LocostUSA.com

Hi guys, my last attempt at building a locost was a complete flop show, but now that I’m also working on building an electric vehicle company, this is back on the charts. I’m going to build something really compact, to seat one, not road legal and powered by an electric motor mounted on the axle. The target is to have a top speed of up to 100mph and a range of 30miles.

Can you guys recommend what changes I would need to do to the book frame for this? The transmission tunnel would go and it would obviously be a lot narrower. Ill place the battery pack where the engine would have gone. Haven’t really selected a donor for the suspension yet and other components yet.

Wish me luck, I’ll definitely need it to actually finish the build, but I’m really optimistic, as I actually have a team of people to help me this time.

_________________
Old age really creeps up on you like a leech...
First you forget names, then you forget faces,
then you forget to pull your zipper up and finally you forget to pull it down...

This sounds interesting. Have you a goal for the vehicle like for autocross or track days? Or, is it just for the accomplishment itself?

You know, it shouldn't be too hard in many states to make a legal street vehicle. The emissions controls are the big bug-a-boo most of the time. So, if you don't need them, it should be a lot easier, don't you think?

Good luck in any case. I hope to see a build log start soon.

Cheers,

_________________
Damn! That front slip angle is way too large and the Ackerman is just a muddle.

Build Log: viewtopic.php?f=35&t=5886

I would not reccomend the book frame, four wheels, and no transmission with a goal of 100 mph and/or 30 mile range. Take a look at a corbin sparrow for some ideas on how to accomplish this in a locost way.

_________________
Miata UBJ: ES-2074R('70s maz pickup)
Ford IFS viewtopic.php?f=5&t=13225&p=134742
Simple Spring select viewtopic.php?f=5&t=11815
LxWxHt
360LA 442E: 134.5x46x15
Lotus7:115x39x7.25
Tiger Avon:114x40x13.3-12.6
Champion/Book:114x42x11
Gibbs/Haynes:122x42x14
VoDou:113x44x14
McSorley 442:122x46x14
Collins 241:127x46x12

What are you going to use for batteries?

Whichever way you go, putting them in the former transmission tunnel would be a good place to put most of them, centralizing mass and using available space. You could then use the under-hood space for extra batteries, storage, etc.

If you watch Craigslist and any local car traders you may find a donor vehicle that's already electric. A friend found an electric S-10 pickup (I'd never known GM built them either) and transplanted the guts into one of those little English Fords from the 1960s.

Sure, you might have to replace the batteries, but if you get a whole car, you get the controller, charging system, motors, transmission if any, and driveline bits.

You will find that an electric motor without a transmission will not get to to 100 mph easily. My advice is a gear box and place the motor in the back above a transaxle gear box. Why not make it street legal and why one seat. Your range of 30 miles also will not be popular. You will need at least 100 miles. I suspect that you plan to drive this rig autocross??

Hi guys, thank you all for your replies.

The only reason I'm going with the locust book design is that the chassis drawings are easily available and there are many other builds to seek inspiration/reference from incase I need help along the way.

The Car is more of a "Concept" than anything else. I'll try taking it to the track if possible, but I'm not sure if they will allow a self built car there.

Batteries will be a LiFePO4 pack. Not sure about the size just yet, but will work that out as I go along.

The only reason I want to go with a single seat version is to reduce the weight as much as possible, so I can use a relatively smaller motor and battery pack to achieve the same goal.

I'm not considering a gearbox, as I'm buying the axle + motor directly from a chinese company and I really want this to be as "plug and play" as possible. I'll still see how I can get a transmission into the package if possible. Will consult with the company who's supplying the drivetrain for suggestions.

The whole purpose of this exercise is to showcase the possibilities of what can be done. My company is based in India and we are launching a series of low cost electric vehicles this year. This car is going to be displayed at trade shows with our other products.

The build log will start from the second week of Jan with a 3 month target of completion. A bit optimistic maybe, but it's definitely worth a shot.

Thanks again for your support!

_________________
Old age really creeps up on you like a leech...
First you forget names, then you forget faces,
then you forget to pull your zipper up and finally you forget to pull it down...

Would a slow variation of this provide great ideas for the granddaughter car?

Her parents might not like 100 mph... but it would be cool to have her drive around in a slower version? And unlike the go karts of my youth, the motor would always run....

_________________
***************
Geek49203 aka
Tim Wohlford
Louisville, KY
Hayes front, S10 +2 rear, Lalo body.

Ok, I second using the frame as-is and fit the batteries to the tunnel, adding to the front as necessary for 30 mile range @ 60 mph. The gearing to reach 100 at a low enough rpm to provide adequate torque (assuming dc) will require a controller that can handle a lot more amps than the motor is rated for (standing start full throttle).

_________________
Miata UBJ: ES-2074R('70s maz pickup)
Ford IFS viewtopic.php?f=5&t=13225&p=134742
Simple Spring select viewtopic.php?f=5&t=11815
LxWxHt
360LA 442E: 134.5x46x15
Lotus7:115x39x7.25
Tiger Avon:114x40x13.3-12.6
Champion/Book:114x42x11
Gibbs/Haynes:122x42x14
VoDou:113x44x14
McSorley 442:122x46x14
Collins 241:127x46x12

Definitely, you could go with a 250-500W motor to keep things civil and program the controller accordingly.

_________________
Old age really creeps up on you like a leech...
First you forget names, then you forget faces,
then you forget to pull your zipper up and finally you forget to pull it down...

Been there. Done that.
Except mine was street legal.
http://www.szott.com/zot2/zot2.html

Blazingly fast but boooooooooooooring to drive. Sort of a fast golf cart.

Ripped out all the electrics and in the process of installing a Yamaha R1

By accident today I bumped into the video below of an electric 7 replica called "The Thor." There was an associated website mentioned, but it does not appear to exist any longer. Here's the info:

Video ==> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ieQ3jzaN3E

The website mentioned was ==> Centric-Automotive.com

Cheers,

_________________
Damn! That front slip angle is way too large and the Ackerman is just a muddle.

Build Log: viewtopic.php?f=35&t=5886

Thanks for the inputs guys, I have contacted the motor manufacturer to see if they can provide some sort of transmission for the motor.

I'll definitely look into keeping it as a book chassis if I can, as that will make things even less complicated.

I'll start a proper build log in the second week of Jan.

_________________
Old age really creeps up on you like a leech...
First you forget names, then you forget faces,
then you forget to pull your zipper up and finally you forget to pull it down...

"Ripped out all the electrics and in the process of installing a Yamaha R1", now THAT I can applaud!

_________________
If I must be a one-man PC free zone, so be it!

Seriously cool stuff! Are you going with the cross plane or non cross plane motor, of the R1?

_________________
Old age really creeps up on you like a leech...
First you forget names, then you forget faces,
then you forget to pull your zipper up and finally you forget to pull it down...

I believe that AC is a better yet more expansive option, AC motor provides regenerative power when braking