How fast can you charge an electric cart?

[uncle sticky]

Seems like electric golf carts are a lot cheaper and more available than gas ones. 30 mile range seems kind of typical, so I'm guessing about 4 hours on playa. Question is, if I have a generator, can I charge the battery fast enough to extend the range? With all the start and stop, hop and dance, I wonder if I'd get maybe 8 hours or so? Is this a viable solution, or am I thinking about building an ass kicking machine?

[Captain Goddammit]

Of course it depends on how big your charger and generator are, but I think with an onboard generator and strong charger you could run pretty much indefinitely - as you said, there's a lot of start/stop, pause for dancing, looking at stuff etc. so your "duty cycle" isn't continuous.

[uncle sticky]

Thanks Captain! I need a generator most likely for lights (if I run a gas cart, I don't imagine I could go the big alternator route), so at least 1000 watt gennie for that and charging.

[Major Krash]

a rule of thumb for charging is 1/10th the total capacity as a max charging rate....faster and you risk damaging your batteries. So if you have 200 amp-hours of total batteries, you should not exceed 20 amp charging rate...this also implies ~10 hours for a full charge...so if your genny is running all the time, and you do not exceed more than 10% of your drive distance in an hour, you should be good.

btw - 1000 watts = 8-9 amps (you will need all of this, and more, more charging....and then some more yet for lights). Calculate your total power needs before you buy the genny.

[theCryptofishist]

You are so fucking doomed. Based on the Romanoff and the electric carts that ESD used to use, you will spend half your day fussing over the cart, one way or another. And you won't have enough weight allowance to do any serious mutation.

[Captain Goddammit]

Yeah gotta agree with Crypto, I know your question wasn't whether to use an electric cart or not... but if you have the option, I wouldn't use one for exactly the reasons she said.
However, if you do, I'd go 2000 watts on the generator.

[theCryptofishist]

Another possible concideration: I cannot charge and run the systum at the same time. I'm not certain how different the animals are, but you might have to have two banks and switch off between them.

[Sync]

Have to concur with the fuck electric camp. I built three electric based MVs over the years trying to be green and cool. They suck. For a bunch of reasons.
Charge time. 4 hours if you’re lucky and have lots of power. 1000w gen is very inadequate for a golf cart.
Low capacity. You never get the range you hope for. Think 15-20 mi if you’re lucky vs 300 for gas.
Tech issues; like having one battery in a series that doesn’t hold as much charge as the others, and when it depletes it stops the rest of them till it charges. Most people with electric MVs are futzing with them all the time.
Money. By the time you get the generator, chargers, and misc crap all together, probably costs 5x using a cheap gas engine.
To answer a different question, yes, you can rig it to recharge with a portable gen while you ride around. Thing is, you could just use the gas to run the MV, and cut out the electric middle man. You always lose energy in conversion.
That said, I loved building the electrics I used, and do not regret them. Just decided to make it easier out on the playa.

Good luck

[smittydc]

Or use something more sturdy. I built my MV based on an electric Cushman Titan baggage truck. I was cautious at first, but soon realized that if I plugged it in when back at camp, and ran the 2000w genny when parked somewhere for a while (off dancing, etc) - I could pretty much drive it as much as I wanted - with 8-10 people on board. Of course, that's with 8x220ah batteries and a 25amp charger.

It also depends on how much driving you want to do. Do you expect to go out to the fence 4+ times each night or circumnavigate the city? Then you should probably go gas.

[lemur]

the reason that electrics are more available is because nobody wants them.

[Dr. Pyro]

the reason that electrics are more available is because nobody wants them.

Ain't that the truth.

[theCryptofishist]

the reason that electrics are more available is because nobody wants them.

Ain't that the truth.

It's certainly the truth I was tap-dancing around.

[Captain Goddammit]

You're the finest tap-dancer I know!

[theCryptofishist]

Thank you. Lots of practice.

[Mojojita]

One more vote for gas power v. electric cart. Have not-so-fond memories of pushing the Zebra cart back from deep playa, hours of noisy generator just to make it work, etc... Have not brought it to the playa for years due to the PITA quotient.

[Ugly Dougly]

I wouldn't charge using a electric cart. I'd rather use a horse.

[Captain Goddammit]

They don't allow horses at Burning Man. Unless you mutate them...

[theCryptofishist]

There's always the Sparkle Pony rider...

[trilobyte]

I'm nudging this over to the Transportation board, as it's a better fit for general project preparation questions.

[maladroit]

I'm involved with an electric mutant vehicle that has been on playa for several years, but it's no golf cart. Formerly a Chinese milk truck, with more batteries added. It glides all day and night running lots of lights and music, but it gets charged in camp with an EU6500iS.

[EspressoDude]

if you do use an electric, make sure you put in new batteries. They weigh a lot 6 volt 220 AH are about 75 pounds a piece. If you have a 48 volt system, that is 600 pounds of batteries. Make sure the controller is variable PWM solid state, not a power wasting resistor type. The motors are about 2 - 3 horsepower. Same as a Honda EU2000, if you use that to power the charger. Every hour driving will take at least an hour on the charger assuming you can put power into the battery as fast as you take it out. BUT that does not happen, and Major Krash's comments about 10% recharge rate are correct for good battery life.

[dragonpilot]

Makes me want to run right out and buy a Chevy Volt.

[lemur]

how fast can you refill a petrol powered cart ?

[BBadger]

Praise fossil fuels!

[theCryptofishist]

Chinese milk truck or Chinese melamine truck?

[Captain Goddammit]

how fast can you refill a petrol powered cart ?

Depends on how much practice with a beer bong you've had!

[unjonharley]

how fast can you refill a petrol powered cart ?

Ever watch NASCAR

[BBadger]

how fast can you refill a petrol powered cart ?

Ever watch NASCAR

I've never seen them filling up a car during a crash (which is the only watchable part of that event).

[gyre]

if you can pass enough power to the system, you wouldn't be charging, so much as driving off the generator in the same way as an alternator runs the car and only charges the battery when it is depleted.

I think it is easier to find a reliable electric cart, than it is to find a reliable gas one.
There are a lot of different models though.

Some people I know run two banks.

[mdmf007]

Id go gas -

Everytime you convert from one form to another your going to lose efficiency. Like Sync said - burning gas to make electricity to store in a battery to later turn an electric motor is not the most efficient. Simply burn the gas o turn the wheels in the first step.

Golf carts are all over the place, call rental outfits, look at CL. You can even buy used riding lawn mowers for like 200 bucks, drop the blades off in 10 minutes and do what you want with it. They can be sped up by changing drive pulley ratios around and are ridiculously simple to fix and work on. Make a trailer to hitch to it.

just another of the many free ideas on eplaya.