Ryobi RM480e 48v Mower Tesla battery replacement

[@thatdustinleblanc]

I've wanted one of these mowers for a couple years now. We've been making due with a little Kobalt 80v push mower since we bought the house and the 3/4 acre we have is really tough to keep up with using a 21" push mower. We actually live just up the road from you guys and I am always jealous when I drive by and see all your electric gear. Hope the project comes together in the end!

[@Ginjaninja0051]

I just bought this mower brand new. No issues with it, but if I run into a battery or charger issue I'm going to keep following this build and your progress on it to do this to mine. I like.bullet proofing my stuff and overbuilding.

[@JamesKlafehn]

Glad you liked the video! I didnt get many views on this series so I didnt film the rest. It worked but I have since sold the mower.

[@BobbyBleacher]

@@JamesKlafehn Do you have a write up on how you went about getting the rest of it to work? I have a few spare Tesla batteries that I want to use for my conversion. How did you get the drive motors to work? What did you end up using for a BMS? What did you use for a power/battery SoC indicator replacement?

[@Stig007]

Finally I've been waiting for somebody to do this since I bought my zero turn ryobi. I don't have the funds or the knowledge to do this confidently lol

[@DougZbikowski]

I feel like within a year someone is going to come out with an actual conversion kit for these...

[@BenjaminNelsonX]

It will be interesting to see how things work with the new drive motor controller. You probably want to slap a heat sink on it, and see about getting temperatures or thermal images of it if you can after running it for a while. I like the "drawer-slide" mount of the batteries in the box.

[@chrisE815]

I showed my buddy this video because he thinks he may have a bad drive controller. He has a technicians manual from Ryobi but could you show the testing procedure in your next video? Also, curious where you're going to source the new controller and how much it costs.

[@koreymayo8884]

How much did all that cost?

[@moestrei]

The Tesla modules are more like 22V not 24V. There could be issues with low voltage cut out. They are 5.3kWh each, so together more than double the original capacity. EV high voltage cables are shielded to protect people from electromagnetic and electrostatic fields, not Rf. The motor controller has an interlock solid state relay under the seat with blue, yellow and red cables. Directly connecting red and yellow (sparks!) bypasses any problems there. What motor controller did you end up using?

[@stoneyswolf]

I thought my batteries were bad when my mower shut down then I realized it was out of gas.😂

[@steveharbin5650]

What chemistry do the Tesla batteries use- Lithium polymer? Will the OEM charger support that chemistry?

[@MobilityFL]

Probably not. The standard charger is 48 volts constant voltage...

[@2jhskelton]

What did you replace the drive motor controller with?

[@capt_ramius]

“I thought it was just going to be a quick afternoon project” … three trips to Home Depot later 😂😂

[@JamesKlafehn]

Yup, that is exactly how it goes. lol

[@chrisE815]

30 trips*

[@simonmartinez2339]

Hey Jim, I’m also a fellow lightning owner love your Chanel. And have same ryobi mower can you tell me what motor controller you went with . Mine just went out

[@JamesKlafehn]

I think it was a Curtis. Its been a while since I messed around with it. Ill have to search and see if I have any info about it.

[@firemom233]

I’ve got bad batteries. Still work but don’t fully charge anymore. How much do the Tesla batteries cost anyway? Not that I could do it myself, but I drive a Bolt so I know how good these things are! I can’t wait to see the finished product!

[@JamesKlafehn]

They run around $900 each.

[@JDeNova007]

Wow, pretty cool. I have that mower, bought used, and after 1 season it doesn't want to move the wheels consistently. Sometimes I can get it to move for a few seconds, but eventually it just drops all power to the wheels until I power cycle the mower; then it may or may not move again. Same issue as yours where EVERYTHING works, but it wont move forward or back. I tested the Accelerator, brake, seat switch, FNR toggle switch, drive controller; and all tested properly. Any thoughts that might help me? Thanks

[@goodcitizen4219]

Could you do a video on installing the drive controller?

[@JamesKlafehn]

It all worked great. Views were really low so I didnt spend the time to make any more videos. It takes a lot of time to film, edit and upload and it didnt seem like people cared. But it all came out great. I have since sold it though haha

[@MobilityFL]

@@JamesKlafehn did the charger worked?

[@ocrun6765]

Did you figure out why the blades spun but the wheel motor would not?

[@likes-yv3lj]

Holy cow you have 10k subs now! Good job I remember talking to you when you had less than 20! Do yo remember me? We complained about jehus channel

[@JamesKlafehn]

Welcome back! Of course I remember you! We chatted a lot in my comment sections. Thanks for coming back!

[@daverazzi7411]

I'm sick of my one year old Ryobi 42 in. 100 Ah Battery Electric Riding Zero Turn Mower. Wont charge even though batteries are new. Any advice on how to possibly recoup some money by getting rid of it???

[@stoneyswolf]

Burn your garage down with the mower inside. Just make sure you have homeowners insurance first lol .

[@ocrun6765]

Did you upgrade the drive controller? A lot of the components Ryobi uses on this rig are prone to failure.

[@InternetDude]

Did you ever have a key fob for your R4P replaced?

[@JamesKlafehn]

No I dont think my issues are with the keyfob. It works fine at the passenger door. Drivers door it rarely works, only when my hands are empty..... Rear door sometimes has issues.