There’s nothing like cruising around in your golf cart in your downtime. Now, what if you’re on your way to your next golf course and suddenly the cart stops? Chances are that the battery’s dead.
Golf cart charging isn’t as convenient as simply charging your smartphone for an hour or two. It needs a bit more attention.
This begs the question; how long does it take to charge a golf cart? On average, it can take around 3 to 11 hours to fully charge a golf cart.
The range is large because there are several factors affecting the machine’s charge time. It could be how powerful the charger is or the golf cart’s voltage. Either way, you might find yourself needing to charge your golf cart after each use.
Stick around to learn more about a golf cart’s charge time, what affects it, and how you can maximize its battery life.
How Much Time Does It Take to Charge a Golf Cart?
Golf carts usually require a three to seven-hour charge time. Nevertheless, it might still take a longer time to fully charge such as 15 hours.
Apart from the charge time, you might also need to take into consideration the cool time. After charging your golf cart, you might want to wait an additional couple of hours to avoid overheating.
What Affects a Golf Cart’s Battery Charge Time?
Before deciding on how long you can leave your golf cart to charge, you should keep in mind what affects the charge time. Check out below some of the factors that might either reduce or increase your golf cart’s charge time.
1. Charger Quality
You can determine a charger’s quality by knowing how old it is. The older it is, the more charge time a golf cart might need and vice versa.
Another consideration worth noting is the volt amount of the charger compared to the golf cart’s voltage. In other words, you want to make sure you’re using the right charger for your golf cart. For instance, if the golf cart is operating on 36 volts, you need to have a 36-volt charger.
Golf cart chargers have distinctive amp performance as well. Some can charge at 20 amps per hour, while others a smaller 10 amps per hour. Amps will basically decide how long your ride can be.
For reference, a 100-hour amp battery life left could require 10 hours to charge with a 10 amp charger.
2. Depth of Discharge
The depth of discharge (DoD) refers to how much of the battery you’ve used up compared to its full capacity.
Think of it this way, it’ll take less time to charge a 70% charged phone than a 20% charged one. The same applies to golf cart batteries. This means that the more DoD the battery has, the more time it’ll take for the golf cart to charge.
3. Battery’s Age
One of the most crucial factors that can impact your golf cart’s battery charge time is its age.
Older batteries have lesser capacity, which means you might think that they charge faster than newer ones with larger capacities. In spite of that, older batteries still charge slower.
Older batteries are generally weaker and may have signs of deterioration once facing more than a couple of years. In this case, old age might become a disadvantage in terms of charge time.
Both perspectives are worth considering. On the other hand, you should also question the quality of the battery’s manufacturer. Are they from a reliable source? If so, then your battery is likely to enjoy a longer lifespan.
4. Environmental Changes
Extreme temperatures can have adverse effects on a golf cart’s battery. Cold temperatures below the 32-degree Fahrenheit mark can harden the battery’s acid. This, in turn, can reduce the energy-making reactions that power the battery and lessen its charge.
Meanwhile, hot temperatures aren’t all that great either. Direct sunlight can decrease a golf cart’s battery amp rate, which can increase its charge time. Even though the batteries are insulated, it’s better to still keep your battery at a moderate temperature in the long run.
When Should You Charge Your Golf Cart?
As a rule of thumb, you can’t leave your golf cart’s battery at a capacity lower than 50%. The reason is that the batteries used by golf carts are deep cycle ones. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you should keep the battery plugged in at all times.
Instead, you want to keep a regular schedule of charge cycles to maintain an adequate capacity above 50%.
Leaving it at lower can potentially reduce the charge time and, in more severe cases, kill the battery. In that instance, you might have to resort to a special charger for the dead battery.
Tips to Save Your Golf Cart’s Battery Life
Luckily, there are several ways you can save your golf cart’s battery life. Maintenance is key to keeping a short charge time interval. After all, you wouldn’t want to end up leaving the cart charging for more than ten hours.
Here’s what you might want to do to avoid this.
- Don’t overcharge or undercharge the batteries. Both will cause the battery to be more susceptible to damage.
- Consider using automatic chargers to avoid overcharging. They’ll automatically stop charging once reaching full capacity.
- Make sure to charge the golf cart’s batteries after each ride to prevent battery drainage.
- Maintain a strict watering schedule for your batteries. It’ll help in avoiding dry plates, which can take some years off of your battery.
To Conclude
How long does it take to charge a golf cart? While the answer varies, it usually takes around 3 to 11 hours to fully charge a golf cart.
Having said that, this answer can depend on components such as the battery and charger quality, weather conditions, and DoD. Taking these factors into consideration will help you keep a more sensible eye on your golf cart’s charging patterns.
We recommend following our maintenance tips to lengthen your golf cart’s life, rather than having to continuously purchase new batteries.