Electric Drive Details

I got an unexpected call yesterday from Everett Moore in Arizona. Everett runs a very informative website called www.smallcarplans.com. Last month, he put a link to my website on his home page and it seems that he's had quite a few inquiries about my project. He inspired me to collect up a few technical details that I could share.

Performance:

I don't have any real measured data (winter came too soon here in Canada) but I can say that it's better than I expected.

I was out one Sunday taking some relatives out for rides. Two adult in the vehicle. About one hour driving at about 5 mph on paved roads and the battery indicator still showed full charge. Based on this I would guess maybe 3 hours running time.

The acceleration is probably more than my drivetrain can handle so I tend to be really easy on the throttle. Because of the regenerative braking, it takes some getting used to backing off the throttle slowly.

The nicest thing about it is how quiet it is. Only the sound of the chain and a slight hum from the motors.

BYO (Build Your Own):

If you are thinking about going electric, there are a few things you should do first:

• Buy a set of carriage plans from Jimmy Woods at www.smallcarplans.com/jimmywoods.htm

• Buy a set of plans for Ian Hopper's Voiturette. http://buggies.builtforfun.co.uk/. Excellent information on his website.

• Read up on DC Controllers at www.4qd.co.uk/. Good info on performance, gearing, etc.

Here is a list of the electrical components that I used and some suggestions as to source.

Here is a wiring diagram of my system. Pretty simple really.

Other Advice for What It's Worth:

• Don't use anything smaller than 3/4" for the intermediate shafts. Get that bearing out closer to the sprocket if you can figure out how to do it so it doesn't look ugly.

• You will have to add a few brackets to your basic frame for mounting the motors.

• Here is a good shot of my final layout. Batteries will be hard to take out once the body is on but I wanted to keep the centre of gravity as low as possible.

• Close up of motor mount brackets.

• Wiring. Notice the plug at the front for the battery charger.

• Here is the speed potentiometer hooked up to the 'gas' pedal.

Questions?

I don't plan on making any detailed drawings since most every application would be different. It's pretty straight forward and I think you can get the idea from the pictures.

If you like the design or have any questions, you can reach me at jan@szott.ca.