 24, 2015 4:17 am
Location: Cheshire UK

Re: Battery woes

Post by salan3 » Tue Apr 28, 2015 3:47 pm

I am 17st. the scooter is one for up to 21st.
Yes I have a clamp on amp meter. There is one 'hill' in town. steep but only about 20yds long.

salan3
Posts: 13
Joined: Tue Feb 24, 2015 4:17 am
Location: Cheshire UK

Re: Battery woes

Post by salan3 » Fri May 01, 2015 8:11 am

Ok Checked the charge current. 2.1A
The batteries are Lucas lsla12-12.
They say for float and cyclic use. The Charger seems to be fine. the batteries have declined yet further and now If I get 2 miles, I am doing well. If you turn off and leave for a few mins then the voltage comes back up and for a very short time they work fine.
The scooter seems to work fine but the batteries just don't last. To me they give the performance of a worn out set of batteries, yet they are one month old and have been replaced under warranty once already!
Any ideas?
Alan

salan3
Posts: 13
Joined: Tue Feb 24, 2015 4:17 am
Location: Cheshire UK

Re: Battery woes

Post by salan3 » Tue May 05, 2015 4:05 am

Needing some help here guys.
My health issues mean that I am in a semi perm state of exhaustion(literally ready to drop!). So things that before I would just be able to sort out, are now a major problem.So we were away for the weekend. My scooter just was a joke (had to have my wife and another lady push my back to the car! and that was after less then a mile with batteries that had been fully charged).
The scooter said the batteries were flat. They wouldn't even move the scooter except at a total crawl for a few inches then stop.
I did not recharge the batteries. when we got back home I checked the voltage. 25.8Volts of load. I put a load on them for a sec (draw of about 15A). Then checked the voltage (24.5volt). I am puzzled. for batteries that are supposed to be 'dead', they seem fairly powerful!

I seem to remember (this is where I need help. As I say it's like trying to think calculus with a VERY bad hangover!! A flat battery (12v lead acid) is around 11.5~12V and full around 14v. The pack is two 12v batteries, so flat (remember this is a motor as a load) I should expect to see about 22~24V.
so are the batteries flat?
I have the feeling that they are just not able to provide the current needed at a constant rate. That sounds like they are not the correct style of batteries. Yet they are spec'd for scooter use. When I got the new batteries, they worked fine for a few weeks.
Thoughts?
Alan

JimW
Posts: 36
Joined: Tue Feb 10, 2015 2:41 pm
Location: Oklahoma

Re: Battery woes

Post by JimW » Tue May 05, 2015 8:03 am

Salan3 - I'm definitely not knowledgeable in batteries or scooters, however to me it sounds like there may be something wrong with the scooter itself, if well charged batteries will not move it. It may be something as simple as an scr or other control breaking down. Perhaps you can find someone that can give the scooter a thorough check up. Or perhaps someone here can give you some hints for things to check or have checked. Otherwise I just can't see the recommended batteries acting that way. Good luck, I sure hope you get it working!

salan3
Posts: 13
Joined: Tue Feb 24, 2015 4:17 am
Location: Cheshire UK

Re: Battery woes

Post by salan3 » Wed May 06, 2015 5:30 am

Charged the batteries over night and the 'resting voltage' is 27volts (2x 13.5). Wonder if that is a little low?
Alan

salan3
Posts: 13
Joined: Tue Feb 24, 2015 4:17 am
Location: Cheshire UK

Re: Battery woes

Post by salan3 » Tue May 12, 2015 8:17 am

So,
We went to a mobility show and looked at scooters.
The result was that We are buying a new scooter. NOT to replace the 'boot scooter' 9the one with the battery problems). This will replace my very old (bought second hand) shopmobility scooter.
The new scooter is an 8mph type. Which means that it will only take me about 40 mins to get to town. It also has a max range of 35 miles. so the ten miles for the return trip to town, plus some around town should be comfortably within it's capability.
The battery problem was discussed and the conclusion was that the MAKE of batteries I have although they say they will do scooters, will NOT!
The batteries are LUCAS and they are known for not lasting in scooters. Interestingly the original batteries were a make called Enduring (Zongshan Enduring power Co ltd). They had a max charging current of 3A. The Lucas have a max charging or 2A. Same capacity.
So I am getting them replaced with another make under warranty. I am also buying the extra capacity batteries from the manufacturer. This is the scooter I use to go on the bus (max size allowed) and when we go anywhere.
So from the point of view of this forum, A lesson learnt about makes of batteries and how they are NOT all equal!
alan

techman
Site Admin
Posts: 1329
Joined: Thu Dec 22, 2011 11:49 am

Re: Battery woes

Post by techman » Wed May 13, 2015 3:31 pm

Very good point. Not all batteries are equal by any means. Thanks for sharing. Hope things work out well for you. 35 miles is not bad at all really.

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