|
The previous owner's estimate of 15 miles is probably valid for new batteries under good conditions (warm day, 40 MPH, no hills, etc.)
If the car hasn't been used for several months, it is possible that the batteries may 'wake up' some with use. Try a few 2 or 3 mile drives, keeping amps below 200 or so. The range may increase some within about 10 cycles.
If the batteries are not new, they will have less range. You can check the date code to see when they were manufactured. If the batteries were well maintained, but just old, you can expect about 1/2 the range of new batteries after 3 or 4 years.
If the batteries are less than three years old, they may have been abused by the previous owner. This includes driving until the vehicle moves slowly. Each 100% discharge is like giving the pack a heart attack - it may survive a few, but not many, and will have somewhat decreased range after even one 100% discharge. No-Name and off-brand batteries are generally more sensitive to deep discharges.
Other ways to inadvertently abuse a pack:
- not charging a discharged pack immediately
- undercharging the pack (your 72 volt flooded pack voltage just before the charger turns off should be just over 90 volts)
- overcharging the pack (i.e. daily/weekly equalizing, or a bad battery charger, or floating at gassing voltages)
-leaving the vehicle off charge for more than a couple of weeks or so, particularly in cold weather.
If the pack is more than about four years old, the range you're getting is expected - time to get new batteries!
It doesn't sound like your connections were loose enough to cause a major problem. If a battery connection is loose enough to affect range, it will get very hot, and may melt a post.
Are the brakes overadjusted? Any amount of dragging will decrease range. If the car hasn't been used in a while, the brakes may be a bit sticky. Check for a wheel that is warmer than the others after a drive.
__________________
|