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During the summer I bought a used Toro Workman MDE electric utility vehicle. Overall it has proved remarkably useful around the field, but a week or two back it cut out at the top of the hill while my wife was using it. It was a cold evening and I thought that might have affected the performance of the battery, which had seemed better than feared/expected during the summer, when it was warmer. I was able to restart it after it had sat for a bit and get it moving down the hill - it regenned down the hill, and was then able to power itself a further ~50 metres or so to get close to the field gate before cutting out again. We then towed it round, back to the driveway with the (diesel) Panda. The following morning a friend helped me to push it into the garage, where the charger lives. Unfortunately it doesn't seem to want to recharge. I expect the (old, lead acid) batteries are in poor condition and so I'm looking at options to replace them with a Lithium Ion battery of some sort. I've also had some occasional issues with the controller, usually when the battery was fully charged, giving a "MOSFET short circuit" error. This usually resolved itself on later attempts, usually after running the lights for a while (a few hours).
Anyway, I'm thinking of replacing the lead acid batteries with some form of Li-Ion battery.
Does anyone (@Grumpy-b ?) have any words of wisdom/warnings/suggestions?
The controller on the Workman MDE is apparently a 500A Sevcon, but a report from an Australian with the same system, upgraded to Li-Ion suggests about 300A is actually closer to the likely peak draw: Toro Workman MDE conversion - Endless Sphere
I'm wondering about buying a pre-assembled battery or whether I should try and build one from individual prismatic cells.
e.g. https://www.dhgate.com/product/gtk-waterproof-lithium-48v-150ah-li-ion-battery/512103013.html
or US $1031.1 30% OFF|GRADE A NEW 16PCS 3.2V 105Ah lifepo4 battery CELL 12V 24V 36V 48V 105Ah 100AH for EV RV battery pack diy solar EU US TAX FREE|Rechargeable Batteries| - AliExpress
Anyone have a good source of ex-Leaf cells, and suggestions for suitable BMS/charger?
All practical advice would be greatly appreciated.
Anyway, I'm thinking of replacing the lead acid batteries with some form of Li-Ion battery.
Does anyone (@Grumpy-b ?) have any words of wisdom/warnings/suggestions?
The controller on the Workman MDE is apparently a 500A Sevcon, but a report from an Australian with the same system, upgraded to Li-Ion suggests about 300A is actually closer to the likely peak draw: Toro Workman MDE conversion - Endless Sphere
I'm wondering about buying a pre-assembled battery or whether I should try and build one from individual prismatic cells.
e.g. https://www.dhgate.com/product/gtk-waterproof-lithium-48v-150ah-li-ion-battery/512103013.html
or US $1031.1 30% OFF|GRADE A NEW 16PCS 3.2V 105Ah lifepo4 battery CELL 12V 24V 36V 48V 105Ah 100AH for EV RV battery pack diy solar EU US TAX FREE|Rechargeable Batteries| - AliExpress
Anyone have a good source of ex-Leaf cells, and suggestions for suitable BMS/charger?
All practical advice would be greatly appreciated.