A cheap cheerful economic easily built little runabout :)

[Logic]

The Mott Wooden Car Plans Are Ready!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mt77vTQ8Ui8

Looking at the construction videos, this is actually a pretty strong little wooden Noddy Car.
I'd rather have a car drive into me in this than a bicycle or motorbike.
It's also pretty aero except for the nose, wheels and windscreen, but that's easily fixable.

Best of all; it's cheap and easy to build and actually works! (as a local runabout)

[freebeard]

Are you going to order plans and/or build one?

I'd prefer the Raht Racer, but since it's all roll-yer-own, rebodying with a cedar-strip [canoe] bodyshell is possible.

[Logic]

Originally Posted by freebeard

Are you going to order plans and/or build one?

I'd prefer the Raht Racer, but since it's all roll-yer-own, rebodying with a cedar-strip [canoe] bodyshell is possible.

I am tempted:
(lets call him) Noddy has done all the legwork of finding a seat position (height etc) that works well within a reasonable track width and wheelbase.
But 50 Euros is around R1000 here and that's a lot of money for me atm.

I like how the design evolved to gain rigidity from the aero wooden skin rather than the 'spine' and how that's good from a safety POV. Especially if coated with Kevlar, which one can do as finances allow.
(Wood is an overlooked material for chassis IMHO. Especially Marine Ply)

I would be tempted to carefully lighten the overall design by removing wood not essential for rigidity and aircraft fabric covering it where it wasn't covered with solar panels.

I don't care for the wood steering and axle 'boxes' and lack of suspension up front.
But both are easily fixable IF you add a stiff anti roll bar, or go Tilting.

Cheap tilting means forgoing pedals.
Cheap battery means a small genset for which I already have an engine.

So in my case; no. One can get all the inspiration reqd by watching his videos.

(Anglia is sold, so space for the Lotus at last! Much tidying to do)

[freebeard]

(Wood is an overlooked material for chassis IMHO. Especially Marine Ply)

AutoSpeed
AutoSpeed - Cardboard Cars?
At least one car was made using a wooden chassis - the Marcos. First produced in the 1950s, the Marcos was one of the 'specials' so beloved of UK sports car producers. Developed by people with a good knowledge of WWII aircraft manufacturing techniques, the Marcos used spruce and plywood,

Yes, there’s a composite material that is very cheap, widely available in flat sheets, can be easily ‘worked’, has available excellent glues – and there’s also a lot of knowledge around on how to make things from it.

It’s wood – but not necessarily in the form you’d first think of.

Name drops Marcos, Mosquito and the Spruce Goose.

[The Toecutter]

Originally Posted by Logic

The ONLY? person I am aware of who does not have a car, but only a velomobile as his daily transport is The ToeCutter.
https://ecomodder.com/forum/showthre...ile-39095.html
Good on him! Especially for holding up the middle finger to 'The Norm'.

I do have an electric Triumph GT6 conversion, currently the only car I own. But that doesn't fall into "the norm" either. I will finish it when I get the time and the workspace. At some point, I want to put that nifty carbon-fiber-banded Tesla Model S PLAID motor in it and make 300+ electric horsepower in a vehicle that's lighter than it was as an ICE.

The velomobile is in the middle of being upgraded to AWD with added front hub motors and has a Molicel P42A battery pack capable of 50 kW peak discharge as I type this. My initial plan is to try 25 kW and 400+ Nm of torque to go with that AWD and see if I don't rip the vehicle apart and/or kill myself with it. I've got Hellcats rolling around in this hood to troll.

[The Toecutter]

Also, here's a design that's easy to build:





I was unable to find much information about it, but I saw a German forum post where a roll down test was done with a DF velomobile for comparison, and they were about equal in terms of CdA value based on the roll down distances.

The flat surfaces lend themselves well to easily building with coroplast AND adding solar panels everywhere.

[Logic]

Originally Posted by The Toecutter

Also, here's a design that's easy to build:





I was unable to find much information about it, but I saw a German forum post where a roll down test was done with a DF velomobile for comparison, and they were about equal in terms of CdA value based on the roll down distances.

The flat surfaces lend themselves well to easily building with coroplast AND adding solar panels everywhere.

Thx for dropping by Toecutter.
That really is a very nice mixture between aero and ease of construction, with solar. In plywood!

I get that having the 2 front wheels close to the center of weight makes all the difference for lateral stability, but don't much like the 'feet in front' thing from a safety POV.

I also like the visibility (see and be seen) of higher, more upright seating position.

Cheap and easy lean...
Hmmm..!? a new thought! I'll get back to you on that.

[freebeard]

Needs more windshield.

[Logic]

Originally Posted by The Toecutter

I do have an electric Triumph GT6 conversion, currently the only car I own. But that doesn't fall into "the norm" either. I will finish it when I get the time and the workspace. At some point, I want to put that nifty carbon-fiber-banded Tesla Model S PLAID motor in it and make 300+ electric horsepower in a vehicle that's lighter than it was as an ICE.

That! sounds interesting!

Any plans for a small genset that covers the AVERAGE power requirements of the car?

IMHO a 15 to 20KVA genset does this with a decrease in weight vs lugging expensive, heavy batteries about.
The genset might even be 'Plug and Play' so it can left at home for the usual short trips and 'popped in' for longer trips.

All this lugging an engine around for short trips in PHEVs is for idiots who would somehow bugger up plopping in a genset when reqd IMHO..?

Originally Posted by The Toecutter

The velomobile is in the middle of being upgraded to AWD with added front hub motors and has a Molicel P42A battery pack capable of 50 kW peak discharge as I type this. My initial plan is to try 25 kW and 400+ Nm of torque to go with that AWD and see if I don't rip the vehicle apart and/or kill myself with it. I've got Hellcats rolling around in this hood to troll.

Yes please!
With good, high hardness, low tolerance torque arms it's going to go like a bat out of hell with no torque issues IMHO.

Is there electronic control (software?) to negate 'torque steer'?
ie: Torque Vectoring so the front wheels are turning at the correct speeds at all times?

Any plans to strengthen up the chassis etc a bit?
I didn't see a thread on E-S?


Oh yes:
You are aware that DIY Freegen is actually pretty simple and negates all that torque arm-regen hassle as the torque then goes through your brake disks as usual..?
In fact it fixes so many issues that not taking a (steel) geared hub motor or 3 to someone who can operate a lathe etc is ...er... short sighted IMHO.
You just cant beat coasting for efficiency and then the cogging free pedaling!

[Logic]

Originally Posted by freebeard

Name drops Marcos, Mosquito and the Spruce Goose.

Yes all are remarkable machines!
A working link to the excellent article:
https://www.autospeed.com/cms/a_112917/article

The Mosquito was renowned for its ability to take a beating and still 'come home'. (bullet holes etc).
A lot of Balsa Wood was in it's construction in less stressed areas.

One is tempted to mention the no rust aspect of wooden chassis, but wood does rot if not properly treated and sealed.
I'm light on the subject but assume Marine Ply has this covered..?

When wood does break the jagged edges are scary, but a layer or 2 of Kevlar on the inside, as funds allow, should fix that..?

The Honeycomb Core is worth a mention:
I don't know so much about the paper version, but honeycomb rocks for making very stiff, very light, load bearing surfaces.
I remember an A4 sized 4-5mm thick demo piece with a single layer of glass fiber on each side. As light as a piece of paper, but you weren't bending or twisting it by hand! Not even when using the corner of a table to press the middle against.