[remy_martian]

The peak HP may be the same, but the torque curve vs RPM is totally different between a motor and an engine.

In both, the force at the tires at a given wheel speed is what matters. It has to at least balance rolling resistance, drag, and powertrain losses.

There's no magic - the wheel HP curves for an ICE and an electric motor vehicle have to cross over at a given speed on the graph, or the electric has to at least equal or exceed the ICE WHEEL torque at that given speed.

In a motor, you can alter that output for short periods, as Duncan has said. When you need it...at low speed for short periods of time. In an ICE you have to slip the clutch to multiply torque....for short periods of time, also.

 

[remy_martian]

What mechanical restrictions?

 

[remy_martian]

LA has a Sanford and Son ecosystem of scavengers, so a repair shop is probably a bad place to look.

Damien, Matt, and Duncan let out a can of worms, a Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle perversion, by stating publicly "you can get a forklift motor for free", so if there were any, they'd be rare as hens teeth these days, imo.

With copper prices through the roof, and iron not exactly cheap either, it'll be a rare pack rat that has one that didn't go to the scrapman, especially since modern day forklifts usually use non-brushed motors, so there's no point keeping it around.

That means you need to buy a Hyper9, FB-4001, or similar and drop the fantasy of doing an EV conversion for $1000. You can still keep looking, you might be the exception, but anything in stock is no longer cheap.

 

[remy_martian]

And good luck getting parts if you decide to build one.

I found a few microcontrollers on promise of delivery in a couple of months, spent the money on an order, and a day later they pushed the delivery to the end of the year. This evg I sent a cancelation notice and requested a full refund, cuz Homey don't play dat.

Even simple things like voltage regulator chips are Unobtanium, so if you decide to build something, fat chance you'll find the parts for it. If you can make a decent lunch with whatever is in the refrigerator, like I tried to do with the micros, you still get screwed.

They laid off all the good people a few years ago and this components mess is partly because the lunatics and bean counters have been running the insane asylum ever since. And the Chinese appear to be hoarding every part they can get their mitts on.

Make sure you have all the pieces of the puzzle...