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If you’d like to convert power wheels to lithium battery, try the battery options in this guide
When it comes to most power wheels, Lithium batteries are a better option than the stock SLA batteries.
To be clear, converting to Lithium batteries often gives the power wheels increased runtime (More run time= more fun time for the kids).
Also, they give the Power wheels more pep under load and you pick up a few extra MPHs on the top end.
They also don’t seem to deteriorate as quickly as the stock SLA battery.
Below are the lithium batteries you can go for if you wish to convert your kid’s power wheels to lithium battery..
Convert power wheels to lithium battery – Excellent Lithium batteries to use
LIPO battery for power wheels (LIPO stands for Lithium Polymer and 4S means there are 4 cells in the battery in a Series)
You’ll need a 4s lipo battery (ideally 2 batteries for more run time -with at least 5000mah and with appropriate connectors to link the batteries together), a parallel connector with your specific electrical connectors (many folks like XT90 connectors), 2 low voltage Lipo alarms (to run on each battery), and then you’ll need a soldering kit.
Of course, the batteries need to be connected in parallel (You certainly want them all to be the same voltage and MAH).
Don’t forget that connecting them in a series could kill the motor and speed controller the minute you plug in after you step up the voltage.
You’ll also need to buy a Lipo battery charger (obviously, the stock charger won’t work).
With regards to charge time, that depends on the charger you pick and there are quite many to pick from.
For example, if you have the duo sport pro charger, then you can charge 2 lipos at 6amps each max (this would be safe for these) so you will have 2 full lipos in about 1 hour.
Bear in mind that you can find all this stuff on Amazon.
Be sure to take care of Lipo batteries correctly- They have to be stored, charged, and discharged in specific ways otherwise they can be damaged or even catch fire and burn your house down.
Just so you know, Lipo batteries are generally charged at 1c which means the charge rate = the capacity.
So I’d charge my 5000mah lipos at 5 amps, a 3500mah lipo at 3.5 amps, and so on.
That said, there are some lipos that can be charged at 2c or higher depending on the manufacturer rating, but charging at 1c generally extends the life of the cells in a Lipo battery.
One last thing: Charging at 1c usually takes around an hour to charge if your charger is up to the task (More expensive chargers can charge at a higher rate)
To point you in the right direction, here is a good Video showing how to convert power wheels to Lipo batteries..
Convert power wheels to 20v Dewalt Battery
Another popular alternative is Dewalt 20V Lithium batteries– You know..the premium type used in a drill.
It works like a champ and you’ll be very happy- the battery pack lasts a lot longer, it’s faster, and there will be a noticeable power boost.
But you need to purchase a suitable Dewalt 20v power wheels adapter (or else your 20v power wheels battery won’t fit).
Which brings me to this adapter for Dewalt 20v battery- it works great for most power wheels mods to 20v drill battery.
The other option we recommend is this power wheels adaptor for 20v dewalt battery (Here is a good option as well for those looking for Peg Perego Dewalt battery adapter)
In addition, you want this motor controller/regulator to go between your 20v Dewalt battery and the power wheels (the motor controller limits voltage and is worth having, unless you want your kids to go the full 20v all the time).
Also, adding 30 Amp inline Fuse is necessary for safety in case of a short-circuit or some other problem.
Now, low voltage protection cutoff is important too for Lithium batteries so you can also order this low voltage disconnect switch/module and add it to the set-up (If Lithium batteries drain to very low, they may not pick up charge again so this can be a life-saver).
With respect to instructions, I have seen some excellent power wheels Dewalt battery conversion Video tutorials so search YouTube for a step-by-step 20v Dewalt power wheels conversion demonstration video.
Quick Tip:
If you’ll go this route, you might need to upgrade the motors to be safe. That’s because most power wheels motors are 12v so can they can’t handle 20v without frying.
The best approach is to add bigger 775 motors with metal gear boxes –they’re a bit expensive but they work great (this article lists the 775 motors we recommend).
Convert power wheels to lithium battery – use Milwaukee drill battery in place of Dewalt battery
This works almost like the Dewalt battery conversion except that you’ll be using the Milwaukee drill battery.
You simply take a Milwaukee M18 drill battery and hook it up to your power wheels.
You essentially need the same set of accessories including a Low Voltage Battery Cut-off Module, DC Motor Speed controller/Regulator, and an inline fuse.
Again you will find tons of YouTube step-by-step videos showing exactly how the modification should be done.
Convert power wheels to lithium battery – alternative options
You can as well try out power wheels lithium battery conversion kits (these come ready and are basically plug and play).
If you’d like to pursue that approach, we recommend the All-in-1 Power Wheels DeWalt 20V Lithium Battery Mod Kit.
The power wheels 20v conversion kit is made of a Battery Adapter (with Fuse), Low Voltage Protector, and PWM Speed Controller (You buy the DeWalt 20V Lithium Battery separately).
That’s all for now.
Good luck with your project and stay safe!
ALSO READ:
Power wheels battery upgrade 24v: Recommended motors
Power wheels 12v battery alternative