Golf Cart Battery Cycle Estimator

At the datasheet rating point, flooded deep-cycle lead-acid cells of this class are typically rated around the default shown (to 80% remaining capacity). Cycle at a shallower depth of discharge and the count rises steeply — that is the (DoD_rated/DoD)^k term. Heat, fast charging and storage at full charge all shorten it.

Duty inequality: starters and rangers grab the nearest carts, so the front row cycles daily while the back row sulphates in partial charge. Rotate systematically (move charged carts to the back of the queue), and compare water consumption across carts — a set drinking noticeably more water is overcharging (charger fault) or running hotter (high resistance somewhere). The per-cart log this tool keeps makes the unequal-duty pattern obvious within one season.

Count equivalent full cycles: two 50% discharges ≈ one full cycle of energy throughput. If your charger or BMS reports total Ah or kWh throughput, divide by the pack's rated capacity to get equivalent full cycles — that is the number to enter as cycles completed.

Industry convention is 80% of original capacity — beyond that, fade accelerates and runtime becomes unpredictable. Fleets usually retire packs at 80% for the duty they were bought for, then cascade them to lighter duty rather than scrapping immediately.

Yes — it is the single biggest lever you control. Lead-acid cycled to 50% instead of 80% roughly doubles cycle count; lithium chemistries gain similarly with the exponent k shown in the formula. Sizing a pack so daily use is a shallower fraction of capacity is usually cheaper than replacing packs early.