Ryobi 48V Mowers

Battery Options

Battery Options

If you're not sure where to start and you just want to be pointed at which battery to get. Take a look at the Lithium Upgrade Cheatsheet.

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Background

Lead Acid

Ryobi 48V mowers came with four 12V lead acid batteries wired in series to create a 48V battery bank. The voltages here are considered nominal voltage and are not the actual voltage. The actual voltage of each battery is closer to 13.15V when it's fully charged and 52.6V for the battery bank, but it will vary depending on the batteries, their condition, and temperature. Lead acid chemistry produces 2V per cell. Again these are nominal values and the actual voltage is a little higher. Each 12V battery has six 2V cells. To produce 48V, we need 24 cells or 4 12V batteries.

LiFePO4

LiFePO4 (read this as lithium iron or lithium iron phosphate) cells are 3.2V nominal. To get a similar voltage to a 48V lead acid battery, 16 cells are wired in series for 51.2V nominal. You will sometimes see this listed as 16S LiFePO4. While the fully charged voltage ends up being a little higher than lead acid, it's still within the acceptable range and this provides two benefits. The first is that the charging voltage is almost the same as the lead acid. The second is, through most of the discharge, all the way down to 20%, the LiFePO4 will provide voltage equivalent to a fully-charged lead acid battery.

While this is all interesting, the main thing you need to know is you may see LiFePO4 batteries listed as 48V or 51.2V, sometimes both for the same battery. The 48V refers to the lead-acid equivalent nominal voltage and the 51.2V refers to the LiFePO4 nominal voltage. Just make sure the battery has 16 cells or a rated voltage of 51.2V.

What about 4 x 12V LiFePO4?

You may have seen 12V LiFePO4 batteries. These each have 4 cells in series, so putting 4 in series will get you the 16 cells you need. Since the stock batteries are 4 x 12V, you might think this is a good option. Let's look at the pros and cons.
Pros:

Cons:

As you can see, the cons outweigh the pros, so I will only be listing 48V batteries here.

Notable Deals (April 12, 2025)

I'll try to keep this updated with current deals.

50Ah Batteries

Eco-Worthy 48V 50Ah (Recommended)

Housing: Metal
Dimensions: 17.21" x 13"x 4.92" (437 mm x 333 mm x 125 mm)
Weight: 58.42 lbs (26.5 Kg)
Max Continuous Discharge: 50A
Peak Discharge Current: 200A (10 seconds)
Terminal bolt: M8
Includes: Terminal Bolts, Terminal Covers
Features: Snap-on Terminal Covers

Note: This battery is 1/2 inch too wide to fit in an RM300e without modification

This is one of my favorite batteries! It fits very well in the Ryobi ZT480 and RM480 mowers, it's not very expensive, and has proven very reliable. These batteries used to sell under both the DCHouse and Eco-Worthy brands, but DCHouse transitioned to the version listed below. Expect to pay between $350 and $400 for this battery on sale.

You can buy this battery from eBay, or from Amazon. In all cases, it will ship from the same place. Most North American shipments come from a warehouse in California. There are regular sales on eBay, usually requiring a coupon code. Amazon sometimes has coupons too.

DCHouse 48V 50Ah with Ears and Monitor (Recommended)

Housing: Metal
Dimensions: 18.11" x 13"x 4.92" (460 mm x 333 mm x 125 mm)
Weight: 58.42 lbs (26.5 Kg)
Max Continuous Discharge: 50A
Peak Discharge Current: 200A (10 seconds)
Terminal bolt: M8
Includes: Terminal Bolts, Terminal Covers
Features: Direct Connect Battery Monitor, Snap-on Terminal Covers

Note: This battery is 1/2 inch too wide to fit in an RM300e without modification

This is the same battery as the Eco-Worthy one listed above, but has mounting ears that make it a little longer and has a port for a direct connect battery monitor (included).

I'm not sure the best place to mount the battery monitor, so I just use one of the ones listed on the Battery Meter Options page. I've seen people mount the monitor on the steering column by running bolts into the plastic shroud, on the floor between their feet, and on the control panel using the existing screws.

If you're going to use the included battery monitor, then this is a good value. If not, this battery sometimes has a lower price and better availability than it's ear-less cousin, so works as a good substitute. The ears also provide more mounting options.

This battery is also available bundled with an 18A charger, but it's usually around $150 more, about the same price as the same charger on it's own. For around $100, you can get a P3648 smart charger that already has an EZGO RXV charge plug that will fit in the Ryobi port after breaking two plastic tabs in the port.
With 18A charger:

100Ah Batteries

DCHouse 48V 100Ah (Recommended)

Housing:  Plastic
Dimensions: 19.61" x 10.55"x 8.86" (498 mm x 268 mm x 225 mm)
Weight: 82.9 lbs (37.6 Kg)
Max Continuous Discharge: 200A
Peak Discharge Current: 700A (1 second) / 250A (30 seconds)
Terminal bolt: M8
Includes: Terminal Bolts,  Bluetooth Battery Meter
Features: Bluetooth

When this battery came out  at the end of Summer 2024, it lowered the price point for 100Ah batteries and has shown to be just as reliable as it's 50Ah little brother. It commonly sells for $660 on eBay with a coupon and occasionally $640 (no sales tax) with a coupon on DCHouse. 

You can buy this battery directly from DCHouse, from eBay, or from Amazon. In all cases, it will ship from the same place. Most North American shipments come from a warehouse in California. There are regular sales on eBay, usually requiring a coupon code. Less often, but usually a better deal, there are sales on DChouse's website. Amazon sometimes has coupons too.

Links:


You can also get this battery with an 18A charger. It's usually  $100 more than buying that battery alone. While this is a good charger,  it doesn't come with a charge plug and is more intended as an on-board charger for use in golf carts. I wouldn't use it on-board on a mower because it can become caked in debris and overheat. To use it externally, you can add an EZGO RXV charge plug, but it's easier to buy a different charger that  already comes with one.

With 18A charger:

Chins 48V 100Ah

Housing:  Plastic
Dimensions: 20.47" x 10.59"x 8.66" (520 mm x 269 mm x 220 mm)
Weight: 87 lbs (38.5 Kg)
Max Continuous Discharge: 100A
Peak Discharge Current: 500A (3 seconds)
Terminal bolt: M8
Includes: Terminal Bolts
Features: Bluetooth

This battery was the go to 100Ah option for conversions until the DCHouse 100AH battery came out. In fact, the price of the Chins battery has fallen noticeably since then. They have very similar specs, but the Chins tends to be a little more expensive. While you may find them on eBay or AliExpress, Amazon tends to have the best prices. Be sure to check for coupons. Expect to pay something in the low $700's. Sometimes buying it bundled with a charger is a better deal, but, like the DCHouse, these chargers are not specific to these batteries and don't come with a charge plug.

Battery Only

Battery with 10A Charger

Battery with 18A Charger and Battery Monitor


If you're looking to save a few bucks, there seems to be multiple accounts on eBay that sell used Chins batteries, likely returns. You can find one here.

RM300e Options

The RM300e differs from the other RM480 and ZT480 in that the battery tray does not slide out the back and the mower is smaller overall. Some space can be gained by cutting the angle iron the surrounded the bottom of the stock batteries. Many have reported this allowed use of the DCHouse and Chins 100Ah batteries listed above, but the fit was still tight. Below are listed smaller options that other have reported success with.

LiTime 48V 30Ah GC2 Bluetooth

Housing:  Plastic
Dimensions: 10.24" x 7.09"x 10.43" (260 mm x 180 mm x 265 mm)
Weight: 28 lbs (12.7 Kg)
Max Continuous Discharge: 80A
Peak Discharge Current: 300A (1 second)
Terminal bolt: M8
Features: Bluetooth

 
Li Time is known for quality batteries. Though they tend to be more expensive than DCHouse, they offer some sizes DCHouse doesn't. This 30Ah battery is an example. They offer it is 3 variants: standard, Bluetooth, and CAN/RS485. For your mower, you'll want the Bluetooth variant linked below.

This battery has been shipping with the BMS turned off. To wake it up, it just needs a little voltage applied to the terminals. People have has success using chargers (even 12V) and other batteries. To use the P3648 charger, you'll need to enable forced charging mode. See the P3648 secion on the Charger Options page for more details.


Li Time sells batteries on their own site, Amazon, and eBay.

LiTime 48V 60Ah

Housing:  Plastic
Dimensions: 19.57" x 9.33"x 8.58" (497 mm x 237 mm x 218 mm)
Weight: 55 lbs (25.0 Kg)
Max Continuous Discharge: 120A
Peak Discharge Current: 350A (1 second)
Terminal bolt: M8


Another example of a battery size not offered by DCHouse. This is a solid battery. Unfortunately, they do not offer it with Bluetooth.


Li Time sells batteries on their own site, Amazon, and eBay.

Cloud Energy 48V 60Ah

Housing:  Metal
Dimensions: 17.6" x 11.15"x 6.9" (447 mm x 283 mm x 175 mm)
Weight: 61.7 lbs (30.0 Kg)
Max Continuous Discharge: 200A
Peak Discharge Current: 600A (1 second)
Terminal bolt: M8
Includes: Terminal Bolts, 20A  Charger, Battery Monitor, Mounting Strap
Features: Bluetooth


While I like this battery design, but it is expensive for it's size and only available in a kit.

You can purchase this kit on Amazon.

Self-Heating Options

If you live in a very cold climate, use your mower as a snow plow, and store it in an unheated space, you may want to consider a self-heating battery.

Normally a LiFePO4 battery needs to be above 32 F / 0 C to charge. A self-heating battery has a resistive heating pad built into the battery. When the charger is connected below 32 F / 0 F, that battery will use power from the charger to heat the battery to a safe charging temperature before it begins charging.

This does not effect the operating temperature of the battery, which is -4 F / -20 C, however if you charge your battery before operating it, this will preheat the battery to a safe operating temperature.

With most Bluetooth-enabled models, you can monitor the internal temperature of the battery.

Enjoybot 48V 65AH

Housing:  Plastic
Dimensions: 20.5" x 9.4"x 8.58" (521 mm x 239 mm x 218 mm)
Weight: 55 lbs (25.0 Kg)
Max Continuous Discharge: 120A
Peak Discharge Current: 500A (3-5 Seconds)
Terminal bolt: M8
Features: Bluetooth, Self-Heating

Enjoybot batteries tend to be on the expensive side, but they are well-regarded. This battery will work in the RM300 and RM480. Given the price, I only recommend this battery if you use your mower in the winter and charge in a location that regularly goes below freezing.

Enjoybot sells batteries on their own site and Amazon