New here with a goal to build an electric car...

[Ryland]

motor might be a bit small, what's the voltage?
the Saab should have space for alot of batteries, but it is going to take alot to get it going as well, so regen braking would be nice with a car like that.

[ruttkowb]

Originally Posted by Ryland

motor might be a bit small, what's the voltage?
the Saab should have space for alot of batteries, but it is going to take alot to get it going as well, so regen braking would be nice with a car like that.

I'm not sure about the motor. I have a 9" / 36V motor from my old forklift but that might not be the right one. I need at least 96 V. Regenerative braking would be top but it will require an AC motor (=$$$$). I haven't really looked into that, don't really know how that works together with the real brakes??

[RobertSmalls]

Originally Posted by ruttkowb

My goal is to reach a top speed of min 65 mph and a range of min 50 miles.

You should know that that's massively more ambitious / expensive than a neighborhood electric vehicle. Play with the simulator at Aerodynamic & rolling resistance, power & MPG calculator - EcoModder.com , and note that to cruise at 65mph requires three times as much energy as cruising at 40mph.

I don't mean to discourage you. Anything you want can be done, given a large enough budget. But I do think you should carefully consider paring the car back to the bare minimum to save on cost and other resources. Will this be your only car, and what tasks will you use it for? Can you find a smaller donor car with enough payload for the batteries? Is 50mph enough, and how fast do you need to get to that speed?

One option that I find attractive among electric cars is a plug-in hybrid. If you had an electric motor and batteries large enough for 90% of trips you take, and a tiny gas engine that might take forever to accelerate to highway speed but is just large enough to cruise with, you'd have versatility and low cost.

Check out what other folks have done at DIY Electric Car Garage - index , and run through some calculations yourself.

[ruttkowb]

Robert,
You are absolutely right! This is why I am still crunching numbers and try to get a better overall understanding. I live in a more rural area and not in a city and don't want to always check with Mapquest on if I can get there and back. The Saab might stay gas powered and I might look for a lighter car. My budget is limited and therefore my choices too. The hybrid idea is coming to my mind more and more... I will read what others have done.