Man, what an interesting project, can't wait to follow this one.

Are you having a controller for all that electrical power custom made? I've done some work on hybrid vehicle systems at 280V and even with all their safe power down procedures, I still get a little nervous. Nothing to mess around with.

How hard would it be to convert that motor to a generator for the battery on braking like a hybrid?........I'd guess you'd have to tie it into the hydraulic brake system. On a hybrid the hydraulic brakes are electrically controlled.

Anyway, killer project, good luck with it!

This is all kinds of bad ass, would be cool to beat a Tesla and I see plenty of them around here :D

interesting,nice detail;)

Thanks guys! I can't wait to get further into the build to share some of the little details of the project.


Yeah, these voltage levels demand respect. I grew up in a carpentry/light construction family and working on 110 & 220 live was second nature, but the idea of 300-400 volts gets your attention.

There is one controller currently available, called a Zilla, that is what all the fastest EV racers are using. The best version of it will do 360-375v/2000amps, but production has been on-again/off-again. There's a company in Florida that has been toying with the idea of building a real monster of a race controller, but no firm commitments from them yet. I was actually in talks with them about having the first one on this project (their idea), but am not really sure what's going on with that. Having a custom piece built is always an option.


My motor can actually do regen, but none of the current medium and high power controllers have this feature. It's ridiculously complicated to accomplish with the type of DC motor the racers are using, and motors like mine have to have a controller custom programmed for them. I have some tricks up my sleeve, using two separate controllers, and if that doesn't work I will eventually switch to the standard series-wound DC motor and a conventional controller. That would mean no regen. If my ideas actually worked, it would be theoretically possible for me to have regen with this separately-excited (SepEx) motor. Only time will tell...

It's really simple in principle. The motor becomes a generator when you put your foot on the brakes and, depending on how much regen you have set, size of the motor, size/rate/capacity of the battery pack, it can just add a little boost to the braking power or pull you to a halt like a parachute opened. It's all electronic, no hydraulics.


More to come... :cool:

Nice Go-Kart dude!

EEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAA
:cheers: :woot:

Thanks Greg! :thumbsup: And, thanks for helping me remember what the point of building a hot rod is. :cheers:

Hi Todd,
Nice to see that you made it over here. I haven't been on the EV forum in a long while... I forgot about your ride since my EV p/u -rod got scrapped. Refresh my memory- was that a Fiero front suspension?
Thanks!

Hey John!

I've actually been lurking here way before I ever heard of the DIY forums, and thought I had already started a thread here when it was still slated to be a gas-powered project. When I searched for it I couldn't find it, so I started a new one, emphasizing the electric drive plans.

Yup, that's the lowly 1st gen Pontiac Fiero front suspension. It's hard to explain why I chose it, but it will become easier to show when I get around to modifying it. Ditto for most of the design concepts that are at the heart of the project. I haven't scratched the surface of them yet. My real reason for choosing the electric motor was because it makes some of my ideas possible, like the ultra-low profile. I found out all the other good stuff it offers later. :)

Very cool....:thumbsup: gonna be keeping my eye on this one....

John

Wow, thanks! :D Considering the level of your build, that's a nice compliment. I will try to not disappoint...

I'm working on a new PhotoChop of the front view, based on one of the last pics I posted. I had to know whether the suspension fairings are going to work before going any further. The process to create them, and the hood, will be pretty neat. The dimensions will be roughed out in full scale, for one half, then CAD models created, then foam plugs cut, and composite lay-ups. I'm doing the first versions as moldless construction because I figure they'll probably go through a few subtle changes as the body is dialed in. Molds, at this point, would be a waste.

That rendering and more build pics coming. I want to see if you guys like the fairings.