Electric Vehicle Thoughts, Questions & Answers

[Sethodine]

Since the subject of electric vehicles comes up quite often around here, I've decided to put together a thread devoted to them in particular. If you're considering buying an EV, or just want to know more about them, feel free to post your questions or thoughts here.

 

[Mel]

How about the new Mercedes AA Class? All electric without the need for recharging stations.

Can't get uplink to work. Just search for Mercedes AA Class. Easy to find.

 

[Sethodine]

How about the new Mercedes AA Class? All electric without the need for recharging stations.

Can't get uplink to work. Just search for Mercedes AA Class. Easy to find.

HAHAHA! I hadn't heard of that one before, that's great! Just 9,648 AA batteries Mercedes tweeted that it comes with a complimentary battery charger for up to 4 AA batteries at a time.

 

[Jambe]

OneDrive

 

[Mel]

OneDrive

Thanks for the link.

 

[AriLea]

Well, to make it interesting, what motor/controller/battery would you suggest at the moment, given cost and range being two priorities?
Who could do such a conversion for a viable price?
It would be nice to spec out the thing as an FYI here.

The nice thing about EV is you can have a dragster level of power and still have reasonable range, so long as you don't use it that way.
For example, a single Warp 7 motor is good for a 1400lb vehicle and about right for the Elio with batteries.

Although, I am kind of attracted to dual motor setups.

Most are interested in single wheel drive, Gary's (link) as an example. Gary has expressed interest in my Atlantric project, if I'll ever get it done!

 

[Coss]

OneDrive

LOL If you pay really close attention at the end, it pops up "Batteries Not Included"

That was great!

 

[Truett Collins]

 

[Sethodine]

View attachment 9228

Funny, I just saw somebody post this on facebook Isn't that a beautiful picture of the Gobi desert? But honestly, I could care less about how many holes China drills in their desert. I like electric cars for their performance characteristics, for their cheap fuel, and for their reduced maintenance costs. No oil changes no transmission problems reduced break pad wear no noise or grease or exhaust fumes

 

[Sethodine]

Well, to make it interesting, what motor/controller/battery would you suggest at the moment, given cost and range being two priorities?
Who could do such a conversion for a viable price?
It would be nice to spec out the thing as an FYI here.

The nice thing about EV is you can have a dragster level of power and still have reasonable range, so long as you don't use it that way.
For example, a single Warp 7 motor is good for a 1400lb vehicle and about right for the Elio with batteries.

Although, I am kind of attracted to dual motor setups.

Most are interested in single wheel drive, Gary's (link) as an example. Gary has expressed interest in my Atlantric project, if I'll ever get it done!

I like two-wheel drive, from a single motor with a reduction gear. Even for an Electric Elio conversion I would prefer this setup over the single-rear wheel drive.
Single motor = single controller = reduced complexity and cost. Dual motor can give you better performance, obviously, but in an Elio conversion I'd be more concerned with space and cost, than performance.

There are really only two options for controllers: Kelly or Curtis. Kelly's are cheap Chinese made, but they have decent quality and pretty good return/warranty policy. It seems most people like these for Motorcycle conversions rather than cars though (they tend to burn out when ran at car-sized loads). Curtis controllers seem to be the standard go-to for car conversions, and seem to be pretty reliable and trusted.

Lots of motor options! I honestly haven't researched this enough, since my first try at an EV project is almost certainly going to be with a cheap Chinese-made motor from Alibaba. I'd rather experiment with something cheap before sinking major cash into a Warp 7 or 9 (which I've read good things about).

For battery, I'd go with Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4, sometimes just called Lithium Phosphate). They can be had for the same price-per-mile as Lead Acid batteries, but they are lighter! They have a lower energy density than Lithium Ion, but they have a deeper cycle and are far less likely to catch on fire.