Power Tool/Mower Batteries For E-Karts?

[SquidBonez]

Has anyone here tried using power tool/mower batteries to power a go kart? I'm talking about the 80V 5AH packs from Greenworks/Kobalt. I've seen some builds online using them but nobody here seems to mention them. I feel like it makes sense. I mean, most of us here are using lawn mower/industrial engines to power our builds anyway, so why not batteries from their electric cousins? On top of that it prevents the need for building your own pack, they're pretty easy to configure as well. 80V (72V nominal), 40A max draw a piece, get 6 of them and that's theoretically over 17KW and 30AH! Also gives you the option to swap out the packs quickly assuming you had an extra 6.

Of course, all of these batteries are still expensive but so are pre-made packs anyway. As the prices of batteries drops this will become more affordable.

 

[ezcome-ezgo]

I need an economist to explain to me why the price of batteries will drop. These things are typically driven by supply and demand. You are describing a demand that is additional to what the market currently presents. As fossil fuels are driven away, demand for portable electrical power will only increase. Meanwhile, the resources to build batteries are also finite, and how do you build a factory to build batteries without fossil fuels? I don't see the prices of "batteries as we currently understand them" coming down any time soon. New or different technologies could change this of course.

 

[SquidBonez]

I need an economist to explain to me why the price of batteries will drop. These things are typically driven by supply and demand. You are describing a demand that is additional to what the market currently presents. As fossil fuels are driven away, demand for portable electrical power will only increase. Meanwhile, the resources to build batteries are also finite, and how do you build a factory to build batteries without fossil fuels? I don't see the prices of "batteries as we currently understand them" coming down any time soon. New or different technologies could change this of course.

This is a bit of a tangent from the main topic of this thread but interesting to talk about.

Battery prices have already dropped massively in the past 10 years. Alternatives to fossil fuels exist in renewable obviously, but the most logical (and likely, as soon as people get over the largely-unfounded fear) nuclear energy. Lithium is the main component in these modern batteries, and lithium is very plentiful in the Earth's crust. While mining for said lithium is anything but eco-friendly, battery-powered vehicles are still far cleaner over their lifespan, and only get cleaner as more clean energy sources are adopted and as battery recycling becomes more common.

 

[karl]

and only get cleaner as more clean energy sources are adopted and as battery recycling becomes more common.

Proper disposal and recycling is the biggest problem with lithium batteries I see now,
and more and more non-rechargeable disposable lithium ion products are out that are 99% of the time not properly disposed of (think vape)

I currently have 6 echo 58v battery packs that were replaced under warranty, and after the waiting period was told
to stash them in the dumpster. I took them home instead to one day fix them or get rid of them the right way.
Each have 36? 18650 cells.

I still don't know anywhere around me to recycle them. And an electric car will most likely go through a couple battery packs in it's lifetime.
If the cars are cheaply made and the batteries only last a couple years, the environmental impact of replacing EV's every few years
might just be worst than a long lasting, compact, fuel efficient gasoline car.

Especially if your charging your EV from a coal power plant, the whole save the environment goes out the window.
Luckily the Perry nuclear power plant supplies my electrically, for now.

 

[karl]

I'm talking about the 80V 5AH packs from Greenworks/Kobalt.

Sorry about going off topic, back on track has anybody seen one of these type battery adapters
for the larger tool batteries?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/185109197326?hash=item2b195e320e:g:aR8AAOSwUf1hrvpM&amdata=enc:AQAHAAAA4D7PlTKc6yZ9q4X+jMix9/eqArLMvAeDgIDDxlaTQ2JckAnkQ6f2qlVJDeNh3XYRkEWTiYI2nn1FK0NRvpTttDNCe8ZLW+gJNHD7SXFror+8fcDWZmS0Rimw3p5m7qnkr0w3Esq0abP12JAJuQN0pGhiH3UyMulrO58VK5+qMjlQlqlQbJj4p2v1AvT0+z5C7TXBfbMFWDymGFjfTSivulkRVUKUiWYEuXkflB4JrNGC9iEKhNjTn2TYdGZDl43IVzTes+D5eILJ1oz4ok6G0cxzZ71EbF5FNKm1Z4U7y8wz|tkp:BFBMkMyv7q5g

 

[SquidBonez]

Sorry about going off topic, back on track has anybody seen one of these type battery adapters
for the larger tool batteries?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/185109197326?hash=item2b195e320e:g:aR8AAOSwUf1hrvpM&amdata=enc:AQAHAAAA4D7PlTKc6yZ9q4X+jMix9/eqArLMvAeDgIDDxlaTQ2JckAnkQ6f2qlVJDeNh3XYRkEWTiYI2nn1FK0NRvpTttDNCe8ZLW+gJNHD7SXFror+8fcDWZmS0Rimw3p5m7qnkr0w3Esq0abP12JAJuQN0pGhiH3UyMulrO58VK5+qMjlQlqlQbJj4p2v1AvT0+z5C7TXBfbMFWDymGFjfTSivulkRVUKUiWYEuXkflB4JrNGC9iEKhNjTn2TYdGZDl43IVzTes+D5eILJ1oz4ok6G0cxzZ71EbF5FNKm1Z4U7y8wz|tkp:BFBMkMyv7q5g

Yep, right here:

Multi battery adapter for 80V Kobalt or greenworks 10 AWG wire power connector | eBay

Greenworks 80V. Greenworks 60V. Kobalt 80V. Kobalt 60V. Masterforce 80V. Includes 1 black battery adapter with 2ft of 10 AWG wire installed.

www.ebay.com

Easy enough to wire a few of them in parallel to create a nice pack. Assuming you run 6 at 72V, as said before you can get a bit over 17KW peak of power out of them which is 23 horsepower - more than my modified Duromax 440 makes! And all that power is instantaneous and not subject to driveline losses through a torque converter, so at the wheels it's probably an even bigger difference.

 

[EpsilonZero]

Krisuno did a video series on it. He uses them for a dirtbike too.

 

[SquidBonez]

Krisuno did a video series on it. He uses them for a dirtbike too.

Yep, that's where I got the idea of asking here for lol. I love this guy's channel