Honda C70 Passport Electric Conversion
 

Hello.

My name is Ted. I live in Vancouver, BC. My girlfriend and I are the somewhat recent owners of two Honda C70 Passports.

I'm gonna say that they rock. Hard.

In fact, they rock so hard that I want another. However, with this one I would like to convert it to an EV.

The bike's absolute furthest trip would be 8 mile round trip, though it's unlikely to ever even take that trip. The gas bikes are more likely to take those trips. The daily commute for this bike would be 3 miles round trip. Commutes to semi-frequent locations would be 7.5 miles round trip with power available at each destination. 35 miles an hour is as fast I would ever need to go.

This bike is not intended to be the workhorse of the three, simply icing on the cake. Also, any parts removed from the bike could be used as replacement parts for the other bikes. The project would also give me the experience necessary to deal with any future issues with the other bikes. Each facet of the project will be of some benefit.

I've seen electric scooters, and a converted electric Vespa. I'm looking to build the equivalent of any 49cc bike, of which I've seen electric versions. I simply want one that looks like a passport.

I would like to know if anyone has some advice. What kind of motors should I be looking for? What are the best kind of batteries for this project? What kind of cutting or welding experience would I need? Are there any factors I'm overlooking?

Hi Ted -

Found any answers since you first posted.

(Belated welcome to the forum, btw. Just came across your post.)

Your extremely modest range & top speed requirements are a good thing, both from the point of view of keeping costs down, because you won't need a really powerful motor, and also from the point of view of having a manageable battery pack size.

You didn't mention what kind of budget you're working with though...

Which makes me wonder if you're up for going with a lithium battery pack. Since you don't need a pile of capacity, you may be able to set one up that's not horribly expensive.

2 pieces of advice:

1. Spend some time on the EV Album if you haven't already. Look at what other 2-wheel conversions have used. EV Photo Album: Our Electric Cars on the Web

2. Vancouver has an EV association with regular meetings. I expect you could learn a LOT by attending a meeting or two and letting people there know what you're up to. EV aficionados also tend to have spare parts and expertise that they're willing to pass along.

A Songi would fit the bill!