[unreadyashell]

Hi Ev'ers,

This is my first post here, so, i thought i'd say Hi, and give a quick outline of my current EV project. I'm really hoping you good folk may be able to impart some required wisdom on a few EV Dilemmas we already have.

I say We, as there is myself (Ashley) my Dad and our good friend working on this project.

We are planning to pop a couple of electric motors (chain driven) onto each of the rear wheels of a small Caterham'esq kit car - with the aim of producing something pretty quick!

We were planning to use 2no Net Gain Impulse 9's to give us the high torque we desire, however, from reading these forum posts we came across the Kostov range of motors that claim to be smaller/lighter with similar performance?

So, our first question is, has anyone experience with fitting running the Kostov motors they could share, and, what's everyone's thoughts about how they compare with the Net Gain range.... and/or could you suggest any different/better Series Wound motors to rival the Impulse 9?

Many thanks in advance,

Ashley.

 

[Ziggythewiz]

Welcome! Sounds like a great Father/Son project!

Where are you located? That's tends to be a major factor in the W vs K discussion.

 

[unreadyashell]

Hi Ziggy,

Thanks for the speedy reply!

Unfortunately, I have to break it to you that it's a Mr Ashley.. however, it is still a dam fine Father/Son project!

We are all based in the UK - cheers for pointing that out.

Kostov, make a big claim about their 'Interpoles' which, it seems, if their hype is true, to make them the better choice... however, we wondered what real life accounts tell us?

Best regards.

 

[Ziggythewiz]

Apologies My little EV engineers have to wait a number of years before their first builds.

 

[Duncan]

Hi Ashley

Why would you use chain drive to the wheels?
You will need ~ 4:1 speed reduction - why not use a diff and a single motor

You will also have fun packaging 2 motors in a Caterham type car - not a lot of space available

This is my "Caterham-ish" machine
http://www.diyelectriccar.com/forum...-dubious-device-44370p2.html?highlight=duncan

 

[unreadyashell]

No worries Zigggy, and nice work with The Bug, that's a car with Kudos!

Hi Duncan - your project looks cool too, but i note the link was from back in 2008, how are you getting on with it/do you have any updated posts/finished articles???

We deliberated various different engine configurations, but settled on the 2no direct (chain drive, so we can play/alter gearings) motors, as we wanted to strip out the diff etc to reduce weight, and with the Impulse motors we can fit them in exactly where needed with min' chassis mods'.... But, ultimately, we want an end product with a lot of torque, something that will demonstrate to the die hard petrol heads (nothing against them btw - i personally love the smell of a simple 2 stroke engine!) that an Electric Vehicle can be Quick... and in doing so, it'll hopefully create it 'talk' of its own.

We are aware that having the motors in this configuration will bring about it's own problems - we will have a fixed or 'straight axle' esq' vehicle giving us a go-kart/hot rod like car, but currently this is our build plan..

The thing we would like advice upon is - which motor do people generally find to be superior, the Net Gain Impulse 9, the Kostov K9, or other?

Thanks again All

 

[skooler]

Hi fellow UK EVer

The WARP series are generally considered better motors - they will handle higher amps for longer but are a lot more expensive. Nothing wrong with kostov, the 11alpha looks like a very good motor. One advantage of kostov is that they can be run at higher voltages.

What kind of budget do you have for the project? what have you considered for controller(s) and batteries?

Cheers,

Mike

 

[unreadyashell]

Hi Mike,

Thanks for your reply, so, are you currently driving around Worcestershire in your converted RX8?

If so (COOL!!), how is it, what are the top good/bad points that were both predicted and also unforeseen?

Oh, do you have a build diary or blog that i could check out?

So, with regards to my project, we have a considerable budget, in that we aren't wanting to scrimp on anything, however, clearly we aren't looking to needlessly overspend.

The set up i'm leaning towards is as follows:

44no CALB CA180 LiFeP04 (3.2V/180Ah) giving 140.8V and 25,3kWh

with a SolutionJR controller, feeding the 2no Kostov K9 144V motors

What is your thoughts on the above set up?

Also, with regards to chargers, do you have any advice/recommendation - or even some, articles/reading i can do to educate myself?

I would like to be able to make use of the 'fast chargers' that seem to be upcoming in the UK... any thoughts or advice on this area too?

Kind regards,

Ashley

 

[skooler]

Hi Ashley,

I am, although the range is a bit naff.

Pros:

• Cheap,
• fast
• fun

Cons:

• people keep stepping out in front of me
• range isnt great
• takes about 6 hours to charge

http://www.diyelectriccar.com/forums/showthread.php?t=61556


On your build, I would look at changing the Single Soliton Jr and dual 9s for a single 11" and Soliton 1.


Other than that you'll probably have about 100 mile range so fast charging might not be that much of an issue.


If you want to use DC fast charging then you will likely need a pack over 200volts (60-65 cells +) in order to be compatible.



Hope this helps.


Cheers,


Mike