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Ok, sorry to bump this after a week or so but I've been thinking about some earlier discussion.
It was mentioned on here that the 9" motor has a ton of torque and a flat torque curve that wouldn't require a transmission for performance or top end. It was put to me that "piston engines use them because of their limited powerband. EV's don't have that problem".
Ok my question is this then: Why do the (IMO) very professional looking EV beetle kits maintain the factory transaxle with a 7" motor and 72v?? I saw a video of a beetle kit driving around town and it was HORRIBLY sluggish with hardly any top end (62-65mph TOPS). It took forever to get up to cruising speed on the interstate (which would get you killed here) and had a very limited range (about 23miles as quoted by the driver).
I don't know if this due to the smaller 7" motor used or the 72v available or the weight of the conversion (can't be THAT bad) that made it a horrible performer but even WITH the transaxle it was slow.
I don't see how having a 6spd manual wouldn't help make it much faster with lower cruising rpms which would in turn provide longer cruising range and higher top speed. I understand how weight, drag and rolling resistance are all important factors (as is gearing) but something just does add up to me with the previous comments.
Let's assume this cost $0 to build and you could fabricate anything you wanted. Would you guys PURPOSELY stay away from a 9" motor coupled to a motorcycle 6spd powered by 72v? Would you add more volts?, direct drive w/ 144v?, what?
I'm really looking for some good discussion on this so I can start making some plans ASAP. I want something unique like this but it HAS to be fast and at least get me 40-50 miles on a charge. Help a noob out.
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