EV from Scratch Build Thread - Please feel free to contribute!

[Blue Bomber Man]

Made some minor tweaks to the chassis today. Oh ya, and I came up with a preliminary design for the canopy. I like the looks of it and I think it will probably be very aerodynamic, I just hope I can find someone that can fabricate it for a reasonable and with a decent material.






Total mass is around 170 pounds with what you there. Still a lot to add in terms of weight (the whole drivetrain for example). I'm guessing finish weight of around 600 pounds.

[Blue Bomber Man]

I contacted a company today that custom fabricates windshields. They requested my drawings for the parts and said they would get back to me with a quote. I am hoping that it falls within the 500-1000 range (preferably more towards the $500 range!) as anything higher would be a bit cost prohibitive

[Daox]

I'd consider halfing the windshield if its too expensive. Make the rear half out of metal and just use mirrors to see in back of you.

Also, I'd be interested in getting a copy of your SolidWorks files just to get a better look at what is going on there. Could you perhaps just zip them (with pack n go) and upload to a specific location? Every update you could just overwrite it then.

[Blue Bomber Man]

I don't have a good location to upload it to, if you have an email I can send it directly to you as a zip file. Unfortunately the file was about 1.2 megs which is too large to upload on this site.

[Daox]

Alright, shoot it on over to daox@hotmail.com.

[Blue Bomber Man]

Email sent.

[Geebee]

These might be of interest to you with the project.
Buiding and ultra light car:
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[Blue Bomber Man]

Thanks, I've seen those though and I've actually had some dialog with the designers of that vehicle.

[richuu]

I came across this thread on a Google search for scratch built EV's. I've been mulling ideas over in my head for a while and I like the look of some of the stuff I'm seeing on this thread. My idea centres around a Lotus 7 replica chassis (Caterham, Westfield, Locost). You might want to research these for fabricated front suspension parts. There is no reason that custom fabbed parts should last less time than OE parts, if they are properly made. I agree with the comments on ATV parts though - don't touch them!

I'm nowhere near the same stage as yours, but as said, my idea is based on the small, light and strong '7' style spaceframe chassis, possibly made from aluminium tube. Rather than the traditional bodywork however, I think a smoother, more integrated shell might be better. My design goal is to get me to work and back on each charge, with a bit of extra range for lunchtimes etc, totalling about 50 miles. It will probably be a 2 seater, but mostly used for me only.

[richuu]

Also, a quick note on how I think regenerative braking should work. I believe in most motor controllers, there are variable regen circuits built in. First stage would be just lifting off the 'gas' pedal with no brake application - this would give a mild level of regen braking, same as engine braking in a petrol driven car. Second stage would be 'just touching' the brake pedal - say operated by the brake light switch. This would increase regen braking, and maybe coupled with a pot on the pedal, increase progressively the more you press the pedal. As the pedal is pressed more, the mechanical (hydraulic) brakes would come into play.

For a light hydraulic brake setup, look at something like Willwood calipers.