Fuel Economy, Hypermiling, EcoModding News and Forum - EcoModder.com - View Single Post

thingstodo · 04-26-2017, 04:57 PM

I'm not sure where to post - the side-by-side has 4 wheels, but is an off-road vehicle ...

I bid on 4 Polaris Ranger EV's, 2011 models, that were giving my employer trouble for quite some time. I ended up getting all 4 of them. This thread will be a log of what I did, what worked, and what did not.

There should be a bunch of information that is useful - I hope - to others who are working on the 2011 Polaris Ranger side-by-sides, to a lesser extent side-by-sides in general and perhaps other off-road applications.

During discussions with our maintenance people, I found out that the largest problem that was experienced with the Polaris Ranger EVs involved the batteries.

The original lead-acid battery packs and their chargers were replaced in 2013. We had an incident with another flooded lead acid pack that caused an explosion of hydrogen gas. The mitigation involved replacing all flooded batteries on site.

Polaris, the original supplier, did not have a lithium battery pack solution. A short investigation followed and two local suppliers provided pricing and delivery for the lithium packs, the chargers, the removal of the lead acid packs and chargers, as well as retrofit installation of the new batteries and charger. So these packs are not OEM, and neither are the battery chargers. I have no information on the type of batteries, the charger, the BMS (or even if there IS a BMS) until I get my hands on them.

I was told that the range on the battery packs was an immediate disappointment. The lithium packs did not provide as much range as the original lead packs did. I found this information .. strange. But I will reserve judgment until I actually see the packs. Perhaps the packs were under-sized due to their cost.

The Polaris Rangers are apparently in otherwise good shape mechanically. The controllers still apparently work. But the packs do not supply power any longer. I suspect a problem with the charging system ... or perhaps the BMS if one was supplied? .. but it needs to be investigated.

So I plan to show up with a 48V lithium battery pack to connect, replacing the existing pack, and see if I can drive the first one onto my trailer. Or, if I have to, winch the Polaris Ranger EV onto my trailer to bring it home.

04-26-2017, 04:57 PM	#1 (permalink)
thingstodo Master EcoModder Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Saskatoon, canada Posts: 1,488 Ford Prefect - '18 Ford F150 XLT XTR Tess - '22 Tesla Y LR Thanks: 749 Thanked 565 Times in 447 Posts	Polaris Ranger EV Revival I'm not sure where to post - the side-by-side has 4 wheels, but is an off-road vehicle ... I bid on 4 Polaris Ranger EV's, 2011 models, that were giving my employer trouble for quite some time. I ended up getting all 4 of them. This thread will be a log of what I did, what worked, and what did not. There should be a bunch of information that is useful - I hope - to others who are working on the 2011 Polaris Ranger side-by-sides, to a lesser extent side-by-sides in general and perhaps other off-road applications. During discussions with our maintenance people, I found out that the largest problem that was experienced with the Polaris Ranger EVs involved the batteries. The original lead-acid battery packs and their chargers were replaced in 2013. We had an incident with another flooded lead acid pack that caused an explosion of hydrogen gas. The mitigation involved replacing all flooded batteries on site. Polaris, the original supplier, did not have a lithium battery pack solution. A short investigation followed and two local suppliers provided pricing and delivery for the lithium packs, the chargers, the removal of the lead acid packs and chargers, as well as retrofit installation of the new batteries and charger. So these packs are not OEM, and neither are the battery chargers. I have no information on the type of batteries, the charger, the BMS (or even if there IS a BMS) until I get my hands on them. I was told that the range on the battery packs was an immediate disappointment. The lithium packs did not provide as much range as the original lead packs did. I found this information .. strange. But I will reserve judgment until I actually see the packs. Perhaps the packs were under-sized due to their cost. The Polaris Rangers are apparently in otherwise good shape mechanically. The controllers still apparently work. But the packs do not supply power any longer. I suspect a problem with the charging system ... or perhaps the BMS if one was supplied? .. but it needs to be investigated. So I plan to show up with a 48V lithium battery pack to connect, replacing the existing pack, and see if I can drive the first one onto my trailer. Or, if I have to, winch the Polaris Ranger EV onto my trailer to bring it home. __________________ In THEORY there is no difference between Theory and Practice In PRACTICE there IS!