donideli
New member
Hi All, I'm totally new to DIY karting. But I’m a mechanical engineer by training, and DIYGKs seems like THE place to go! I've been thinking of converting a 2-seater go-kart to electric. I’ve been reading about motors and batteries, and am converging on a couple. But as a newb, I’d be grateful for any first-pass feedback.
For the motor, I’ve found some 10-HP brushed DC variations which seem to give pretty good power w.r.t input. Here's one example.
And for the battery, I’m considering a unit built from 7 Nissan Leaf G1 modules (from TechDirect Club here), which is ~48V overall. According to an email from the supplier, this pack, with the BMS, can provide 60A continuous, with bursts (about 6 seconds) of 120A. So, with the motor above, that should give about 65 lb-in of torque continuously with 140 lb-in bursts (assuming I’m reading the performance curve correctly…). And it's 66amp-hour, so I **think** that means I could run it at 60A for just over 1 hour (?).
For lack of a better term, does this combo pass the “laugh-test”? Do you think it’d be able to power the kart+occupants (I’m betting ~600-700lbs total), with any enjoyable velocity/zip? For a decent range? And without a motor controller (for cost’s sake)?
I know it's a bit of a vague/early-stages question (tons to figure out still), but thanks for any thoughts you have!
For the motor, I’ve found some 10-HP brushed DC variations which seem to give pretty good power w.r.t input. Here's one example.
And for the battery, I’m considering a unit built from 7 Nissan Leaf G1 modules (from TechDirect Club here), which is ~48V overall. According to an email from the supplier, this pack, with the BMS, can provide 60A continuous, with bursts (about 6 seconds) of 120A. So, with the motor above, that should give about 65 lb-in of torque continuously with 140 lb-in bursts (assuming I’m reading the performance curve correctly…). And it's 66amp-hour, so I **think** that means I could run it at 60A for just over 1 hour (?).
For lack of a better term, does this combo pass the “laugh-test”? Do you think it’d be able to power the kart+occupants (I’m betting ~600-700lbs total), with any enjoyable velocity/zip? For a decent range? And without a motor controller (for cost’s sake)?
I know it's a bit of a vague/early-stages question (tons to figure out still), but thanks for any thoughts you have!
. Hard to buy it after that raving review lol. The Chevy Volt pack sounds like a good idea -- thanks for the link, I'll take a look. 100A is a lot! I see you're running it on a batt-bridge rather than a full BMS -- I didn't even know such a thing existed, I'm looking forward to reading the thread you made in more detail. Might be just the ticket...