|
Gentlemen, thank you for your observations and suggestions.
Of course, Mike Dabrowski's ingenious ground breaking E-Wheel is one solution and it shows the way one Etek motor can propel an Insight at about 23 mph. Maybe two (2) Etek motors can get you up to 46 mph or more, especially if the drive is efficiently done through the existing rear wheels rather than an additional wheel.
It is well known that an Insight will travel quite well on 13 HP. Two Etek motors combined develop about 12 HP and up. Mike's work has shown the kind of electrical loads we might expect from this motor in actual driving conditions. Two of these motors on an E-Wheel might work but the placement of a bulkier setup is a problem of finding the room. Locating any where off the rear axle centerline would subject the added wheel to side wear or scrubbing and loss of traction. Driving through the existing wheels has obvious advantages beyond the need for the additional wheel(s) and the need for the retract/extend mechanism.
|