LocostUSA.com

Learning how to build Lotus Seven replicas...together!
It is currently March 28, 2024, 8:12 am

All times are UTC - 5 hours [ DST ]




Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 7 posts ] 
Author Message
PostPosted: April 20, 2017, 1:41 pm 
Offline

Joined: April 20, 2017, 1:21 pm
Posts: 3
Hi all, new guy here. I'm in the process of collecting parts for an electric street trike of my own design as well as having a handful of other back burner wild hair ideas for future projects. This electric trike concept came to me when the work forklift had the transmission go out and I rapidly became the proud new owner of an electric forklift motor and speed control internals (but I quickly learned that the forklift speed control was not ideal for a vehicle, so I am trying to sell it to fund the purchase of a more desirable unit, a Curtis golf cart speed controller) but the reason I am on this forum is more for the frame and suspension design components of my build, I will be using a shaft drive motorcycle frame (really just the rear half of the frame) swing arm, wheel, brake, and suspension for my powered rear drive wheel (actually from a Yamaha XJ650 for those who are curious) and my front suspension, brakes, frame stub, etc is from an ATV (a Suzuki 350 something or other that had a blown up engine) and I intend to build the frame around a single car seat from an Acura Integra, which will eventually be fully enclosed in a polycarbonate cockpit, by welding mounting tabs to the exoskeleton frame, and running polycarbonate 1/8" thick sheets between the requisite frame tubes. I have a doodle on paper that I am going off of (kind of looks like a go kart, but the motorcycle frame stub will be mounted, about at the swingarm pivot point, to the frame, just aft of the solo pilot's seat. The battery supply which I will be utilizing is a single Lithium-Ion battery cell from a Chevrolet VOLT car, rated at 2 kilowatt-hours, but that is not really the focus of this forum, so I will mainly try to keep this thread updated with just the frame design as it progresses. If it turns out as good as I hope, I will be registering in my state as a 'purpose built vehicle' and will use it for my daily commute in good weather conditions (maybe even in poor weather if I can figure out some form of heater that I can implement without causing drain on my drive battery, perhaps using a separate lead-acid 12v auto battery strictly for heating duties in inclement weather)


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
PostPosted: April 20, 2017, 3:22 pm 
Offline
User avatar

Joined: October 23, 2010, 2:40 am
Posts: 1450
Welcome, Dave. Looks like you have an interesting project. I look forward to following your build log.
:cheers:

_________________
Cheers, Tom

My Car9 build: viewtopic.php?f=35&t=14613
"It's the construction of the car-the sheer lunacy and joy of making diverse parts come together and work as one-that counts."

Ultima Spyder, Northstar 4.0, Porsche G50/52


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
PostPosted: April 20, 2017, 8:21 pm 
Offline

Joined: February 8, 2014, 10:47 pm
Posts: 781
Location: Cornelius OR
Isn't a 3 phase AC motor a better choice for a street machine?
And the requisite controller/convertor...

_________________
Honey anyone?


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
PostPosted: April 20, 2017, 10:15 pm 
Offline

Joined: April 20, 2017, 1:21 pm
Posts: 3
Bent Wrench wrote:
Isn't a 3 phase AC motor a better choice for a street machine?
And the requisite controller/convertor...

3 phase can be done, but DC is drastically better with today's battery technology. The single cell from the Volt is 48vDC, as is the motor from the forklift, with my calculations if I can keep the frame weight below 1000 pounds, I should manage a range on full charge of about 30 miles (I only live 5.5 miles from my work)


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
PostPosted: April 20, 2017, 10:18 pm 
Offline

Joined: April 20, 2017, 1:21 pm
Posts: 3
Also I only need a top speed of 40 miles per hour, easily attained by the gearing, should manage to get it in a single speed using the Curtis voltage (speed) controller.


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
PostPosted: April 21, 2017, 8:52 am 
Offline
User avatar

Joined: October 19, 2010, 11:57 am
Posts: 507
Location: Waterloo, WI
Welcome! I also have considered doing a trike and maybe doing electric as I have a short, rural commute. Good luck with your build!

_________________
-Keith


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
PostPosted: April 21, 2017, 8:05 pm 
Offline

Joined: January 1, 2015, 1:55 pm
Posts: 327
Cool project.


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 7 posts ] 

All times are UTC - 5 hours [ DST ]


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 8 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

Jump to:  
POWERED_BY