[ShadeTreeMech]

Thank you for the informative post.

Dropping in a manual sounds to be a great idea, I would likely be willing to put in the manual and skip adding the clutch; I only used a clutch when getting going anyway, once I was rolling I just adjusted my engine rpms to shift. And once I learned it, I never wore out a clutch.

Anyhoo, the mechanical bits don't worry me in the slightest, I work in a machine shop and making things for fun is sorta expected when you work with a mess of machinists. Sourcing an electric motor is what concerns me most, used electric motors are hard to come by out here....I suppose I can manage somehow. The HP rating they have listed on the decal, is that the highest they can go, or is it the HP at the listed RPM? Ie, if you over rev a DC motor rated at 1 hp @ 1500 rpm, it should make more power at higher rpms....and that brings me to another question, if you have a 5 speed manual, do you get better miles per watt in overdrive while cruising like a gasser, or is it a bit different? And can I get to 50 mph with 72 volts? 50 would be the max speed I would need to go, most of the roads out here max the limit there, except for the bit of highway closest to my road. And would the benefits of having an AC motor outweight the higher initial expense?

I apologize for what may be noob questions, but although I've read a lot of the electric car thread and understand circuits, and some of the basics of electronics, the threads tended to go well over my head quickly.

bennelson, you still selling your DVD?