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DC Series would motors are cheap, available and have plenty of torque. That is why they are favored in EV conversion projects. AC motors and controllers are better for EV applications many ways, but they are currently not cheap or available. It is doubtful that you could ever get and AC controller that can put out 144X500=72 kW of power for under $300. They uses matched sets of high power IGBT for each phase. Six IGBT/freewheel diode pairs. For 72 kW of power your looking at about $800 for the IGBTs alone. So, if you want cheap AC is not in your conversion plans.
I have heard of some people using industrial AC motors and VFDs off of Ebay to make a cheap AC driveline, but performance is kind of lacking verses DC and you need high voltage (>300V) battery packs to run them. So, although AC is the technology of choice for Tesla and all the other serious EV guys, its not cheap.
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