[puddleglum]

Originally Posted by 320touring

I currently have a 64 mile commute each day- taking upto 1.5hrs each way,

Electric Motor

What size do I need? 70 mile range at 50+mph

I understand that its amps drawn that's the key to matching output/heat/range?

Batteries

What type?

How many Volts?

How to connect and balance?

I'm a fellow noob, but I've been researching lots. If your one way commute is 32 mi. and it takes 1.5 hours you must have a lot of stop and go or traffic jams to contend with as well, do you? are you planning on converting one of your existing cars? You didn't tell us what your budget was.
If your budget can take it, I think you should go AC. You get the regen you want and less maintenance. Price for a HPEV AC50 is not that much more than a new DC setup and I don't think you would want to go the cheap forklift motor route with as much driving as you plan on doing. A forklift motor may be fine, I plan on using one eventually, but they will be a little less efficient and maybe a little less reliable long term. Plan to go Lithium for sure, it will be cheaper in the long run. The gray CALB cells are getting good reviews and have a higher discharge rate. Don't know who has them in the U.K. If you are using large cells for range, though, it may not matter as much and you may be able to get away with cheaper ones. This might be a source. Sinopoly Cells $1.10/AH - All Sizes, Worldwide Delivery - DIY Electric Car Forums
There seems to be a lot of debate on balancing cells so you will have to make your decision on top or bottom balancing and if you want a BMS or not. Personally, the bottom balance camp seems to make a lot of sense to me and saves the expense of a BMS system.