Hisun Sector e1 Battery replacement: any tips?

[Jamie Wilson]

On 2/22/2025 at 10:23 AM, Redfox said:

Is it necessary to change the 12v battery to lithium as well? Does the converter that converts 48v to 12v have to be changed out to?

No I left it alone. 

[Jamie Wilson]

11 hours ago, Redfox said:

On 5/16/2024 at 2:10 PM, Jamie Wilson said:

Wanted to give my info here so its documented and others know. I have had issues since day one with my Discover batteries on my Sector E1. The issue was the dealer i purchased it from was 3 hours away and both them and Hisun said i would need to bring it back to figure it out. after 3 years almost I was so tired of the low voltage errors "45C3" that i decided to replace the batteries. It was so much money and so many different stories/opinions I wasn't sure what direction to go. Last min i found Litime.com they had 51.2v 30Ah Lithium batteries. I reached out and they said they would be a direct replacement for the Discover batteries. So I ordered them. They emailed me back and as I found on the interwebs - contradicting information they said "These will not work, please deny the shipment or use for another project. The HP of your UTV is too much". Well I didn't listen and i accepted the shipment. Yesterday i took out my 8 Discover and replaced them with 4 51.2v 30Ah LiTime batteries. I installed them in parallel, I did an algorithm update on the Delta iQ 1200 using profile 233 (Closest settings to the LiTime Battery). and BOOM! it worked, and it worked like NEVER before! its so fast, two grown adults up the hill and hardly any drop, but best part at 50% charge it was showing ZERO errors. I would estimate the cart is about 2" taller now too b/c of the battery weight removed. I will update in a few weeks how they are doing. but as of now i would totally recommend and they were like $499 a battery b/c they have a sale currently taking 100 off each battery.           Hey Jamie  have you had any problems with the conversion to LiTime 4 pack 48v 30ah batteries. Did the battery BMS work well with the Delta Q charger?

I have had zero issues! I need to get the battery meter in the buggy updated to ready the battery level correctly but the Bluetooth app works perfect. I have way more range and so much faster. No low voltage errors. 

[GNFO]

On 2/27/2025 at 6:48 AM, GNFO said:

EVSupport has a better idea of the specifics, but your second sentence is essentially correct. There is a 12V system and a 48V system.  How you get to 48V doesn't matter:  8 Discover lead batteries in series, two 24V batteries in series, or even just a single 48V lithium battery, it doesn't matter from just the standpoint of getting to 48V.  (Total storage and available continuous amps for maximum motor power is a different matter of course). That 48V is used for the motor controller and runs the DC-DC converter for topping off the 12V battery. As I mentioned, I didn't change my 12V battery when I converted, and that was two years ago.  I'll probably check the 12V battery health like EVSupport mentions, but everything has been working just fine so far.

Thanks to EVSupport for the suggestion to check the 12V battery.  I haven't had any problems with any of the 12V accessories including the winch, but out of curiosity I unplugged the UTV and turned off the main pack batteries (they have an on/off button, the US version doesn't have the "big red button" disconnect.)  By the end of the day the 12V battery was reading 6V.  The moment I turned the main pack back on I could tell it was charging the 12V battery, so the fact that I leave the UTV plugged in was masking the declining state of the 12V battery.

Briefly looked for a lithium replacement because of the longer lifespan, but couldn't find one that I was sure would work with the charging designed for the lead AGM battery. So just replacing with the same.

[EVSupport]

You have just found your Duff 12v , its not a good idea to use a li 12v as they have a simple BMS inside that will simply cut off if too high a voltage, the DC to DC will then see open circuit. Not sure they will like that much, but constant disconnection and re connection isnt ideal. For what a 12v battery costs and perhaps 3 years life, I dont see the Li units as being of any value as a replacement.

[Redfox]

On 3/2/2025 at 8:01 PM, Jamie Wilson said:

I have had zero issues! I need to get the battery meter in the buggy updated to ready the battery level correctly but the Bluetooth app works perfect. I have way more range and so much faster. No low voltage errors. 

 

On 3/2/2025 at 8:01 PM, Jamie Wilson said:

I have had zero issues! I need to get the battery meter in the buggy updated to ready the battery level correctly but the Bluetooth app works perfect. I have way more range and so much faster. No low voltage errors. 

LiTime has dropped the price on the 49v 30ah battery to $369. That’s what I just paid 

[hdtran]

On 3/2/2025 at 12:41 PM, chris murray said:

ok here is my install 2018 Hisun Sector E1 had 8 AGM 6 volts in it and went with 4 48v Epoch Lithiums. The new charger is installed where the delta Q was and installed the new gauge on the best possible spot. charger port where the gas filler would be.

Chris Murray, thanks for the photos!! These are great! A few questions, as I intend to attempt a similar project in the next year or two (I'd keep the DeltaQ charger and leave it where it is):

(a) Did you move the charging port from "inside the glove box" to "where the gas cap would be"?

(b) How difficult is it to remove the dashboard panel to put in the battery gauge?

(c) Same question for the various panels in front of the bench seat and the front driveshaft tunnel?

(d) On a level of mechanical (and electrical) difficulty, where (1) is "changing the oil in a car" and (5) is "replacing drum brakes in a car"; for electrical, (1) is "installing/replacing a 120V outlet without electrocuting yourself" and (5) is "adding an electrical subpanel to your house without electrocuting yourself", how would you rate the difficulty of your overall removal of original batteries and installation of new batteries?

Thanks!!

[Redfox]

On 6/25/2024 at 4:44 PM, Jamie Wilson said:

51.2V 30Ah is the ones i purchased with Bluetooth.

What size wire is required to connect the 4 48v 30ah battery together?  What size wire is required to connect batteries to the battery charger? For the perfect balance. Thank you for your advice 

[GNFO]

18 minutes ago, Redfox said:

What size wire is required to connect the 4 48v 30ah battery together?  What size wire is required to connect batteries to the battery charger? For the perfect balance. Thank you for your advice 

I used 1/0 AWG cables between the batteries and kept the final cables that connected the batteries to the motor controller.  I was originally going to use a busbar like Chris Murry shows, but my battery maker specifically showed their batteries connected in parallel directly with each other in their videos, so I assumed they had designed them to handle it that way. A busbar requires longer cable runs (and therefore thicker to reduce losses).  There's nothing wrong with that and I'm sure there are good arguments for it but I chose not to mess with the stiffer cables and added installation.  Haven't had any issues in two years.

FYI, I installed the charging port like Chris Murry did, but put it on the forward passenger side of the UTV since that's close to the onboard charger and I didn't have to run a wire through the drive shaft tunnel. I had actually done that first when I bought the UTV, before I even thought about switching to lithium batteries.

[Redfox]

25 minutes ago, GNFO said:

I used 1/0 AWG cables between the batteries and kept the final cables that connected the batteries to the motor controller.  I was originally going to use a busbar like Chris Murry shows, but my battery maker specifically showed their batteries connected in parallel directly with each other in their videos, so I assumed they had designed them to handle it that way. A busbar requires longer cable runs (and therefore thicker to reduce losses).  There's nothing wrong with that and I'm sure there are good arguments for it but I chose not to mess with the stiffer cables and added installation.  Haven't had any issues in two years.

FYI, I installed the charging port like Chris Murry did, but put it on the forward passenger side of the UTV since that's close to the onboard charger and I didn't have to run a wire through the drive shaft tunnel. I had actually done that first when I bought the UTV, before I even thought about switching to lithium batteries.

Great info on the battery cables.  You know what size wire to use for connecting the battery charger to achieve a balanced battery pack?

[GNFO]

2 minutes ago, Redfox said:

Great info on the battery cables.  You know what size wire to use for connecting the battery charger to achieve a balanced battery pack?

Keep in mind I'm not an electrician. According to some of the guides I've seen, they would actually recommend thicker than 4/0, but that seemed excessive for the short runs and the fact that the existing cables were even thinner. The advantage of the busbar is that you could have thinner cables running from each battery and a thicker cable to the motor controller, but again my 1/0 cables seemed thicker than what the UTV even came with.  I'm sure EVSupport has better information and can correct me.

For the charger, I didn't do anything. Since my batteries have a CANbus connection to enable BMS self balancing between themselves, I just let them charge as installed off of the Delta-Q charger through the sevcon.

[Redfox]

2 hours ago, GNFO said:

Keep in mind I'm not an electrician. According to some of the guides I've seen, they would actually recommend thicker than 4/0, but that seemed excessive for the short runs and the fact that the existing cables were even thinner. The advantage of the busbar is that you could have thinner cables running from each battery and a thicker cable to the motor controller, but again my 1/0 cables seemed thicker than what the UTV even came with.  I'm sure EVSupport has better information and can correct me.

For the charger, I didn't do anything. Since my batteries have a CANbus connection to enable BMS self balancing between themselves, I just let them charge as installed off of the Delta-Q charger through the sevcon.

That’s what I needed to know. Thanks 

[hdtran]

For those of you contemplating swapping out your batteries, I found this video on youtube. I like that he goes into how to remove various nuts-and-bolts to remove the old batteries.

 

[GNFO]

12 hours ago, hdtran said:

For those of you contemplating swapping out your batteries, I found this video on youtube. I like that he goes into how to remove various nuts-and-bolts to remove the old batteries.

 

It's always good to see how someone else chose to do it, but I disagree with the way he worded his reasoning for changing the onboard charger.  Yes, you don't want to use the existing charging profile of the Delta-Q charger, but changing the profile is very easy if you have the right version file.  It just requires a USB stick and the instructions and absolutely does not require removing it from the UTV.  The manufacturer of the batteries I used (ReLion) sent me the files for the Delta-Q with a charging profile they had specifically made for them.  No point in changing out a perfectly good (and already installed) charger if you don't have to.  Others on this very long thread have used other profiles as well.

[Gorj]

Those who have converted to lithium batteries and not using the Delta IQ charger, how are you charging your 12 volt battery?

[GNFO]

27 minutes ago, Gorj said:

Those who have converted to lithium batteries and not using the Delta IQ charger, how are you charging your 12 volt battery?

I use the Delta Q, but as I understand it, the charger shouldn't matter. The 12V gets topped off from a DC to DC converter straight off the 48V batteries. 

[Gorj]

50 minutes ago, GNFO said:

I use the Delta Q, but as I understand it, the charger shouldn't matter. The 12V gets topped off from a DC to DC converter straight off the 48V batteries. 

A few years ago my Delta Q charger stopped working. I replaced it with a generic golf cart charger which is still working. But when I did that the 12 volt battery stopped charging and I had to add a separate 12 volt charger. It could have been that the DC to DC converter went out too, but I had a 12 charger and it was an easy install. Its AC side is connected to the AC of the 48 volt charger so that both are charging when plugged in. To get the power  cord out of the glovebox I installed a covered male 110 volt socket on the side below the windshield for easy plug-in charging like on my EV.

[GNFO]

9 hours ago, Gorj said:

A few years ago my Delta Q charger stopped working. I replaced it with a generic golf cart charger which is still working. But when I did that the 12 volt battery stopped charging and I had to add a separate 12 volt charger. It could have been that the DC to DC converter went out too, but I had a 12 charger and it was an easy install. Its AC side is connected to the AC of the 48 volt charger so that both are charging when plugged in. To get the power  cord out of the glovebox I installed a covered male 110 volt socket on the side below the windshield for easy plug-in charging like on my EV.

Yes. Looking at the wiring diagram, how the main batteries are charged shouldn't matter, the 12V is charged off the main pack.  Which would just make sense since that little 12V wouldn't run the headlights for very long without topping off while driving and I'm fairly certain the Delta Q isn't powered unless plugged in to AC.  When I was checking my 12V battery health, I also recall checking the 12V input when not plugged in and the "ignition" off and it was still live as long as the 48V batteries were on.  Did you check the fuse on the positive line from the DC to DC converter to the 12V battery?  That's the only other thing I can think of that could have failed.

[Gorj]

15 minutes ago, GNFO said:

Yes. Looking at the wiring diagram, how the main batteries are charged shouldn't matter, the 12V is charged off the main pack.  Which would just make sense since that little 12V wouldn't run the headlights for very long without topping off while driving and I'm fairly certain the Delta Q isn't powered unless plugged in to AC.  When I was checking my 12V battery health, I also recall checking the 12V input when not plugged in and the "ignition" off and it was still live as long as the 48V batteries were on.  Did you check the fuse on the positive line from the DC to DC converter to the 12V battery?  That's the only other thing I can think of that could have failed.

I did check that fuse. I think what ever knocked out the Delta Q also took out the DC to DC device.  I was curious what may have happened to the Delta Q, so I opened it up - it is really sealed well - and found a major short on its printed circuit board. Fortunately the motor controller had no issues!

[EVSupport]

DC to DC is separate and always running. the connections are under the drivers backside cable tied to the cross bar. Deltq ic1200 may or may not have a fuse . It is connected to the pack at the main contactor live side.  We always add a maxifuse holder , just so they dont get hot and melt owing to the length of time the current passes during charge. If you are in the UK or Europe I can supply DC to DC but I wont realistically ship to the US now. You would pay a huge extra cost and the cost of shipping has gone up. Unfortunately all of the DC to DC are made in China, so you will have to pay the full Chinese tariff added to the price you pay and of course you then pay any sales tax on top of the tariffs as well. If they still have pre tariff parts in stock you may find the DC to DC from Hisun to be a reasonable cost.

 

[mark walkom]

On 3/3/2025 at 6:41 AM, chris murray said:

ok here is my install 2018 Hisun Sector E1 had 8 AGM 6 volts in it and went with 4 48v Epoch Lithiums. The new charger is installed where the delta Q was and installed the new gauge on the best possible spot. charger port where the gas filler would be.

this is excellent, thanks for sharing the pics as well

 

pity the batteries are a bit more expensive here in au as that system is amazing

[spp1]

On 7/26/2024 at 8:33 PM, Osney said:

The lead acid Discover batteries in my buggy were getting so bad I could barely do four miles before it ground to a halt. Dealer wanted £1600 for a replacement set, and going down the LiTime or Relion route was going to be just as pricey if not more so, and UK availability isn't good. Instead, I bought a couple of nominal 22v battery modules from a crashed Peugeot E208 for £200 each, wired them up in series and reprogrammed the charger to a basic lithium ion setting. It works fine, and with the two modules would easily do 15-20 miles before the meter on the dash goes down to three bars. Fully charged, the two modules together give about 52v, which is plenty to make the buggy zip along. It worked so well I bought another two modules to put in parallel and double the capacity. As yet, I've not sorted out any battery management system, which I know is a risk. It's on the list of things to do - I'd be happier charging to 80% than 100% every time - but the modules have very basic BMS built into them which gives some protection and I do all my charging outside just in case. So far, the batteries haven't even felt warm either in charging or discharging.

I've had to do a bit of work on the underside and rear of the tub to mount the batteries and make it more mud-proof and there's room for improvement there. Overall, I'm very happy at having saved £800 and made the machine much more usable. The modules weigh 12.5kg each too, so I reckon I've shaved about 230kg off the weight of the vehicle. I might have to put a little extra weight back in as it spins the back wheels on steep grassy slopes a bit now. Not helped by the 4wd not working at the moment - another thing to fix.

Hi, where in the UK did you source crashed Peugeot E208 batteries?  I'm looking to replace mine at a sensible price and the option in the UK are limited. 

[EV_UTV]

Hey, I have upgraded mine recently and used alot of the recommendations made here so thanks to all.   

I also went with the Big Battery Eagle 2's. Gen 1's, 51.2v 60Ah x 2 in parallel.   About 6.0kWh total.   I found the batteries through tech direct on their ebay store and they were well priced and warranty provided.  Install was just as described above.    They were same width as old batteries so fit nicely on inboard trays.   My batteries came with short metal straps and I used these as hold downs for batteries with one end attached to threaded hole in battery and other to battery tray with self tapping screws.    Ill monitor this and add something more if needed.   

I kept the DeltaQ charger and loaded it with profile 233 but I am currently only charging it with solar panels and going direct to batteries.   I installed bus bars to facilitate easy connection of a solar charging circuit  and use a Victron charge controller connected to three 540W panels.   I'm at an off-grid place so I had these larger panels available.   This solar method seems to be way more efficient than using the charger.  In just over an hour on a sunny day I get close to 1.5kWh or 25% of capacity.   

A future plan is to mount a small panel on the E1 so it charges all of the time.   

I added a battery meter that I got from bigbattery.com and mounted it in the dash.   The location just above the charging lights works well as nothing behind the dash here and easy access for wiring from hood compartment.  

So far the new batteries work great.   No more error messages when I go up hills and speed has increased alot. 

[mark walkom]

I had a loose connection on one of the discovery batteries which melted and stopped the entire buggy, so I took the dice and ordered 4 of these https://ebay.us/m/2yFxar, 12v 100ah humsienk which had decent reviews online and is (at time of writing) 15% off

turns out they fit nearly perfectly into the existing spots, they're just a bit shorter than the originals (hence the blocks of wood under the brackets), which means I can put a other 4 in if I really need more capacity

I was able to reuse the cables and I replaced the 12v at the same time and relocated it into the extra space. one super handy side benefit is I can now very easily get to the drive train to grease it

this has been a fantastic change, it's heaps lighter and the power is just constant now. the last thing I need to do is get a better gauge (maybe this one https://au.renogy.com/500a-battery-monitor/), update the charger profile and maybe install bus bars for the 12v and replace the brackets with straps

[Gorj]

That is almost exactly like my set up except I did not replace the small 12 volt battery because it was new about 6 months ago. But I might consider moving it up like you did. The next time I replace it, I will go with a lithium battery. I do not think you would see any advantage with buss bars between the batteries because the original cables are a very heavy gauge. I had installed a voltage gauge several years ago and it works great for monitoring the batteries.

[mark walkom]

the bus bars would be for the 12v system, as I've got a set of lights, a USB charger and another plug for other things (eg my weed sprayer pump) that I might connect adhoc

[Gorj]

A couple of buss bars make sense. What I did for all the 12 volt things is I ran a heavy cable from the battery to under the hood and connected everything there through a fuse panel.

[mark walkom]

for anyone following along, you can find information about different charger profiles for the onboard one right here - https://support.delta-q.com/hc/en-us/articles/14188856858893-Choosing-an-Algorithm-for-a-Lithium-Battery

[Gorj]

Thanks for the information. My Delta Q charger stopped working about a year go. I replaced it with a smart charger.

[Udo from G-Saarland]

Sunny greetings from to hot SW-germany!

After converting my E1 to lithium-1-pack-48V-105Ah (ebay "Ingeosolly") some malfuncions appeared:

Change of direction is no longer displayed correctly (always green N) | Speed level (H/M/L) is no longer displayed correctly (always green H) | battery-capacity/motor-temperatur indicator show no bars | No display of rpm and km/h. And especially annoying: reversing light does not light up when reversing. No error code is displayed.

Has anybody here an idea how to reset the ECU and/or the Sevcon? 

Or any idea to solve my problem?

Apart from this problem the car likes very much the small lithium-pack!

[Gorj]

All of those issues you mentioned are run off the small 12 volt battery and have nothing to do with the drive battery. Did you reprogram the charger for the lithium battery?   I would check your 12 volt system. Possibly you have lost your 12 volt ground.  Good luck!