Charging my Lightning with my (Polaris) Ranger

I bought a cheap Polaris Ranger EV with lead acid batteries on Facebook and converted it to run on lithium batteries. I rigged it up to run a 6 kW inverter so I could use it as a battery backup in a pinch. I also added a solar panel to the roof and connections for a solar array. It only takes 300 hours of direct sunlight to charge the lightning from empty using this setup!

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Maybe off topic, but how was the conversion. Been thinking of doing the same thing because a new electric Polaris is a unicorn.

Agreed I’m interested in more info as well. What did the conversion cost as well as what did the Polaris cost used?

Avocadodude said:

Maybe off topic, but how was the conversion. Been thinking of doing the same thing because a new electric Polaris is a unicorn.

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Blochead21 said:

Agreed I’m interested in more info as well. What did the conversion cost as well as what did the Polaris cost used?

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The new Ranger XP Kinetic is cool but costs more than a Tesla M3 when fully equipped. They've also been having some major reliability issues with the XP Kinetic which is unfortunate considering the price, the delayed launch and the fact that they partnered with a supposedly experienced company (Zero) for the drivetrain. The main advantages of the Kinetic is that it's bigger and can go much faster (55mph vs 24 mph). I personally have no interest in driving that fast through the woods, so the 24 mph Ranger EV is fine with me. You can honestly get 85% of the benefits of a Kinetic for at least half the price if you can find a decent used Ranger.

I paid $4000 for a 2012 Ranger EV on Facebook. The motor and Sevcon motor controller were in great shape but the flooded lead acid batteries caused a lot of corrosion on the battery tray and the side of the frame. I was able to replace the tray and the rusted out parts of the frame for about $400 in parts from Partzilla. The rest of the frame was a bit rusty but structurally sound-I sanded those parts down and repainted them.

We bought six 24V 100Ah LFP batteries from Epoch and connected them in a 2 series 3 parallel configuration (48V/300Ah/14.4 kWh). At the time, the batteries were $900 each and the total was $5200 after discounts. We chose those batteries because they were waterproof, had self-heating ability, had beefy BMS's and were small enough to fit under the seat.

There are several companies that offer drop-in battery packs for the Ranger but they tend to be a little more expensive.

You can generally find cheaper options if you look around. The trick is that the battery's BMS has to support the peak amperage of the Ranger. It will draw close to 400 amps at peak load, so you really need a battery array that can support 400 amps for at least 30-60 seconds. Batteries we used have 120A continuous discharge and 200A x 60 seconds peak discharge capacity, so the 2S3P configuration can support 600A for 60s and 360A continuous.

You may not need as large of a battery pack as we have so you can save some money that way. We get 3.1 mi/kWh at max speed on flat ground, so our battery array gets us about 40 miles at minimum. That's a lot more than we need on a daily basis and it's easy to top it off with the 1kW on-board charger I installed.

vandy1981 said:

I bought a cheap Polaris Ranger EV with lead acid batteries on Facebook and converted it to run on lithium batteries. I rigged it up to run a 6 kW inverter so I could use it as a battery backup in a pinch. I also added a solar panel to the roof and connections for a solar array. It only takes 300 hours of direct sunlight to charge the lightning from empty using this setup!

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Why?

Galactus55 said:

Why?

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Why not?

vandy1981 said:

It only takes 300 hours of direct sunlight to charge the lightning from empty using this setup!

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That's all?

Peddyr said:

That's all?

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I'm glad you picked up the sarcasm in my 300 hours statement. I was highlighting the futility of using a mobile solar array to charge a truck with a 131 kWh battery or even a SxS with a 14 kWh battery.

vandy1981 said:

Why not?

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OK

vandy1981 said:

I'm glad you picked up the sarcasm in my 300 hours statement. I was highlighting the futility of using a mobile solar array to charge a truck with a 131 kWh battery or even a SxS with a 14 kWh battery.

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It may be 12 days to charge but try that with a gas truck!! Ultimate zombie apocalypse setup!!

Peddyr said:

That's all?

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Perfect for Alaska summers.

From experience, it’s easier to find electricity during a large scale blackout than it is to find a gas station able to pump gas. There’s something gloriously self sufficient about an EV.

vandy1981 said:

The new Ranger XP Kinetic is cool but costs more than a Tesla M3 when fully equipped. They've also been having some major reliability issues with the XP Kinetic which is unfortunate considering the price, the delayed launch and the fact that they partnered with a supposedly experienced company (Zero) for the drivetrain.

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That's a bummer to hear. We are building out on 100acres and one of the things I was excited about getting was the XP Kinetic. We have multiple trails and I really wanted a lithium powered side by side.

vandy1981 said:

Why not?

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I see what you mean.