Pete,
Thanks for the comments, I value them immensely.
I fully understand that we don't want to drag around weight (or as little as possible)... That said, I think the challenge that we're facing is the lack of fluidity in the EV community on what the "goal car" should look like.
Here's what I mean. I do very little driving, most of my driving needs could be fulfilled by the 40mi range EV. My GF needs to be able to do 150mi round trip for her work each day but no way to recharge at work as she needs to make rounds and manage several different retail stores. Additionally, I have family and kids that live in Indiana and I'm in South Carolina. So, to fit the needs of perfect efficiency...I need 3 cars. One with an ICE, One with tons of stored electrons, and One very small and highly efficient EV for short runs.
My issue with this is. Its fiscally irresponsible for me (and most Americans) to own three cars especially when I'm only using one of them at a time generally (I work from home at the moment). So....what are my options? Build a modular car that any power plant (within reason) can be dropped in to. This will probably nullify the reverse trike design however make it accessible to a larger sum of individuals. My battle with this is, would we be straying too far from the goal at this point...to make an AFFORDABLE, relatively safe car for under 10K? Probably so.
I like your idea on the DRZ and KLR rear end. I'm not clear in my head how to make the front and rear work together seamlessly for the average driver but that's why I'm here, to learn and build a community of people that are willing to work together to drive this project.
I'm open to all ideas guys, these are just some thoughts going through my thick skull. :-)
Wayne
SC
Quote:
Originally Posted by pete c
Wayne,
Interesting idea you have here. Good luck with it.
I will throw out my 2 cents worth of advice.
150 miles on pure electric?
Fagettaboutit!
Can a 150 mi. range EV be made? Sure. But, it's gonna take a stupid amount of battery power. And batteries are either expensive or heavy. If you make it heavy, efficiency goes to crap. No matter how efficient everything else is, if you have to drag around a ton of stored electrons, you are screwed.
I think the way to go is keep everything as light and simple as possible. A range of 40 miles will get most folks to work and back. Also, some may have the ability to recharge at work which would help a lot.
As for the ICE part of the equation, you could go the way Ken is with a pure series hybrid configuration. Personally, I think there is a better solution especially with a tadpole layout. You can find used small displacement motorcycles for next to nothing. Why not use one as the rear half of your hybrid. You get an engine, trans and rear suspension/wheel all in one compact package.
I think you will find that doing this is actually cheaper than putting together a series hybrid system.
The CBR 250 might not be quite enough. I would consider a DRZ400 or maybe a KLR650. The larger motors could run higher final drives and might actually be more efficient. And these bikes have been around awhile and are plentiful and cheap, especially the KLR. There are bazillions of these around.
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