Sealed Battery Chart

You should be looking for a low Puekert's number when selecting batteries for you car. A high puekert's number means the battery will not last very long and will have a large voltage sag. I would not use any battery which has a Puekert's number of greater than 1.23.

Range mainly depends on the weight of the batteries you have in your car.

I would suggest one of the concorde batteries as an inexpensive low maintenance battery. These batteries however can not take the abuse (high currents) that the optima or hawker batteries can.

I would suggest the optima or hawker battery for a high performance car.

I would suggest the T105 battery for an inexpensive moderate-low range car

I would suggest the T105 or T125 battery for an inexpensive moderate range low voltage car

The Peukert's number is important because it tells you the internal resistance of the battery. A battery may have a high 20 hour amp-hr rating, but a high Peukert's number. At the currents needed for EVs, this may not be a good battery because the amp-hr rating at a 1 hour rate or 1/2 hour rate can be a lot less then a battery with a lower 20 amp-hr lower Peukert's number. When deciding on a battery, use the calculator on this page to calculate the the 1 hour or 1/2 hour amp-hr rating. This will give a better indication of the range you can expect.

A sealed battery must not be over charged. If you over charge a sealed battery you will greatly shorten it's life. You can use battery regulators to keep this from happening.

Cell reversal is when a cell in the battery has the opposite value. This usually happens when a cell is charged in the incorrect direction as when the cell is completely discharged and current is still being drawn from the battery.

Put a resister across the battery over night to completely drain the battery. Then charge the battery with a low current.

This depends on the battery and how long you draw the high current. In general, the lower the Peukert's number the high the current you can draw from the battery without damaging the battery.

Charge batteries at what ever current until they reach 2.4 v per cell +/- .003v per degree C difference from 25 degrees. The higher the temerature the lower the voltage. Once the batteries reach 2.4v +/-, Keep the batteries at this voltage until the current goes to 2% of 20ah rating. So my 120ah batteries should be charge until the current drops below 2.4 amps. Equalizing should be done about once a week when the batteries are new or very old, once a month during the normal life of the battery. To equalize, charge the batteries at 2% of 20ah rating until voltage stops rising. Make sure you keep track of the water level in the battery while equalizing. Equalizing will use water!

Battery Charger: (Constant Voltage) 13,8 to 15,0 volts, 10 amps maximum, 8-10 hours approximate.
Float Charge: 13,2 to 13,8 volts, 1 amp maximum current.
Rapid Recharge: (Constant voltage charger) Maximum voltage 15,6 volts. No current limit as long as temperature remains below 51 degrees C. Charge until current drops below 1 amp. Recharge time will vary according to temperature and charger characteristics. When using Constant Voltage chargers, amperage will taper down as the battery becomes recharged. When amperage drops below 1 amp, the battery will be close to a full state of charge.
Cyclic application or series string applications (CV/CC) only: Constant Voltage with Constant Current finish: 14,7 volts, temperature < 51 degrees C, no current limits. When current falls below 1 amp, finish with 2 amp constant current 1 hour.