In spite of having so many electric car motors available in the market, only a few have made their presence felt as far as their usage in the electric cars is concerned. There are several criteria involved in the process of selecting an electric motor to be fitted into a homemade electric car. What are they? These factors are cost effectiveness, availability and “do it yourself factor”.

The confidence of completing the complex task of installing costly components dominates the customer to a great extent. Let us discuss about different types of motors.

1) DC Series Wound Electric Motors

The main attraction of this category is the fact that all the torque is available from a standstill. People usually make the mistake of identifying this as a special feature of electric cars. This is a wrong notion.

It is an exclusive quality of the motor. But this type of motor is not without any flaw. This is not good at climbing the hill. The Electrical Engineering Training Series reaffirms it.

According to them, the motor fails where a relatively constant speed is required under conditions of varying load. You can just imagine what it would be like when you are using your electric vehicle (EV) traveling on a hilly area. The DC series motor might not climb hills too briskly.

Running without load this motor will fail you. It will turn with enough force to damage itself without load. Traveling can become a nightmare to the concerned person in such a situation. However The Advanced DC Series Wound Motor stays at the top in popularity in the category of electric car motors followed by GE and Netgain.

2) Permanent Magnet DC Electric Motors

In spite of having a lot of drawbacks this one still ranks second in the category of electric car motors in popularity. All brushed DC motors generates electrical radio interference. The process of filtering electrical noise by windings does not take place in this motor.

The permanent magnet motors have no natural filtering effect in their design. That is why they are noisy. That is the biggest disadvantage as far as this category is concerned. Because of this a lot of people shy away from purchasing this magnet based motor. Let us discuss the third one.

3) Three Phase AC Induction Motors

Three phase AC Induction Motors is a costly affair because of the sophisticated inverters attached to it. If you take out the pricing aspect from this category they will emerge as the clear winner among all categories. It is not the normal AC power concept at the house. There is no extension cord plugged into the wall. It uses batteries like the DC motor and the inverter takes the place of the controller of a normal DC drive system.

Though the cost is on the higher side it is really a worth buy. Suppose all types of motors belong to the same price category then there will be no competition for three phase AC induction motor. That speaks volume about the quality of this product.

DIY Electric Car Conversion Guide

Are you planning to convert an old gas guzzler into a pure electric car? If you are, it is best you read up on the science of EV conversion.

Before you begin your conversion project, check out the Convert2EV ebook by Les and Jane Oke. The Okes live a green lifestyle in Canada and one way of keeping their carbon footprint small is by using pure electric car. The Convert2EV manual was written based on their experience of retrofitting conventional automobile into electric vehicle.

==> Click here to visit Convert2EV now!

One of the best DC motor to EV conversion is none other than the Warp 9 electric motor by NetGain. I have seen many DIY electric car enthusiasts, including Gavin Shoebridge of New Zealand using the Warp 9 DC electric motor for his homemade electric car.

What’s so special about the Warp 9 model? I wanted to know the answer and decided to do some research on it.

Firstly, there are actually 3 models of the Warp 9 motor. There are the Warp 9 Impulse Double Shaft, the Impulse Single Shaft and the Dbl 1.125” CE Shaft.

Now, if you want to have a strong kick from your DIY electric car, the Warp 9 Dbl 1.225” CE Shaft is the model to go with. This particular model is ideal if you are thinking of getting a small truck or a large vehicle as your EV project donor car.

One clear distinction of this model is its relatively large com bar and large GE style brushes. The com bars are more securely fixed to the arbor therefore making it less likely to lift.

Size wise, the motor is 8.25” in diameter and 16.7” in length. Power wise, it has plenty. The Dbl 1.225” CE Shaft has a one hour HP rating at 28 HP at 89 volts. More than enough torque to get your EV to burn some rubber.

However, the power offered by this Warp 9 model comes with a price. A closer look in Cloud Electric LLC inventory, an electric car parts supplier from Clarkesville Georgia, the motor is selling at $1,795.00.

Some people may think it is a bit pricy, but once you felt its power, you’ll be happy you made the investment. With so many DIY electric car enthusiasts using this model, it is no wonder it’s the best DC motor for EV conversion.

If you are thinking of getting one of this bad boys from Cloud Electric, click here.

DIY Electric Car Conversion Guide

Want to know how to get started on your own DIY electric car conversion project? If you do, check out the Convert2EV e-book by Les Oke.

Les has been driving a pure electric cars for more than 15 years and he knows the ins and outs of a homemade EV conversion project. The Convert2EV e-book is a compilation of his years of experience working with electric car. Click on the link below to get more information.

==> Click here to visit Convert2EV now!

If you are looking for a cheap electric motor for your DIY electric car conversion project, why not consider using an old electric motor from a forklift.

Where can you find this type of electric motor? Well, at forklift service workshops of course. But not all forklift electric motor can be used on a homemade electric vehicle (EV).

When you are going through old forklift electric motors, look for something weighing in between 100 to 150 lbs. If you have a heavy donor car with lots of deep cycle batteries, you’ll need a big motor to push it around. Obviously, a bigger electric motor weighs more.

Here’s a tip. Look at the core of the motor. You want to see insulation that is wine colored with yellow banding. The brush leads should still have its copper color and should not be scotched. The commutator should not have any grooves or pitted because that is a sign the motor has been over used.

Here’s another tip. Look for armatures that have a commutator with a big bar count. A large bar count means the motor can handle higher voltage. Higher voltage means more power for your electric car but it will drain your battery bank faster.

If you are looking at a series motor, have a look at its solid field leads. Make sure you are not getting a sep-ex or compound would motor that may not suit your needs.

Finally, inspect the shaft of the electric motor. This is one of the biggest issues when using a forklift motor on a homemade electric vehicle. Make sure the shaft is something which you can modify and attached to the transmission. Replacing the entire shaft is a tough procedure and it takes a lot of time.

When shopping for an electric motor, if you need to, take off the cover of the motor to have a better look at the inside. Go through all the internal parts making sure they are in good conditions.

Some time we get so excited and eager to buy the forklift electric motor for our EV project but end up getting something not suitable.

Homemade Electric Car Conversion Guide

Want to know how to convert a gas driven car to run purely on electricity? If you do, check out Gavin Shoebridge’s Electric Conversion Made Easy e-book.

Gavin is from New Zealand and is known as the ”EV Guy”. His guide will show you what are the parts and components needed for a DIY electric car conversion project. For more information, click on the link below.

==> Click here to visit Gavin’s web site now!