[GRLUG] OFF TOPIC Electric Car

[Matt Michielsen]

I'm also very interested.  I think it could be done for under $5000, but
that's with doing pretty much all of the work myself.  There are some open
source motor controller designs out there that seem pretty decent.  MOSFETs
for high amperage cost quite a bit.  I don't think 100HP in necessary
though, as you'll have a lot more low-end torque (at least from a DC
motor).  The more weight (batteries) you have, the more power you need
though, so I'd start with the lightest car possible.

The discussion I had with Casey that prompted this thread really got me
thinking about this again.  I have several cars that could be used for this
project, and have the ability to make a controller.  What I need is a motor
or two.  And lots of batteries.

I do think we should start a local group for electric/alternative vehicles
and start making things happen.

-mm

On Thu, Nov 20, 2008 at 3:29 PM, Collin Kidder <adderd at kkmfg.com> wrote:

> First get together $15,000. That's partially a joke... But you really
> probably should count on at least $5,000. It really depends on what
> you'd like to do and how comfortable you'd be with building your own
> circuits, frames, supports, etc. The more experience you have with
> mechanical and electrical construction the less you'd need to buy and
> the cheaper it could be.
>
> I suppose that, if you had a good idea of what you were doing, you could
> at least create a hybrid style drive for a couple thousand. It'll still
> be upwards of 15k if you want a fully electric car.
>
> The problem is that a fully electric car should have at the very least a
> 100HP motor. That alone could set you back $4,500. Add on top of that
> batteries. Even if you use car batteries you could be looking at $50 -
> $100 a battery. If you get 15 of them at an average $75/pc it's $1125.
> Then you need motor control hardware. It can add up really quick.
>
> Now, a hybrid could get by with something less. A high RPM 40HP motor
> could work. This would run $1,500 or so. You'll still need a bunch of
> batteries but maybe not as many. So let's say $700 for batteries. You're
> still, then, looking at $2,200 just for those two things.
>
> You can of course go cheaper by buying used. Right now presses are being
> scrapped for their dead weight price. You could buy a press for maybe
> $400  - $1000, take the motor, and scrap the rest to make most of your
> money back.
>
> Matt Hofmann wrote:
> > I'm interested in converting a car. Where do we start?
> >
> > On Wed, Nov 19, 2008 at 10:56 AM, Casey DuBois <casey at grlug.org> wrote:
> >
> >> I have dreamed of taking a car with a blown engine and building an
> >> electric car for a couple years.
> >> While talking with MM it seems that others share my dream.
> >> Who else in the GRLUG has interest or expertise to add?
> >> Does anyone know of any local groups that may be into electric cars?
> >>
> >> Casey DuBois
> >> 616-808-6942
> >> casey at grlug.org
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