Prioritizing...a necessity. Let's go over
my priorities: (I suggest anyone else taking on any kind of project do the same)
Economy is what it all boils down to, for me. Doing as much with as little drain on my resources as possible.
Anything that's "consumable", is, in the long run, is simply bleeding resources (money). So I have a strong attraction to minimizing the cost of these consumables, either by reducing the use there of, or else finding an alternate consumable that is notably cheaper. The reduced impact on the environment is a happy consequence, one that I'm glad for, but not my driving motivation.
Resources includes time and effort. I have limited spare time, and even less energy/enthusiasm to spare. Look up spoon theory for understanding of the latter; my excuse might not constitute as strong enough to warrant it, but it gives you an idea of how I look at and approach things. My projects and whatnot have to be worth the effort (or lack there of) that I put in. Most of what I get in return is the satisfaction of overcoming a hurtle and the resulting enthusiasm to try and continue. When I get on a roll, I can be super productive for weeks. Eventually I over-do it, or fail hard enough that, either way, I have to recover before continuing, and usually on something else entirely, to get the ball rolling again. My EV project died of neglect - and a stupid oversight - after being too disappointing for me to get back to. I enjoyed the process, though, just wish I hadn't made that simple oversight that killed half of my batteries. Not worth the cost to replace them on something that was a dissapointment...throwing good money after bad and all that. Same with the effort that would have to be put in. Would be much smarter to buy a used Leaf, and not cost much more either.
I'm obsessed with getting what I want/need for projects for as little $$ as possible, like this new motor. Always thrilled when I find such a deal. I could pick up a little 2 or 3kw brushless motor off Aliexpress for about the same price as this one. Much higher RPM, much less durable, much less potential power output. More stout motors on there would cost from $300; one of this power potential, more like $1000. So, yes, I am thrilled to have found these.
Efficiency is another key priority. To me, this reflects in having as light, as small, and as aerodynamic of a vehicle as possible...while still managing to be convenient. There's no point in me spending an hour riding a bike to work every day, unless it's all I could afford to do. (I rode my Honda Cub to work for a couple of years, as it was the most affordable-to-convenient way to get there). It should be enclosed - for weather and aerodynamics - electric, for fuel costs, three wheeled - so I don't have to put my feet down, somehow, while in an enclosed vehicle - and cost as little to insure as possible. That's what I'd like, ultimately. It's a pretty tall order, mainly because of all the ridiculous road and insurance laws around here, but it's still something I keep puzzling out in the background.
So, also regarding efficiency, I look at motor/controller efficiency, battery efficiency, minimizing other electrical draws (waste). Batteries are prohibitively expensive and add weight, so I look to minimize where I can. We end up with things like brushless motors and LEDs as a result...
Back up a bit to effort & convenience...gasoline, diesel and electricity take little to no effort to obtain, so I lean towards them. I
love the idea of propane - it's half the price of gasoline around here, burns clean, doesn't spoil, and never spills...it's as close to using a battery as you can get without actually using a battery - but it's not convenient to fill up with. Oh, maybe, with a properly converted propane vehicle...but that's prohibitively both costly difficult to implement. So gasoline, diesel and electricity are my poisons of choice. Diesel's efficiency is enough to offset it's additional drawbacks. Electricity is the best, all around...only drawback is the cost of batteries.
Insurance costs are high on the list of wasteful expenditures. I have to pay as much for each additional vehicle on the road as I do for the first. I spend more on insurance than on gas every month. Not legal to drive without it. A 50cc/1500w "limited speed motorcycle" is the cheapest, besides a trailer, to have on the road...$20-30 a month, vs over $100 for a car; can only have two-wheels, though. Electric bikes don't require insurance, and can have three wheels...though to be legal, they have to have limited power and top speed. You can get away with quite a bit more with one, though, compared to something "street-legal".
Hmm...I think that covers
my priorities. Why bother spelling it all out? Perspective. Who cares about some silly, little, dirt-cheap brushless motor that I can only get a few KW out of? Within the perspective I just gave...
ME! Guess I never grew out of my obsession with doing as much with as little as I got use to when I was poor in my 20s. Just because I can afford more, now, doesn't make something "better".
My eventual goal? To build that three-wheeled, sit-down, enclosed vehicle...and that took a big step forwards a week ago when I brought home a dirt-cheap, "for-parts" Piaggio MP3. That was a bit of an adventure...some day, I'll build it. Unfortuntely, it's likely to take me years at the pace I get things done...in the meantime, I've got the Insight, which, short of an EV, is the next best thing.
