Polaris GEM lithium battery conversion from lead-acid

I put in fresh Chevy Volt lithium batteries into my old Polaris GEM to give it a 96 volt jolt of power
► ABOUT THE VIDEO
My "new to me" Polaris GEM had dead lead acid batteries. Instead of spending a ton of money on old school replacements I did a massive upgrade and went with used batteries from a Chevy Volt. This gave me 96volts instead of the puny 70 the GEM was used to.
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[@CorneliusGT]

Great work as always, Matt. Your craft and sense of humor keep me coming back here, and it's kind of a shame more people haven't discovered your channel yet. I had no idea I was interested in a project like this until you posted the other videos a while back. Can't wait to see the rest. High fives from Houston!

[@GMoney-B]

I like your video editing and commentating style. Makes it fun to watch!

[@practicallyIndependent]

Great video as always. Good to see you again Matt!

[@diymatt]

Thanks! Good to be back

[@goclunker]

How do you not have more views!? This channel is awesome

[@AndrewReuter]

Nice video! The fancy extra stuff looks good. And nice project! I know what you mean with the extra work of filming, especially when you’re not quite sure what you are even doing. The camera set up/composition alone is a big brain resource draw.

[@trentonemory4133]

Looking to do this conversion on my Polaris Ranger EV. How do the 2 48v lithium batteries compare in distance of use to stock lead acid? I’m struggling with this amp hours vs kWh conversion. Did you need to add a BMI?

[@CSJiGSaW08]

HI, what year was you e4? I heard on forums you need to upgrade suspension and swaybars for models between 1999-2005 i think.

[@troytroy2229]

Matt did you install a BMS ? If so I would be interested in that information.as to the model a how to you know.

[@WheelsNThangs]

We need to hit some trails!

[@MrFluffytheclown]

Where did you have your charger reprogramed? I have a 2007 Gem that I want to convert to lithium batteries.

[@diymatt]

I sent it to Inwo on the Electric car forums. He' s a solid guy who does crazy things with batteries. community.electricforum.com/u/inwo/summary

[@justindehart8518]

Hey Matt I would really like to know how u Trick the gem into thinking it was OK with the 96 votes. I'm doing the same thing to my 06 gem. If you could get back to me that would be great thank you .

[@troytroy2229]

Ya, this would help me also.

[@StarboundSound]

I too would like to know :)

[@Abdullahohio]

Nice job I really like the sample way you do it. But how did you adjust the charger to charge lithium? I’m starting the same project but I’ll be using Tesla module. Thanks in advance

[@diymatt]

I sent it to a guy to have it reprogrammed for a fee.

[@CSJiGSaW08]

@@diymatt How much was the conversion for the charger?

[@StarboundSound]

i just picked up a gem last week. what is the top voltage when its freshly charged? i am told the gem will give an error code for anything over 86 volts and not run. is that true? and does your stock electric motor overheat with the higher voltage? what is the new top speed? assuming you reprogrammed the controller to allow top speeds?@@diymatt

[@CSJiGSaW08]

I have an e2, 2009, whats the maximum volts? I thought it was 72V. You did 96!!! how does the motor and electrical not burn up!!

[@diymatt]

DC motors have a lot of overhead. You are trading power+speed for longevity however. They wont last as long.

[@12MK1234]

@@diymatt What doesnt last as long? The motor?

[@ZulkSOD]

Can you do this in 36 volt fashion?

[@diymatt]

I don't remember the exact numbers but that sounds well below the minimum in which a GEM will even turn on. I'm thinking 75 might be the minimum for the controller?

[@josephpham1145]

Did your gem throw an error since it's over 86 volts?

[@diymatt]

I used a spoof to trick the controller into thinking it was ok.

[@bjs027]

I'm interested. When is the next video?

[@diymatt]

Thanks Brad. I have one on deck, just trying to get through the edit. 👍🏼

[@oskarsilvatalavera6746]

Amigo quería preguntarte si ese gem car e825 le pongo las baterías de auto convencionales funciona igual por que no tengo plata para comprar de litio ni de gel. Gracias

[@josepolanco02]

Great project but I don’t see anything like it works

[@timhennigan4294]

Maybe some can maximize informativeness while throwing in cuteness. In passing, misjudged cute is synonymous with cringe.

[@shawnbarton3009]

Im looking to convert my GEM. Can you let me the batteries you used. Year range and how many of them and the information to make them work. I have a 2002 4 seater.

[@kenbolinger8751]

Did you convert yours to lithium yet? i just bought the same unit and would like to convert mine. they say the volt battery at 96V will not be recognized at the stock controller. is there another one that you had used?

[@glowblank17]

Good day, by chance, may you be interested in assisting in a similar circumstantial conversion?

[@diymatt]

Your best bet is to give this forum a read. Lots of good info here and many smarter people than myself frequent it. community.electricforum.com/c/gem-forum

[@glowblank17]

#diyMATT Yes, thank you. My particular GEM: 2018 Polaris GEM eM 1400 LSV.

[@jpmorgan187]

the jokes about getting shocked my EVs are so lame

[@diymatt]

Why? It's 96volts DC. Wicked dangerous.

[@jpmorgan187]

@@diymattjoke about getting shocked by touching the EV is old/trite. Obviously 96V is dangerous....

[@diymatt]

@@jpmorgan187 You are right, what was I thinking 2 1/2 years ago. I better just pull the video.

[@jpmorgan187]

@@diymatt good call