[ausev] Alterative Motors and Controllers

[Christopher Robison]

On Mon, 2007-11-26 at 20:45 -0800, loopcat wrote:
> Hey Folks,
>  First off, let me say this group ROCKS! Lots of good
> first-hand info from builders. 
> 
> My name is John, I live in San Antonio. I have a 1992
> Mazda Protege and considering a conversion. I noticed
> that most people are using Advanced DC motors. Are
> there other quality sources for motors out there?
> Price is an unfortunate priority. What about a
> recycled fork-lift motor. The controller is another
> big ticket item. Any other sources out there? Maybe a
> kit?

I'm going to try my best to stick to my personal policy of keeping my
self-plugging to a minimum on this list, but in answer to your question,
we (revoltcustomelectric.com) are setting up the component resale side
of our business at the moment. Although our web store isn't up yet (nor
is our website in general, really), we are already offering some parts.
Among those are the Netgain WarP and ImPulse line of motors
(http://go-ev.com), which compare favorably to Advanced DC products in
price and are made by a company that has a strong commitment to EVs and
the electric vehicle enthusiast market. We do offer prices that are
lower than typical retail for these motors and many of our other
products. Contact me offline for details. 

Naturally you stand to find much better deals for used motors. The
Trading Post (http://evtradingpost.com) is often a good place to start
when looking for any used components, though I don't see anything you'd
want in the motors section at the moment.  eBay may also have some good
deals. If you're unsure of whether it will work, that's why we're
here.  :-)

Controllers are generally not something I'd recommend skimping on, but
the best I can say for a low-budget car is to keep your eyes peeled for
a used Curtis 1231C, which at least has a voltage capability up to 144V
and so equipped can make for decent performance. It lacks a lot of the
safety features of more advanced controllers, but it will get you on the
road and as I understand it is a bit more robust than their older 1221
controllers. By scrounging for used components, our member Mark Barr was
able to assemble an EV a few years ago for around $4000 -- jaw dropping
for me personally. Again, a quick look for controllers on the Trading
Post finds nothing useful for your conversion. The good stuff tends to
go quick.

Have you contacted ACEAA?  (http://aceaa.org) They're in San Antonio,
and although they're just starting up, it may be beneficial to them and
to you if you join and help their community grow. Of course, you're
always welcome on this list and at our meetings.


-- 
Christopher Robison
chris at ohmbre.org
http://ohmbre.org          <-- 1999 Isuzu Hombre + Z2K + Warp13!