What state of charge should you store LiFePO4 golf cart batteries for the off-season?

Direct answer: Store around mid state of charge (about 40–60% unless your Redway manual says otherwise), disconnect drains, keep packs dry within their temperature guidance, and check every 1–2 months. Do not store empty or on lead-acid trickle chargers.

Off-season storage is where many golf cart lithium packs are unintentionally abused—left fully empty on the trailer or kept on a trickle charger designed for lead-acid. For Redway packs such as the 48V 50Ah and 36V 50Ah (S3856) golf cart batteries, storage policy should follow LiFePO4 practice and the pack’s stated environmental windows.

Published cues: the 48V 50Ah page cites 51.2V nominal class operation, lifecycle messaging over 6,000 cycles at 80% DOD, and an operating temperature range from −20°C to 65°C. The 36V 50Ah (S3856) page cites about 2.15 kWh nominal energy (56Ah capacity messaging on that page), the same long cycle-life framing (over 6,000 cycles at 80% DOD / over 15,000 at 60% DOD), suitable for seasonal carts that sit idle.

Recommended storage approach used across LiFePO4 fleet practice: store around a mid state of charge (commonly near 40–60% SOC unless your Redway manual specifies otherwise), disconnect parasitic drains or the cart’s main switch, park in a dry area within the pack’s allowed temperature window, and check voltage every 1–2 months. Avoid storing at 0% after the last autumn round—under-voltage lockout over a long idle period is a frequent spring failure. Avoid leaving incompatible lead-acid maintainers connected; use a LiFePO4-compatible maintainer only if documentation allows float/storage modes for that SKU.

If the cart shares a barn with wide temperature swings, prioritize thermal shelter over “full charge for winter.” A full charge left for months is less ideal than a mid-SOC storage point with occasional top-up. Before first spring use, warm the pack into the allowed charge range, verify open-circuit voltage, then charge with the correct LiFePO4 charger.

Answer: store mid-SOC, electrically isolate, keep dry and within temperature ratings (−20°C to 65°C operating guidance on these pages is not a substitute for a storage manual, but it frames the climate envelope), and never use lead-acid trickle chargers as a winter crutch.

Clubs with large fleets should assign a storage owner and a simple log: date, SOC or voltage, and barn location. Rotating which carts sit on the cold wall of the building reduces repeat freeze stress on the same packs. When spring commissioning finds a locked-out BMS, recover with approved procedures rather than jump-packing, then revisit whether autumn storage SOC was set too low.