Are Trojan lithium batteries worth the money?
Power. Performance. Maintenance. Quality. Cost. Factors like these are driving the growth of lithium batteries. How to decide what's best for you.
Where golf carts and golf cart batteries are headed
More golf carts are on the course—and the roads—than ever. Industry experts forecast the electric golf cart market will reach $886.7M by 2033.[i]
At the same time, more golf cart owners are moving to lithium batteries. Market Reports World says that the use of lithium-ion batteries in golf carts increased by 37% from 2022 to 2023. [ii]
Why are more golf cart owners switching to lithium batteries?
Factors driving golf cart owners toward lithium batteries include:
Performance. Lithium batteries deliver superior performance—lasting longer, charging faster, and weighing less than flooded or other lead acid options. These enhance golf cart efficiency and usability.
Environmental awareness. Lithium batteries offer reduced energy loss, noise, and emissions.
Advanced technology. Innovations like smarter battery management systems improve reliability and performance.
What about lithium battery safety and quality?
A battery manufacturer’s Quality Program is essential for producing safe, reliable, and high-performance batteries. There is no substitute for good quality practices. These include:
Process Control and Standardization
In-Line Quality Inspection
End-of-Line Testing
Data-Driven Quality Management
Safety and Compliance
Quality management is part of the US-based design, final processing, and testing of all Trojan lithium-ion batteries.
Prioritizing safety
Consumers shopping for golf cart batteries should ask questions about safety.
Trojan uses Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP or LiFePO4), which is widely regarded as a stable and safe lithium battery chemistry.
Trojan lithium batteries comply with safety, performance, and regulatory standards from global and independent agencies. These include UL®, UN, IEC, SAE, ETL®, FCC, and CE as applicable. To ensure safety even further, we design lithium batteries with 4 levels of safety redundancy.
Trojan invests in safety for its products and employees. This focus has helped them stay in business for over 100 years as the top battery maker in the golf industry.
Read about Trojan testing for safety, “4 Lithium Battery Safety Factors | Factor 4: Testing” >
The battery industry measures performance with metrics that include cycle life, Depth of Discharge (DoD), energy density, charge/discharge rate, temperature tolerance. These show how well a battery can climb hills, drive for miles, stay charged, and work in hot or cold weather. In most categories, lithium batteries perform well above lead acid batteries.
Are Trojan lithium batteries worth the money?
Lithium battery performance
The battery industry measures performance with metrics that include:
Cycle life
Depth of discharge (DoD)
Energy density
Charge/Discharge rate
Temperature tolerance
These show how well a battery can climb hills, drive for miles, stay charged, and work in hot or cold weather. In most categories, lithium batteries perform well above lead acid batteries.
If you play golf on weekends, manage a fleet, supervise turf maintenance, or build custom carts, performance can mean different things to you. Trojan engineers design batteries to provide the right experience for your ride. That might mean flooded lead acid or Trojan AES AGM for some golf cart owners, and lithium for others.
Advanced technology
Early Battery Management Systems (BMS) mainly monitored voltage and temperature.
Today's systems can monitor State of Charge (SoC) and other data to protect against excessive current or voltage levels. Some BMS apps use Bluetooth® or Wi-Fi®, and connect to the Cloud or IoT. This enables remote diagnostics, firmware updates, and tracking fleet performance.
Trojan’s BMS can do all these tasks. It can also deactivate cells that show signs of failure. This helps prevent problems from spreading from one cell to another. The BMS for Trojan OnePack balances the battery cells, ensuring a full lifespan of the battery’s warrantied performance.
Battery price and total cost of ownership
Lithium batteries do have a higher upfront cost compared to lead-acid batteries. What is the best way to evaluate the value of moving to lithium?
Have you considered these factors in your calculations (based on Trojan lithium battery specs)?
Fewer replacements. Depending on the equipment, you may only need half the number of lithium batteries as flooded lead-acid batteries.
Longer lasting. Lithium batteries have a longer lifespan than lead acid. Trojan lithium batteries can last up to 10 years. Flooded batteries may last 3-4 years, and AGM 4-5 years.
These factors can significantly reduce the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) of lithium batteries. Based on Trojan’s specifications and testing, the TCO for our lithium batteries can be lower than that of comparable flooded lead-acid batteries. Actual results will vary depending on usage patterns, maintenance, and the specific battery brand.
Calculate and compare TCO in this article by Trojan expert David Steele >
Finally, are Trojan lithium batteries worth the money?
Recently, we got to see the results of a market survey that polled battery dealers. Dealers named Trojan as their most trusted brand for safety, reliability, and battery lifespan.
Trojan isn’t the newest battery manufacturer in the industry. We’ve been around for over 100 years. Trojan has never produced the cheapest batteries on the market. Instead, we focused on putting our name on the most reliable products we can design.
Every day, we see the value that safety, performance, quality, and integrity add to our customers’ experiences.
The value of confidence. The value of the reliable start. The value of eliminating maintenance reminders.
The value of saying yes to another nine holes. The value of getting everyone home safe.
If these are valuable to you, Trojan batteries are worth the price. We feel great about Trojan value and we believe you will, too.
Ready to switch to lithium?
Find the Trojan authorized dealer nearest to you.
[i] https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/us-electric-golf-cart-market-report
[ii] https://www.marketreportsworld.com/market-reports/golf-car-batteries-market-14714891[PM7] [AM8]
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