[4Nines]

I'm looking at getting a Ranger EV and I was wondering about how long it takes to do a full charge from a standard 110 V outlet and once it's fully charged, how long can I expect to operate the vehicle under moderate driving conditions?

 

[PCHunter]

Charge time will depend on how low it was when you plug in. I usually plug in for a few hours in the evening and don't leave it on charge. Last weekend I made 3.5 trips to the back of my property before plugging in and it was down to about 65%. I am pleased with the range. I usually plug in between trips. Also has plenty of power.

 

[4Nines]

How long would you say those trips took? Basically, how many hours did it take to get down to 65%?

 

[EVcruise]

Back in September we had a planting work day at my hunting camp. I turned on my GPS to record my trips both tracks and miles. I used the EV for Hauling seed and fertilizer to the spots to be planted and then to the next making a round for our group. I was surprised at the end of the day the GPS had 18.3 miles and the battery charge indicator was on the 40-30 % light. almost ready to start blinking after one more light. Most of my hunting trips are ½-2 mile trip with me alone or w partner. i plug it in during the middle of the day before the afternoon hunt. other than that It is plugged in all the time. I've had 3 other electric hunting carts. i always watched and planned the trips by the runtime but on the Polaris EV I just go, I have yet to run it down to the blinking phase. and only past 50% 3 times since i bought it in March 2014

 

[Rdfish1]

Some of it depends on how hard you run the vehicle. I did a very slow trip to spot game and i used map my ride, a biking app on the iphone and when done, i had gone 9 miles in 1:40 hrs and the bad boy buggy was still showing full charge. However, when i push it hard and fast, the battery consumption is high. Charging times can take overnight but a mid afternoon boost before the evening hunt can make a big difference though i dont normally need it

 

[4Nines]

Back in September we had a planting work day at my hunting camp. I turned on my GPS to record my trips both tracks and miles. I used the EV for Hauling seed and fertilizer to the spots to be planted and then to the next making a round for our group. I was surprised at the end of the day the GPS had 18.3 miles and the battery charge indicator was on the 40-30 % light. almost ready to start blinking after one more light. Most of my hunting trips are ½-2 mile trip with me alone or w partner. i plug it in during the middle of the day before the afternoon hunt. other than that It is plugged in all the time. I've had 3 other electric hunting carts. i always watched and planned the trips by the runtime but on the Polaris EV I just go, I have yet to run it down to the blinking phase. and only past 50% 3 times since i bought it in March 2014

This is a great report! Do you remember what power mode you had it in: High, Medium or Low?

 

[EVcruise]

I switch back n forth from H to M depending on terrain. More in H than M range. I used it in L 4 WD about 4 times to crossmud holes n ditches. When hunting it is in H turf mode unless I need to go through mud holes etc. I posted a video on YouTube titled Mudding in Ms. I'm behind my hunting buddy in my EV filming. It was done in central MS in the summer.

 

[4Nines]

I switch back n forth from H to M depending on terrain. More in H than M range. I used it in L 4 WD about 4 times to crossmud holes n ditches. When hunting it is in H turf mode unless I need to go through mud holes etc. I posted a video on YouTube titled Mudding in Ms. I'm behind my hunting buddy in my EV filming. It was done in central MS in the summer.

I couldn't find the video with a quick search. Can you post it here if you know the link?

 

[EVcruise]

This is the URL

. It is named Ranger EV Mudding in MS. Sorry for the misname earlier had to go on youtube to find it

 

[EVcruise]

Well... when i pasted the URL in the post the video shows up

 

[4Nines]

Wow the EV looks like it does a lot better in the mud then I would have thought!

 

[EVcruise]

Hard to believe what it will go thru. In low it will climb a tree I believe. Cleanup is awful. I ordered some sheets of ABS plastic and covered the bottom of the bed above the tires because it is hollow n collects a lot of mud. Bought the front fender guards that go above the front tires. They keep all the mud n water from under the hood. Need to block the space behind front and rear tires also. Cut a square piece to goin the open area in front of batteries. Mud will pile up there also. Here in MS a lot of our mud has clay in it and hard to wash off.

 

[4Nines]

Hard to believe what it will go thru. In low it will climb a tree I believe. Cleanup is awful. I ordered some sheets of ABS plastic and covered the bottom of the bed above the tires because it is hollow n collects a lot of mud. Bought the front fender guards that go above the front tires. They keep all the mud n water from under the hood. Need to block the space behind front and rear tires also. Cut a square piece to goin the open area in front of batteries. Mud will pile up there also. Here in MS a lot of our mud has clay in it and hard to wash off.

I could certainly see that! Does anyone make a full set of skid plates for the EV? If there was a one-piece skid that ran from front to back, I bet it would keep almost all the debris out from the battery and electric motor compartment.

 

[EVcruise]

Yes someone does w wings on the side. Almost any accessory that fits the mid size Ranger gas model fits the EV

 

[EVcruise]

Try trailArmor

 

[SyCo]

Hard to believe what it will go thru. In low it will climb a tree I believe.

In fact YES it does (video is not mine)

And btw thanks for your mudding video EVcruise.

As for the driving time, I keep a log of all my runs. Polaris says 50 miles using Max Range @15mph that is about 3.3 hours.

According to my own tests (around 60 rides) I can easily run up 3 continuous hours on a charge. I ride on "Max Range" and at 10 mph avg on flat or bumpy terrain with a few hills. No mud or sand however. So that would mean 3h x 10mph = 30 miles. That's also what I saw from other owners. Let's say 20 to 30 miles on average.

For me, that's more than enough since I do not go more than 2.5 hours (continuous riding time) on a typical ride. Another thing, is that there is no such things as idling while riding an EV. While stopped or going down hills, you're using absolutely no energy. Also remember that going down hills or slopes you'll get some regen to put energy back into the batteries.

Another important thing, is if you work with the Ranger EV. In that case, run time can be seen as "work time". Say you load your Ranger EV with stuff and it takes 25 minutes, then you ride 5 minutes where you need to go, you unload all the stuff in 15 minutes and finally you ride 5 minutes to go back. You've "worked" 50 minutes with your Ranger EV while only consuming 10 minutes of actual riding time! In a similar scenario, 3 hours "run time" will equal to almost 16 hours of work time!!

hope this help

 

[Sawtooth]

Yes the range of the EV is superior to any other machines we had. Very impressive piece of equipment. We like them so much we have 5 units in our hunting lease now.

 

[Sawtooth]

How long would you say those trips took? Basically, how many hours did it take to get down to 65%?

I agree. The EV by far has the best run time of any electric cart I've ever tested. But you must condition the batteries properly when they are new. They should be discharged down no lower than 40% for the first 15-20 charges. The the range will improve a lot.

 

[fourlow]

Does anyone use Lithium-Ion battery packs? I heard they are half the weight, twice the range.I really like the EV, and hope my next Ranger will be one. How big a generator would you need to charge on the go ? Camping trips would be great if you didn't need a big generator running all night.

 

[EVcruise]

Yes and 3-4 times the cost. I used my 2011 this past weekend to plant at deer camp. I have a 2000i Powerhorse generator that I bought at Northern Tools locally for 499.00. There are others depending what you want to spend. Such as Polaris and Honda version. There is on on Craigslist here for about 300.00. 2000 watts is plenty but it must b a inverter I used it but only ran it couple of hours during the 8 hours it took us to plant everything. On my GPS I traveled about 19 miles. I carried 200 pounds of seed and a extra person that weighs about 180 90% of the day