Update / FAQ (2021-11-03):
Safety / coziness: Yup. I'm comfortable motorcycling, with my girlfriend.
From a 2015+ (6th gen / S550) Mustang with a performance package, stock: Super 8.8 diff (IRS, LSD), axles, hubs, maybe hub carriers / knuckles and brakes.
20x8" steel wheels (common on hot rods).
66.75" = 169.5cm track
114.6" = 291.0cm wheelbase
74.75" = 189.9cm width at tires
179.1" = 454.8cm length
The body is 87.5cm = 34.4" at the cabin (widest).
395V 860A = 340kW at the battery packs.
Estimating 2200 pounds total. Duncan's Dubious Device plus another Chevy Volt battery pack.
Original post:
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4k 60fps video loops on my website:
https://www.eternalmachinery.com/ecar/
$6,000, 864lb - Two Chevy Volt battery packs, used, 36.8kWh (beige)
$2,400, 156lb - NetGain Warp 9 motor (red)
$2,875, 16lb - Zilla 1k controller + hairball (green)
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$11,275, 1036lb
I could really use some more people telling me "That looks fun, you should build it."
Meant for street use, as a daily driver, at least when I don't need space for more than a passenger or a bag of groceries. Or heat? Not really sure about range, most places I go are within 34 miles, and I think 37kWh and the light vehicle weight should manage that?
Beyond that, the goal has become entirely whatever makes me shiver.
I'd love guesses on total vehicle weight. And all kinds of feedback. I haven't bought or built anything. Everything is negotiable.
I've gone back and forth between "ICE is
so much cheaper" and "not having to deal with a drive shaft is great" a bunch. I think I've finally decided that I just can't make the drive shaft work to my taste. And used batteries are a little more reasonably priced. And this shape has made me tingly for years. So, time to start nailing down specifics, learn to weld, and learn to calculate suspension and steering geometry. And mock up the cabin and see if my girlfriend and I fit.
I'd particularly appreciate suggestions on the electric components. Used Chevy Volt packs seem like a decent option. The Soliton 1 became unavailable, the Zilla 1k came back. Everything fun seems to use a NetGain Warp 9 motor.
Having liquid cooled batteries and controller but an air cooled motor seems silly. The obvious solution to that seems like the NetGain Hyper 9, but... is it as fun?
I was so pleased with my modelling of the wiring, and then realized I accidentally did it all in series. I meant to split it into two parallel halves. They're 395V, 430A peak each. Do I want to double the amps or volts? 340kW peak should be fun, right? 28kWh usable, 37kWh total.
If I have some of the batteries in the front, and some in the back, and they're not split exactly in half, and I need to run two halves in parallel, I need to run four lengths of cable through the cabin, right? I have the batteries distributed as they are for perfect 50/50 weight balance. I also need to run a pair of coolant lines through the cabin. I'd be curious where emergency responders would like me to place all these things, in case they feel a need to cut me out of it.
Zilla 1k:
· Maximum Battery Current at 200V: 950 Amps = 190kW
· Maximum Battery Current at 300V: 885 Amps = 266kW
· Maximum Battery Current at 400V: 800 Amps = 320kW
So, yeah, looks like running the two packs in parallel for 395V 860A would be best?
Motor (output shaft) is bolted directly to the differential (pinion shaft, I'll need to get a coupler made). Changed ring and pinion gears to match motor RPM limit with, I don't know, 90mph? Looks like I need to use a front diff, to avoid problems with oil flow, since I have the diff oriented backwards. Not sure exactly which would be best. Definitely need an LSD. And one of the bigger problems is a lot of front diffs are significantly more lopsided than rear diffs, but possibly due to removable stub axles?
I'm in Southern New Hampshire.