email address - polaris industries
Apr 30, 2011 | 07:54 PM
#31
Weekend Warrior
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 6
Likes: 0
I'll start a Ranger EV thread if there isn't one.
In general I couldn't be any happier with this machine. I've now got 45 hours on it and the batteries are just broken in.
If you are looking for a machine to race around on in the bush this isn't it but for anything short of that it's comfortable, quiet, and strong. The range could be better but that is in the works. It currently has 8 lead acid deep cycle 12 volt batteries wired into 2 - 48v banks (series) which are then paralleled together. This is double the power storage of most golf carts and other electric utvs.
Polaris claims a 50 mile range with this setup but it is only achievable in the best of conditions at low speed in maximum range mode which has little torque. The maximum range mode is fine on rough roads as it gives you all the speed you need unless you enjoy getting bashed around. At the other end pushing the machine at high speed (20mph or so) through 8 inches of wet snow will use up a full charge in about 3 miles.
The batteries weigh a massive 650lbs which gives it good traction. I virtually never need to take it out of single wheel drive.
Flux power Flux Power Introduces Lithium Battery Upgrade Kit for Polaris Ranger EV | Reuters has introduced a replacement Lithium battery pack which cuts the weight in half while tripling the range to 150 miles. Currently very expensive at around $7k but likely to come down in price by the time I need to replace my batteries. Apparently a full charge can be achieved in about 15 minutes. The lifetime of the lithium batteries is much longer (10 years or more) than the lead acids and there is no maintenance required. Factoring the cost out over a longer period makes the cost almost even with the lead acid batteries.
I have a meter that lets me track the kilowatt hours which a charge consumes and it averages out that it costs about 2 cents per mile to charge the machine. The machine is kept plugged in all the time at home. A full charge takes about 8 hours but most of my usage only takes half an hour or so to top up. It charges to about 90% pretty quickly and then slows down.
The lead acids use a lot of water, about 1.5 gallons every couple of weeks if you use the machine a lot. The first thing I added was an expensive watering kit that allows me to water the batteries from 1 feed instead of opening 48 cells individually. Kits are around $500 new and hard to find used. Each cell gets a special cap with a float valve that cuts off input water once the right level is achieved. Large commercial battery banks use such systems.
I have all the battery I need for my situation. I live in an isolated community of about 30 people with about 2 miles of paved road and about 10 miles of bush road. There is no police presence except 2 or 3 times a year when they come in by boat for a few hours so this is my only transportation.
The charger only draws about 10amps of 110 at maximum charge so a small 1200w gas generator can be taken along to charge it as needed on extended multiday bush trips.
I haven't tried it yet and will wait until the warranty is up but looking at the circuit diagrams it should not be a problem running a generator while the machine is moving. It does have regenerative braking which charges the machine while it is going downhill. It has great holdback in low range.
In general I couldn't be any happier with this machine. I've now got 45 hours on it and the batteries are just broken in.
If you are looking for a machine to race around on in the bush this isn't it but for anything short of that it's comfortable, quiet, and strong. The range could be better but that is in the works. It currently has 8 lead acid deep cycle 12 volt batteries wired into 2 - 48v banks (series) which are then paralleled together. This is double the power storage of most golf carts and other electric utvs.
Polaris claims a 50 mile range with this setup but it is only achievable in the best of conditions at low speed in maximum range mode which has little torque. The maximum range mode is fine on rough roads as it gives you all the speed you need unless you enjoy getting bashed around. At the other end pushing the machine at high speed (20mph or so) through 8 inches of wet snow will use up a full charge in about 3 miles.
The batteries weigh a massive 650lbs which gives it good traction. I virtually never need to take it out of single wheel drive.
Flux power Flux Power Introduces Lithium Battery Upgrade Kit for Polaris Ranger EV | Reuters has introduced a replacement Lithium battery pack which cuts the weight in half while tripling the range to 150 miles. Currently very expensive at around $7k but likely to come down in price by the time I need to replace my batteries. Apparently a full charge can be achieved in about 15 minutes. The lifetime of the lithium batteries is much longer (10 years or more) than the lead acids and there is no maintenance required. Factoring the cost out over a longer period makes the cost almost even with the lead acid batteries.
I have a meter that lets me track the kilowatt hours which a charge consumes and it averages out that it costs about 2 cents per mile to charge the machine. The machine is kept plugged in all the time at home. A full charge takes about 8 hours but most of my usage only takes half an hour or so to top up. It charges to about 90% pretty quickly and then slows down.
The lead acids use a lot of water, about 1.5 gallons every couple of weeks if you use the machine a lot. The first thing I added was an expensive watering kit that allows me to water the batteries from 1 feed instead of opening 48 cells individually. Kits are around $500 new and hard to find used. Each cell gets a special cap with a float valve that cuts off input water once the right level is achieved. Large commercial battery banks use such systems.
I have all the battery I need for my situation. I live in an isolated community of about 30 people with about 2 miles of paved road and about 10 miles of bush road. There is no police presence except 2 or 3 times a year when they come in by boat for a few hours so this is my only transportation.
The charger only draws about 10amps of 110 at maximum charge so a small 1200w gas generator can be taken along to charge it as needed on extended multiday bush trips.
I haven't tried it yet and will wait until the warranty is up but looking at the circuit diagrams it should not be a problem running a generator while the machine is moving. It does have regenerative braking which charges the machine while it is going downhill. It has great holdback in low range.
Apr 30, 2011 | 09:14 PM
#32
Polaris ATV Expert
Retired and loving it!
Retired and loving it!
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 24,350
Likes: 44
From: North Texas
The only weak point on the Ev,Chevy Volt,Nissan Leaf, and even the Tesla roadster is not the motors,but battery technology needs to be improved! On your Ev you're sitting on about a 38 hp direct drive motor,plenty of power for this machine! I only got to have one for about two days at our shop(was pre sold) but had a chance to test it out. Fun machine,quiet, and faster than I would have normally believed! Jaguar recently displayed a concept car with four electric motors at a claimed 800 HP! Electric motors are ready to go,just need reasonable cost battery advancement! Maybe soon I hope! Good luck with your Ev,hopefully no more problems! OPT
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