Is it save to operate DC motor in rainy?

[KUSAW]

Dear all,
I am building an EV right now, but....now Jakarta is entering rainy season....will be very wet almost everyday up to 4 - 6 months ahead.....
I use Warp 11 DC motor.
1. Is it safe run the vehicle while raining?
2. Does it need water protection?

Please advise......
Many thanks,
Kukuh

[Ryland]

That motor has cooling air intakes at one end and you can buy or make a band that allows you to duct that air, if you are really worried about water you can go that route and duct the air intake so it's sucking in dryer air and not as much water, the thing that you need to worry about is dirt, not water, so I think it's well worth having duct work and an air filter to make sure the motor is getting clean air for cooling.
The Warp11 motor is tough and should do ok even running with water in it, as long as it's clean.

[Ladogaboy]

The other concern might be the battery pack. Ensure that no water is getting into the battery compartment that might foul/corrode/short the electrical contacts.

[Ryland]

I never worry about water on my battery pack, I wash the dirt off the tops of my pack with the garden hose, dirt could be an issue, but that is why it's nice to keep them clean.
I do use electrical grease on all of my connections to keep corrosion out but that is caused as more by fumes from charging or from splashed acid then from clean water.

[KUSAW]

Thank you very much for all experience sharings....
I am going follow these directions...
Really appreciated

[HPEV]

The older EV Gurus like Dave Cloud and Rich "Madman" Rudman and Don "Father Time" Crabtree ran electric hydroplanes where the DC motors would frequently see water shooting right through the motor.

In your conversion, do not worry so much about water on your motor as you should about water and moisture in your controller, DC/DC converter etc. It is these other electronic items and a BMS if you have one, that are more likely to be damaged by water.

If I recall correctly, the underside of a vehicle makes up about 14% of the overall drag and so if you make a good bellypan and seal it up you can help your water issues and improve your aero! (Just remember to have passageways for the water to get back out if it does get in. Or at least a way to check.) Coroplast is a good material for bellypan creation and you cand sometimes find 5ft by 10 ft sheets. Also, rubber pond-liner can be useful.

I'm not sure what your pack voltage is or what components you're running but do heed the advice of others to try and keep water out of the battery pack too but indeed the main thing is likely your controller and other ancillary devices and circuits. REMEMBER also to always have ALL high voltage lines fused with appropriate high voltage fuses. This means that even your EV voltage meter or SOC calculation device should have some low amperage but high voltage DC rated fuses. Standard automotive fuses are not good enough as they are often not rated for more than 32 VDC or so.

You want the DC rated midget fuses like the KLK-D series.

Have fun and with a water resistant EV there's no reason not to pass those gas stations even in the rainy season (unless you want to stop to squeegee your windows! Heh, heh)

-Stephen J-