[ausev] EV Transportation - Motorcycle vs Car

[Chris Robison]

Dustin wrote:

> One other comment from another thread has me wondering if even with a
> motorcycle can I make this financially a good decision, not counting
> the environmental benefits.
> 
> Comment -
> "At the moment, there are plenty of good reasons to be interested in
> EVs; lower cost of ownership is not currently among them"
> ..... "But it's not a good bet that you'll come out ahead by enough to
> make any meaningful difference."
> 
> For motorcycle conversions I see the minimum is around $1200 - $1500
> and assuming one day I can resale it to a enthusiasts I am considering
> starting the project.  Plus this video just makes it look so fun and
> simple ;-) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rzi4tL3QMWk


This is a great video! It touches on a lot of the stuff you'll encounter 
with a motorcycle conversion (and any conversion) and the person who 
posted it is being very realistic about the process and the results. 
First of all, direct drive is by far the most common way to do 
motorcycle conversions, since most don't have standalone transmissions. 
And you'll need a big rear sprocket to make it work; this will have to 
be custom ordered. You'll be making a tradeoff between top speed and 
acceleration, just like he has. And just like with his motorcycle, 
you'll find that even an EV with little peak power has impressive and 
perhaps even excessive torque off the line.

My comment above wasn't regarding the cost of doing a conversion; it was 
about operating costs. For a 4-wheeled vehicle it holds true in most 
cases, but I'd be interested to see how it works out with a motorcycle. 
Obviously the cost for the electricity is going to be much less, but 
you'll have to replace your batteries just as with a larger vehicle. I 
don't have any real information about how the numbers end up working out 
in practice.

   --chris