High Torque Electric Motor For DIY Electric Car
Some electric car enthusiasts, when they are building a Do It Yourself (DIY) electric car, they are think of a speedy electric vehicle (EV). Who would want to drive an electric golf cart on the road? I would choose a Tesla Roadster anytime. Unfortunately, the high end and high priced EV is beyond my reach. The only alternative is to convert a gas driven car to electric, while at the same time, install a bad ass torque spewing electric motor.
If you are looking for a high torque electric motor, should you choose a DC or AC motor? What is a reasonable priced maximum torque for a DC electric motor? If you have the budget, take a look at WarP 13″ monster electric motor. It costs about $5000 and it can kick out 2000 horsepower! Simply awesome.
The WarP 13″ diameter series wound DC Motor is a high performance motor used in some racing Electric Vehicles and could be used in very large vehicle. You can’t beat a series wound DC motor for pure low-rpm torque. On the other hand, AC motors can run at very high rpm and geared down to make torque.
Both DC and AC motors have their advantages and disadvantages. The DC motor is usually cheaper and easier to control. The AC motor has a much more complex controller adding to the cost. DC motors have brushes and a commutator to wear out. The AC does not. If you like to hum of an electric car, DC motors do sound better.
If one style of electric motor had any serious advantage over another, we wouldn’t be scratching our head trying to figure out which one we should use for our DIY electric car. An example of this would be the Permanent Magnet (PM) motors. It is quite expensive to use a 13″ PM motor for use in an EV. That’s why there are series wound and AC motors.
One other advantage of AC motors is that a lot of them have a liquid cooling system. The more amps you throw in a motor the hotter it will get, but an AC is more efficient so you don’t need to dissipate as much and is liquid cooled so it can dissipate more. Also the higher voltages mean its easy to get the amps to the motor.
AC motors are beginning to gain popularity as the production cost comes down. It is a matter of time before it will be the preferred electric motor for electric car retrofitters.
Related web sites:
1) Electric Car Conversion Guides Review
Electric Car Motor – Choosing The Right Motor For Your DIY EV
Choosing The Right Electric Motor For EV Conversion
In this blog post, I though of writing something on electric car motor. Specifically, how to select the right electric motor for your Do It Yourself (DIY) electric vehicle (EV).
If you are looking for an electric motor, either at a workshop, EBay or on the internet, look for a unit that weights 100 – 150 lbs.
Depending on your donor car, if there is a lot of weigh, there would be a lot of inertia and it needs large amount of force to push it around. Imagine this, you don’t want a small and skinny guy to pull on your EV.
Probably, you would not want to feed a sumo wrestler either. What I’m trying to say is you don’t want an electric motor that is too small or too big.
When you are searching for electric motor, look at the core. Look for insulation that is wine colored with yellow banding. Make sure the brush leads are still copper color and not scotched.
You also want to make sure the commutator is not grooved or pitted. If you want a closer look, just open the cover band and probe inside the electric motor.
Here’s another tip. Look for armatures that have a commutator with a large bar count. The larger the bar count, the higher the voltage it’ll take. If you want to build a speedy electric car, this is what you have to look for.
If you are looking for a series motor, get one with solid field leads or you might end up with compound would motor that may not suit your DIY electric vehicle needs.
One key aspect of selecting an electric motor is the shaft. Make sure you look for a shaft that you think you can attach or modify with a coupler. There are certain motor shafts that aren’t easy to modify.
If you make a blunder, that are no “standard” replacement parts either. If you mess up, you might have to discard the whole motor.
Choosing the right electric motor for your DIY electric car conversion does not have to be difficult. But you need to think about what you want and also know what to look for.
If the information above seems foreign to you, you may want to get some basic knowledge on electric car conversion. In that case, check out Les Oke’s Convert 2 EV.
Related web sites:
1) Convert 2 EV Review
Electric Vehicle Conversion Motor Selection
In this blog post, I am going to write on one of the most important components of a DIY electric car. It is the “heart” of the matter. I’m talking about the electric motor or the power unit of the electric vehicle (EV).
Many EV enthusiast are not very sure about an electric vehicle conversion motor selection process. Should you go with an AC motor or DC motor? How about power rating? What should the RPM be? I will try at address some of the questions.
Now, in regards to whether choosing AC or DC motor, both have their advantages and disadvantages. One thing is for sure, DC motor are less expensive to purchase and quite good in any electric car conversion project. If given the choice, I will choose a DC motor.
When you are choosing a DC motor, look for these criteria.
- Rated for high DC voltage.
- Low revolution per minute (RPM).
- High current ratings.
What you want is a DC motor that will put over 12 Volts at a fairly low RPM while maintaining a useful current level. As a rule of thumb, look for a DC motor with RPM rating of under 400.
In terms of size, look for a motor with a shaft size of over 5/8 inch because that will insure that the motor has adequate bearings or bushing to accommodate the constant spinning and harsh outdoor treatment it will receive.
In terms of voltage, get a motor with between 50 to 80 Volts.
As I am researching for material for this post, I went back to Les Oke’s Convert 2 EV manual. For electric vehicle conversion motor selection, Les recommends the WarP Motors series of electric motor. One of the coolest electric truck conversion that I have came across also uses a WarP electric motor.
I’ve decided to do further research on them. Here’s a few points about the WarP Motors. It comes in a broad range of sizes with different torque, voltage, rotation and shaft configuration.
The motors are designed for high efficiency. WarP Motors use only low-loss lamination and welded or fused commutator connections for peak motor performance. This methodology lowers the heat build-up when the motor is working.
All WarP Motors are build to withstand wear and tear. Both the armature and the field assembly are resin varnish treated to lock in its mechanical integrity and to provide permanent protection from harsh environment. WarP Motors are distributed by NetGain Motors Inc in the United States.
If you are looking for the right choice of electric motor for you DIY electric car conversion, give the guys at NetGain a buzz. For more information on how to get started in an EV Conversion at home, check out Les Oke’s Convert 2 EV.
Related web sites:
1) Convert 2 EV and Electricity 4 Gas Guides Review – Top Electric Car Conversion Kit Manuals
2) Nanotube Structures Could Improve Electric Motors
3) Old Electric Motor – Hacked Gadgets – DIY Tech Blog
4) MNCs Compete to Enter China’s Booming Electric Motor Market
