Darin,
Add me to the list of folks who have read all your posts on this project--amazing. I've even started dropping into local forklift shops, and already have a line on a 48 volt motor/controller/etc from a 6 ton lift. I'm also trying to find a metro convertible or equivalent for my vehicle.
I think I need more power, though--I live in a big City (LA), and I would like to get up to 55 MPH at least so I can pop onto the freeway for a few miles when I need to. I'm only looking for 20-30 miles range, though, so I think 72 volts sounds right.
In an earlier message you briefly discussed overvolting your motor, but haven't done so yet. Do you think this would be possible with a 48 volt motor? The forklift guys say there are 72 volt units out there but they are rare, heavy and expensive. These forklift motors seem so beefy, that I wonder how far they really can be pushed and what can you do to help them survive if you pump more juice through them.
Also, there is a neat site where some guys are working together to do conversions of 92-96 Civics. If other lurkers out there are interested in working on forkenswift projects in parallel, maybe we can connect through this site somehow?
Civic EV Kit | Google Groups