[rctous]

Well hey guys I have been pretty silent for quite some time here and I must say I have missed it. But not any more. You will need to put up with me on this next EV I will be starting. This is slated to be a bit of a winter project so slow going.

This one promisses to me much more exciting for us all I hope. I am going to use the Solectria AC55 Motor and Inverter/Controller from EV Components http://www.evcomponents.com/ProductD...oductCode=AC55

just sending the check to them today,, this is a great deal (unless some one tells me real fast why it isn't???) but heck it comes with the pot box as well as all the special wiring which is usually extra. Being used tells me that it is guaranteed to work. So it will be here in a couple weeks.

Here is the quick low down:

AC55 Motor and Inverter/Controller
100- 60 ah Probably Thunder-Sky cells
Charger by me ( some how imported of course) finally found a great charger company to work with.
probably the discharging balancer type things for balancing
Rear wheel drive car direct drive no tranny etc
must seat 4 people
AC and all the bells and whistles must all work when I am done.


So I need a car and I am open for suggestions???

Not lots to report but I will be updating this frequently as usual!

I am all excited again!!!!

Enjoy

Brian

[dimitri]

Direct drive, eh? Something tells me this is going to be difficult. Are you going to have custom gear ratio on your differential?

With direct drive you have to compromise between decent top speed and decent acceleration, if you go in the middle, you may end up with neither.

Why not go with automatic tranny? It works great for me.....

As for battery, you will get about 50 miles range at 80% DoD with this config. Is that what you expected?

It will be a very interesting build though, good luck....

P.S. My only concern with used AC motor/controller is lack of warranty. What if something happens to the controller? Also, I heard these are older models and may have some issues with regen.

[PatricioIN]

I love the newest body style of Hyndai Accent or Kia Rio (both under 2400lbs)... don't know how much you plan on spending on the car itself, but if you're going that route with AC and Lithium, then it should be a nice looking car.

Oh, the new Yaris has electric power steering as do (I believe) the Scions.

[TheSGC]

Nice, another EV!

If you are set on direct drive, you may try out the AT1200 transmission from Azure Dynamics. I know the performance with the AC24 and direct drive is not great in a Geo Metro, and the Solectria Geos have a top speed of about 60-65 MPH and it takes a while to get there.

The AC55 on the other hand should be quite nice, but I would still opt for a transmission, something with 2 speeds, like a 10:1 and a 6:1 for a decent performance. The AT1200 has a 10:1 ratio.

[lottos]

Originally Posted by dimitri

Direct drive, eh? Something tells me this is going to be difficult. Are you going to have custom gear ratio on your differential?

With direct drive you have to compromise between decent top speed and decent acceleration, if you go in the middle, you may end up with neither.

Why not go with automatic tranny? It works great for me.....

I'm not qualified to say it will or won't work but

http://www.evcomponents.com/ProductD...oductCode=AC55 says

"With its high rpm limit, the AC 55 motor can be used without a conventional transmission for shift-free driving, or it can be coupled to a standard manual transmission."

[dimitri]

I have no doubt that direct drive with AC55 can work, but the devil is in details, specifically gear ratio selection for direct drive and size/weight of the car. It may be very difficult to get both acceleration and top speed in a 3000lb car ( just an example ) with 4 people in it. It would suck if such a great and expensive build turns out to be poor performer. I just hope that Brian calculates all pros and cons before making final decisions.

AC55 is incredibly heavy for its specs, like extra 100 lbs compared to similar power DC motors, plus 8000 RPM for AC motor is nothing to write home about, plus out of warranty controller. All this combined makes it poor choice for me, but I am not trying to discourage Brian. It will be a great project and I will watch with interest.

[rctous]

Originally Posted by dimitri

Direct drive, eh? Something tells me this is going to be difficult. Are you going to have custom gear ratio on your differential?

With direct drive you have to compromise between decent top speed and decent acceleration, if you go in the middle, you may end up with neither.

Why not go with automatic tranny? It works great for me.....

As for battery, you will get about 50 miles range at 80% DoD with this config. Is that what you expected?

It will be a very interesting build though, good luck....

P.S. My only concern with used AC motor/controller is lack of warranty. What if something happens to the controller? Also, I heard these are older models and may have some issues with regen.

40-50 miles is all we are expecting,, also I would like to mount the motor directly to the rear end no no drive shaft, that surley will help efficiencies, trying to chop weight and eliminate gear reductions etc. 80 mph is estimated top speed and I am hoping for enough torque for starts. Still planning ..nothing is in stone yet. Thanks for the advice.

Brian

[rctous]

Originally Posted by dimitri

I have no doubt that direct drive with AC55 can work, but the devil is in details, specifically gear ratio selection for direct drive and size/weight of the car. It may be very difficult to get both acceleration and top speed in a 3000lb car ( just an example ) with 4 people in it. It would suck if such a great and expensive build turns out to be poor performer. I just hope that Brian calculates all pros and cons before making final decisions.

AC55 is incredibly heavy for its specs, like extra 100 lbs compared to similar power DC motors, plus 8000 RPM for AC motor is nothing to write home about, plus out of warranty controller. All this combined makes it poor choice for me, but I am not trying to discourage Brian. It will be a great project and I will watch with interest.

from my calcs I need a 4:1 rear end ratio ish I would hope that 320 volts will supply enough torque with 4 people in the car,, This is some of the advice and numbers I got from EV Components. Performance is a key I would not have a "DOGGY" conversion, I can always change stuff later. yes the motor is heavy but the advantages of the AC system verses the DC system are worth it. ( I think so)

Brian

[rctous]

Originally Posted by lottos

I'm not qualified to say it will or won't work but

http://www.evcomponents.com/ProductD...oductCode=AC55 says

"With its high rpm limit, the AC 55 motor can be used without a conventional transmission for shift-free driving, or it can be coupled to a standard manual transmission."

yes I saw this that is where the idea is coming from.

Brian

[TheSGC]

That price of the AC55 is just too good to pass over. I have not had a look at the AC55 data sheets, but 4:1 seems kind of low, but I will check.