Quote:
Originally Posted by The Atomic Ass
200A @48V is ~12.5hp. Please define "slow on flat ground".  |
Don't forget controller and motor inefficiency: a combined guesstimate of 85% efficiency brings us down to ~10.6 hp, theoretical.
Also, 200A is the peak available. I can't speak for Mike's motor/controller, but the combination in my EV only draws peak currents at a relatively low RPM range (on level ground, when accelerating), and only when the controller is cool (built in thermal protection).
To answer your question:
10-17-2007 - First 0-50 km/h (31 mph) acceleration test run: 36 seconds (on the 225A controller). The ForkenSwift is maybe 150 lbs heavier than Mike's Insight.
I've since upgraded to a 400A peak controller, and that has dropped to 21 seconds (but it's much harder on the lead acid batteries to draw high currents like that). Even with 400A, I avoid driving the car in "normal" traffic (because its max acceleration is still so much slower than the average driver), sticking instead to lightly traveled side roads, or off-peak times on otherwise busy streets.