homebuilt electric motorcycle help

[ronhug]

i have a striped down Yamaha xs400, and a motor from a baker palate jack, and in the process of melding the two, this is a low-buck project but can some one give me a opinion on what the range may be with 6 12 volt ? would 4 6 volts be better ? the motor is a 24 volt motor

[Ryland]

Range seems to be around 75 watt hours per mile up to 150 watt hours per mile, depending on speed, Amps X Volts = Watts, Amp hours X Volts = Watt Hours, so look at the size of battery you are looking to use and you can figure out what your range might be, remember that with lead acid you want to discharge only half way, you can get away with 80% discharge but it will shorten the battery life.
Any idea what the specs on the motor you have are? are you planing to run it at 24v? personally I wouldn't bother with a motorcycle that is less then 48v as it will draw to many amps for most controllers, or only give you low speeds.

[ronhug]

can a run a 24 volt rated motor with 48 volts ?

[Ryland]

Originally Posted by ronhug

can a run a 24 volt rated motor with 48 volts ?

Depending on the specs, maybe, most likely yes, it should have a number of ratings on the motors plate, like if it's made for intermittent use or continues use, a 24v motor that is made for continues use should be ok running for short amounts of time at a higher voltage, but if it's a light duty, low amp motor and you put it under a high load and run it at higher voltage then you will burn it up pretty quickly.

[ronhug]

what about range and batterys, if i use 4, 6 volt 200ah batteries or 4- 12 volt 35 ah ?

[Ryland]

Originally Posted by ronhug

what about range and batterys, if i use 4, 6 volt 200ah batteries or 4- 12 volt 35 ah ?

6v batteries like golf cart batteries? using 4 of them you should get 20-30 miles of range, of course if you have them wired up for a lower voltage then you will have more loss in the wires then if you have it wired up for a higher voltage.
Off the top of my head I can't think of any 12v 35 amp hour deep cycle traction batteries, but just off the numbers I would say 7-12 miles with that set of 4 12v batteries.
If you go to EV albums and look at motorcycles on there, a large number of people list their watt hours per mile, I tend to figure the 150 watt hours per mile is a safe number to use, of course it you will get much better range the slower you go, but for real use I think the 150wh is going to give you a realistic range so you don't kill your pack by trying to commute 30 miles with a pack that "should give you 30 miles" because you under estimated.
Also batteries for starting a car should not be used, deep cycle batteries are what you want and traction batteries are better, traction batteries are designed with heavier plates for higher loads and deeper cycling, golf car, fork lift and utility vehicle batteries all are traction batteries, trolling motor batteries and RV deep cycle batteries can work if you use the lightly.

[ronhug]

i cant seem to find the ev albums, where are they ?

[Ryland]

EVAlbum: Search Results is the search for motorcycles, some bicycles, scooters and mopeds are also in there, along with unfinished projects, but if you look you will find alot of motorcycles that people have real life data on range and speed.

[puddleglum]

Originally Posted by ronhug

can a run a 24 volt rated motor with 48 volts ?

I can't speak from experience since I haven't built an EV yet, but I researched it a fair bit. I have a XS400 frame and a 24v pallet jack motor as well, waiting to be merged. Anyway, from what I've read and been told, Most forklift motors are underrated enough that they can easily accept 2x and possibly 3x the rated voltage. As long as you don't exceed the rated current limits, you should be okay. Speed will increase with the voltage, so you may need to change the timing on the motor. Check out the thread on forklift motors on this link for more info.

Electric Motors - DIY Electric Car Forums

[bennelson]

Ronhug,

Post some photos when you get a chance. It gives us all a better picture of what you are doing.