2019 HiSun E1 - low battery voltage warning

[Osney]

I have a HiSun Vector E1 (as they're called here in the UK) and have been running it for about a year now. It has an annoying problem that my dealer has not yet managed to fix.

On a full charge, at the start of the day, it works fine - albeit not the quickest machine in the world. I use it on my hill farm here in Scotland, and it has to climb a bit, although nothing that would leave you out of breath walking. The E1 copes with these hills no problem, until it's done about four or five miles, then it starts to struggle noticeably, and throws of the 4C53 error on the dashboard readout - low voltage according to the manual. Sometimes it does this even while the charge level indicator is showing a full charge.

It's been back to the dealers twice now, and they've replaced all of the batteries. I've emailed the UK distributor for HiSun in the hope of an answer, but as yet have had no response. My dealer is trying to get an answer from them too, before taking the machine back to try and fix it again. Meantime I can only use it for a short while each day.

I'm no electrician, so has anyone on here any idea what might be going on? It seems that it is struggling to draw enough power from the battery pack going uphill, leading to a voltage drop that trips the error code. But if that's the case, then the E1 is surely not fit for purpose.

[Howard]

Hi,  Have you resolved your problem?  We have a 2019 with now just over 100KM on it and we are having a similar problem.  I just started measuring the open voltage on the batteries and found that after fully charging overnight one of the batteries measured 6.38 volts while all the other measured 6.57-6.58.  I am monitoring the battery voltage drop overtime as we use it.  Like you, some minor "hills".  Often there are two people in the cab, but other than that we don't strain her hard.  From the beginning it seemed like the power meter dropped quickly.  I am having a hard time with the Canadian distributor so I will try the American.

I hope you found the problem.

Regards,

Howard

Warkworth, ON

Canada

[Osney]

Still working on a solution. It's back in the dealer's workshop now. Apparently of the original eight batteries, four had dead cells and were replaced the last time it was in. Their testing kit depletes the battery completely, so the process of testing them is quite time-consuming!

Testing the voltage won't tell you all that much about the batteries, you really need to do a load test. I am no expert though.

Incidentally, my buggy throws up the 4C53 error even when the power meter is showing full. I've never had it show anything less than one bar off full charge, and I wonder if that might be part of the problem. I was told to plug in and recharge at the end of each day's use, but often that was only a few miles. Deep cycle batteries are designed to be drained, and get more efficient after they've been cycled a few tens of times. Mine have never had that kind of use because at least one has been faulty. 

A shame that the Canadian distributor isn't being helpful. The batteries are made by a Canadian firm (albeit in China like everything else!), so you'd think they'd be more helpful.

I'll post updates here if I have any. Good luck getting yours sorted. 

[HiSUNFarmboy]

I have the exact same problem with very little use. I do have pretty steep hills on 300 acres but charge twice a day. I just assumed it was the standard performance of the batteries. Would be nice to upgrade to lithium and have the power to fuel the motors abilities.

I'll contact the dealer and see what they say.

[Osney]

I'd like to upgrade mine to lithium ion too, but it's going to be costly! Mind you, so's a full new set of the lead acid batteries, and they really don't seem to last long. 

[JeraldWTulsa]

I was under the impression the more you charge them the better they get. Maybe I'm dreaming I don't know.

[Osney]

13 hours ago, JeraldWTulsa said:

I was under the impression the more you charge them the better they get. Maybe I'm dreaming I don't know.

They reach their full capacity after a couple of dozen charge and discharge cycles.  My experience is that by then at least one cell has failed, causing too big a voltage drop across the whole battery array, and the vehicle struggling under heavy load - i.e. going up a steep hill. Even in good condition, I can get maybe six or eight miles out of the buggy before the batteries give out on hills. There's plenty of power still in them, but the voltage is insufficient.

[Rich K]

We In the USA have the same problem with our EV-1's. They seemed like a good idea at the time, but the big issue is the weight of the vehicle and contents is just too much of a load for the batteries and over time, a cell or two will go out making the rest of the battery pack work harder.

The biggest complaint is in the USA we have absolutely no customer support as the seller here in the United Staes is in McKinney Texas and they do not return calls or emails.

I just left my EV-1 on the side of the road where i was snow plowing with it.

I left my house with a complete full charge made it 1 half mile down the road and could not even make it back to my house.

It is very frustrating for the dealers also, as they cannot give their customers support if they cannot get HISUN in McKinney Texas to call them back or sell them parts.

You cannot buy a HISUN EV-1 replacement battery in the USA right now and the best you can do is a similar battery costing about 400 dollars with less cold cranking amps.

Polaris is coming out with an Electric ATV this year that I will take a look at but to be honest, for power and distance a gas rig is a better option.

[Osney]

I'm still looking into converting to lithium-ion. It's possible - the charger and controller are both of high quality and can be reprogrammed. It doesn't cost much more than a new set of lead-acids either. The only problem is the bloke who does it in the UK needs the buggy sent down to him - about five hundred miles away! Still, that's probably closer for me than it is for you...

[mfendley]

HISUN is now monitoring the HISUN users facebook page, and has been active in a couple of threads. Maybe you can start a conversation with them there and find a resolution.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1617178145223407

 

 

[Cougsfan]

My 2017 E1 has the original batteries.   They have a lot of hours on them.   Now that winter is upon us they  have started giving the 4C53 error on up hills not too long after charging.  I am suspecting I need new batteries and am not disappointed of the life this set of Discovery batteries gave me.   I may see if they will make it through the summer.

I am not at all dissatisfied with my E1,   Next to zero maintenance, never have to worry about filling it with gas, changing the oil, or figuring out why the engine doesn't run right.  It has never left me stranded except when I high centered it in a snow bank with nothing around to attach the winch to pull myself out,   It is especially nice in the winter when you never worry about it not starting.   Just get in it and go, any time, any where.  It is true it isn't very fast, but I am not in a hurry.  The range is probably nowhere near advertised, but I just use  mine around the farm and seldom do more than 10 or 15 miles per day.  It is also true that it has more torque than any gas unit of the same class, which comes in handy at times.   The E1 gets used more frequently than any vehicle I own.

I will probably replace the batteries with lead acid golf cart batteries as I am not worried about range, but am worried about the price of upscale, higher performance batteries.

[Osney]

I don't have a Facebook account, so can't access that page. It would presumably be more US-focused anyway, so I'd be better talking to the UK distributor. Except that they never respond!

Having replaced all of the batteries under warranty, my buggy now has two more dead, so I've just ordered a couple of replacements. Not the Discover dry cells, but an equivalent lead-acid gel battery made by Leoch. At £230 each delivered they're not cheap, but I can't get the Discover batteries anyway so what choice do I have? 

Longer term, I'll source a lithium alternative, as there's not much wrong with the buggy otherwise, and I much prefer using it to the old petrol quad bike. It's not perfect though - I've had to rebuild most of the front suspension because the bushes and steering rod ends had all worn out after a couple of thousand miles, and a rear bearing went a few months back. Easy enough to repair, but annoying all the same.

[Justine]

I have a 2021 Hisun EV... so far I've had a few issues already, in just 5 weeks. I went to use it yesterday and found it was dead. The blue light comes on in the charging system, then a green arrow and the code 8 with a yellow lightening bolt, and it isn't charging. Any ideas?

[Osney]

8 hours ago, Justine said:

I have a 2021 Hisun EV... so far I've had a few issues already, in just 5 weeks. I went to use it yesterday and found it was dead. The blue light comes on in the charging system, then a green arrow and the code 8 with a yellow lightening bolt, and it isn't charging. Any ideas?

Are you using an extension cord? They can cause problems as the charger is very sensitive to voltage drop, I'm told. Another thing that happens is the cooling fan gets stuck, although that usually only slows down the charging, not stops it altogether. 

[Justine]

I did initially use an extension cord - I'm pretty sure, but not 100%, that the green arrow didn't show. I have to u se an adapter from 15v to 10v as the 15v pin doesn't fit into any of my wall sockets and I was told I could just plug it in to any socket (not true). The people who sold it to me send me out a regular kettle/computer cable to use, but I read that using a different charging cord would void my warranty, so I purchased an adapter myself (it has a clipsal switch and is like a separate power point in a little case)

The adapter worked perfectly for a total charge from zero to hero, and a partial top-up charge. The third time I used it, yesterday, I used an extension cord as well.

After leaving it to charge for a few hours I checked again and nothing was happening (other than the blue light on the charger). I then unplugged the extension and plugged the adapter directly into the socket and turned it on again. I then got the blue light and a green light arrow on the charger, and I thought it was all good, but I checked again later and no charge.

The batteries have lost all charge, as they did when I first tried to charge it and realised I couldn't even plug it into the socket. This time I drove it approx 5 minutes twice and then not for about two weeks (all up I've only driven it 5 minutes - to the mailbox - at most twenty times since I've had it). Surely the batteries wouldn't lose all charge with so little run time? I have heard many negative comments about the batteries - these ones are dry cell Discovery. 

The vehicle came with very little paperwork, and didn't even mention where the charging unit is or how to charge it let alone more info on  it. Is there a manual available?

I'm hoping I haven't fried anything by using an extension cord, and I'm wondering if there is a way of rebooting the charging unit? My instinct says switch it of and on again, but I know not how to (or is that a silly notion?)

Cheers

Justine

 

[Osney]

The charger fitted to the vehicle is one of these - https://delta-q.com/product/ic1200-industrial-battery-charger/ and there's a list of error codes here - https://support.delta-q.com/hc/en-us/articles/360044018472-IC-RC-ICL-Series-Faults-and-Error-Codes The charger is at the front, directly behind the winch.

It's unlikely you've fried anything, but equally the batteries should last longer than that. Even when quite depleted they won't be totally dead, but more likely give a flashing '45C3' error on the dashboard lcd display for low voltage.  I'm in the UK, which judging by the plug you've shown in your photo you are not. The vehicles are slightly different depending on country - US versions don't seem to have the big red circuit breaker button below the bench seat, for instance. The vehicle should have come with a manual though.

[Justine]

Ah, yes, I am in Australia.... you say the big red button is a circuit breaker? Is it possible that I haven't put that back in properly? Would that make nothing happen? I thought it was just the button to remove the seat (its not in the manual...)  I have a manual - it doesn't show any information about the charge other than a small picture than seems to indicate that its in the glove box!

Mine is a 2021 model, so there may be a few differences... It's the middle of the night, but first thing I'll be heading out to the shed to have a look at the seat and that big red button. I removed the seat to inspect the batteries with a friend about a week ago... I may not have put it back together properly. The only code I've seen is '8' , that's what it's showing when plugged in to charge - on the charging unit. The entire vehicle is non-responsive, so no code on the dash - if the red button is a circuit breaker and I haven't put it back together properly, that would answer why!

Thank you - I'll report back when I have more info!

[Osney]

If you've got a big red button, it needs to be pulled out or the main battery is disconnected. Hitting it in is a kill switch, as it were. They're easy to knock as you climb in and out, too, but as a safety feature I'd rather have it than not. I hope that's all the problem is!

[JAG Wuppermann]

Owner of Hisun Ev1 for 12 months, located in Australia. We use the buggy for collecting on farm firewood and distributing feed to our goat herd. Average <10km per day. Followed all the recommended protocols re charging etc from when we received the buggy in June 2022. Started seeing the dreaded 45C3 warning around Christmas 2022, once or twice but as it was never constant, looked it up in the manual and after a chat with the sparky and no further problems, thought no more of it (getting hold of the dealer was more difficult!). A bit more frequently seeing the 45C3 error by April. Had the sparky out to check the batteries, voltage showing fine. By June the buggy goes 1 kilometre and dies. Finally managed to catch the the dealer, wants photos of low voltage for any warranty claim, and says the only way to see low voltage on a meter is to leave the batteries to drain or not fully charge (or similar). The vehicle won't run long enough before stopping for the batteries to be drained! As in, on for two minutes, off for five, rinse repeat for an hour, and not a single bar disappears on the battery level display. We aren't even covering a kilometre before everything hiccoughs, 45C3 appears and the buggy creeps to a halt. The sparky has been out and completely recycled all batteries twice but that's made no difference (that took the better part of ten days). Had a golf buggy maintenance guy out, he drained the batteries with a neat piece of equipment and low and behold, voltage on all batteries from mid 3s to mid 4s.

Reading in forums seems that people have replaced batteries (even after receiving warranty replacements from HiSun, where they were able to get them). Before going the replacement route, is there any other possible cause?

This is such a disappointment, and clearly the dealer knows there is an issue (asked how the range had been on the installed batteries and had we considered Li-On, which seems to be discussed a lot on threads once the 45C3 error occurs (!!)). We are fully off-grid, going back to having to drive the diesel utility (heavier on the ground, less manoeuvrability, not to much fuel type and price) is really frustrating.

Any suggestions gratefully received please. Thanks in advance.

[Cougsfan]

Everything you are saying doesn't make total sense. If your battery level indicator shows full charge then the batteries probably aren't dead, you have some other issue.  

A simple one that can happen is the emergency brake switch  breaks (they are very prone to breaking.  I have broken two.) and you are trying to drive it with the emergency brake on, or possibly the emergency brake is misadjusted or not fully released and dragging.  Normally the motor won't run if the emergency brake light is showing.   But if the switch is broken the motor can't tell that the brake is on.  The electric motor has more than enough grunt to overpower the brake and drive the unit so well you may not know that the emergency brake is engaged,  but it overloads the motor and can show a 45C3 error.   Not saying that's it but it's worth checking.

I would also suggest that you check the voltage yourself across all of the batteries with a multimeter.   I think you connect from the positive pole on the first battery to the negative pole on the last battery.   If I remember right the first battery is the rear row, center left and the last one is on the rear row, center right.   Check it when it is fully charged versus when it is "dead".   I am not totally sure but I would guess there should be about a 5 volt difference between the two readings if the batteries are truly dead.   At full charge it should be above 48 volts.

Your charger has to be set to matched to your particular style of battery.   If it set to the wrong battery type it may undercharge or overcharge the batteries.     Hopefully your dealer understands this.  From what you have said so far I am not impressed with your dealer.   Sometimes an independent  golf cart shop may be a better choice for help.  The technology of golf carts is fairly identical to the E1.   I realize they may not cover warranty items, but they might be good people talk to if your dealer is incompetent.   If you find that your dealer is incompetent or unresponsive go a step higher to the Aussie Hisun distributor for help.

Hope this helps

 

[Osney]

The problem may well be one battery dragging the rest down, or even one bad cell in one battery. My buggy will manage maybe three or four miles before throwing the error code as it struggles up hills  - a bit of a problem, since I live and work on a hill farm! I have a fairly rudimentary battery tester I got from Amazon for about £20, which measures voltage and resistance across 6v batteries. According to the manufacturer data, the resistance across the individual batteries is meant to be 1.5 (micro ohms, I think, but I'm no expert in the terminology). Most of mine read between 1.6 and 1.9 the last time I checked them, but one read 2.5 and so is probably failing or failed. Despite that, the charge meter on the dashboard always shows 'full' or one bar below.

I suspect that the batteries are simply not up to the job of supplying all the current the motor needs when going uphill. It's possible a dragging parking brake will have an effect too, although mine is broken in the 'off' position and is rubbish anyway. Li-ion is the way to go, but new buggies with that option are horribly expensive and retro-fitting is very complicated. I hope you find a solution.