Power Wheels Battery

[fornesto]

Has anybody tried using a battery designed for Power Wheels toy kids car?

https://www.amazon.com/ExpertPower-EXP1 ... 2V+Battery

I like that it is cheap ($20), small (5.9 x 2.5 x 3.7 inches) and lightweight (4.3 lbs). It is rated at 12 Volt 7 Amp 20 Hour. I'm expecting a maximum of 5 amps total for my whole electrical system. I'm no electrical expert, but could this work?

[John61CT]

The capacity measurement is aH, "amp-hours".

7AH at the 20-hour rate in this case.

No, these are way too teeny tiny for anything useful.

Consumption should be estimated (better if actually measured) in AH per 24-hours.

How many days between shore-power overnights?

Any solar available?

[KTM_Guy]

I have that battery I use around the garage when I need 12v DC power. It's been a good battery.

When you say you're expecting 5 amps total what does that mean? You have a draw of 5 amps when every thing is running? Or 5AH in a 24 hour period? Big difference. Know which will help.

I'm planning the average daily draw for me will be around 15AH in 24 hours. So I would need a 30AH battery, because you really don't want to discharge lower than 50%. And that would be for just one day and the battery would have to be recharged.

You will find that the cost different per AH does not vary much from a 7AH battery to a 400AH battery. It will be from about $2.00 per AH up to $3.00 per AH the higher price is for premium brands. And weight works the same way. There is no free lunch as they say. The big monkey wrench in all this is lithium deep cycles. When you compare the stats of lead vs lithium it is a no brainer, lithium wins out. But at $9.00 to $12.00 per AH that is hard to do. I'm looking at a 75AH lithium battery for $700. I talk myself in to get it and out a few times a day.

Todd

[GuitarPhotog]

That 7 aH battery will power your 5A trailer for just over one hour!

There are better choices for a small battery. Try an emergency light gel cell, typically 10-15 aH or a motorcycle battery, typically 35-40 aH

<Chas>

[fornesto]

Thank you all for the replies. I'll take a look at something a bit bigger.

[John61CT]

Weekend use only? makes a huge difference, personally I look for thousands of deep cycles lifetimes.

Most consumer-level or hobbyist batts can only last hundreds of cycles, if you're lucky.

If you find something small and (you think) ling-lived in the $1/AH @12V neighborhood, I'd be very interested.

Meantime, IMO the best battery value by far is Duracell (actually Deka/East Penn) FLA deep cycle golf cart batteries, 2x6V @ 200+AH from BatteriesPlus or Sam's Club. Deka labeled same batts also sold at Lowes.

Yes heavier than some can manage, but keep in mind shallower cycling means much longer life, if coddled can last a decade.

[tony.latham]

Thank you all for the replies. I'll take a look at something a bit bigger.

Take a peek at a 35 amp/hour motorized wheelchair battery. (But remember that you can only use about half of the rated amp hours before you start damaging the battery.) If I didn't suck on a CPAP that's all we would need ––LED lights, Fantastic fan, and phone charging.



Tony