JPEC: Journal Peddlecar Electric Conversion

[Freakelec]

Edit: just realized there is a journal section...





Hi erveyreader,

Ive been interested in small vehicles since I was a kid. Kei cars, enclosed bikes, cantas etc. In particular the Sinclair C5, which one day Ill get, when I have a garage. For now Ill stick to something a bit easier and cheap.

So I got myself a peddle-car, which is quite popular here in the Netherlands (and neighboring countries I presume) called a skelter. This one is a German Kettcar. Pic of this:

Now the plan is to strip it and use the frame, seat and steering mechanism. The frame is very handy, for it already has mounting holes drilled in in many spots of the frame. Its dimensions are 37 x 21 x 10 Inch. Which is 94 x 53.3 x 25.4 Cm for all you lazybums out there.

As it is meant for kids from 5 to 8, its weight capacity is only 50Kg. To combat this I had in mind replacing the axle for a thicker one and piping it as explained well in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTzXETJ6Ftw&t=1139s ,and the massive plastic tires with bigger pneumatic ones.
Other additions will be a plate or beams in the space underneath the seat. This is to mount the motor and controller. To achieve the mounting of them Ill have to elevate the seat. Normally there is about 11 Cm of space between the top and under bar.
I'm Considering the following options: a plate for a floor, head and brake lights, Plates for a "body" shielding the motor and a windshield of sorts.

What I'm gonna buy:

Motor:
https://www.banggood.com/36V-500W-M...-p-1441207.html?rmmds=search&cur_warehouse=CN

Battery:
https://www.amazon.de/Seilylanka-Li...=lithium+batterie+48v&qid=1588119002&sr=8-122

and a fitting controller of minimum 800W

I have only got the peddlecar, the rest will come later when I start deconstruct it. Get the parts step by step, fill the time in these times.
Any feedback would be much appreciated! Ill update whenever I have been busy with it, and fotos of the process will definitely be posted alongside.

Cheers!

 

[ol'joe]

Seriously?

I am going to make a few suggestions and you are most welcome to take note or ignore them completely.

First, the motor. 500 watts is less than one horsepower. The very cheapest Harbor Freight 3/8" VSR drill motor pulls almost 400 watts, and it is weak as a kitten.

Second, the pedal car. It is good that you have decided to replace the wheels and axles, but the rest of the car is hardly built for adult use, either. Most folks figure a safety factor of at least 3 is needed for things that transport us, so, say you weigh in at 200 pounds, figure out a way to drop 600 pounds on the seat from a height of 6 feet or so and repeat 100 times. If the condition of the little car has not suffered, you may be on to something.

To better make the point, you might want to watch the linked video;

https://youtu.be/v6WTYP8wBSU

I would start from ground zero, use your pedal car as a pattern for any parts you do not know how to make, but make them MANY times stronger than the pedal car parts. Of course, if you would be satisfied with pedal car speeds....about half walking speed...….please forget I said anything. I assumed that if you wanted a motor you were seeking speeds above 10 MPH, and that is enough speed to do a LOT of damage to the human critter....best of luck, and have fun....Joe

 

[Freakelec]

Hiya Joe, thanks for the feedback!

The motor is only so strong because of the speed I want from it. I live in the Netherlands where cycling is one of the main transportation device's, so I wish to be going to max 14mph. This would fit on those type of roads. I want to use the cart on unbusy roads, on the outskirts of town. For that purpose 500 or 1000 watts (have to decide when the weight of the cart after being built reveals itself) would be sufficient.

For the pedalcar itself, I have to use it for I don't have a welding machine to make my own frame. Otherwise I would have made one myself. Also there are accounts online of people making a motorized cart from the same pedalcar I am using.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KkvZ-i16n8&t=165s

I know that they have have modified it, Ill do any modifications if necessary. Its an evolving project . but for now I have faith that it will carry my weight and preform solid. Especially after the new axle and tires. Also I'll have to bolt on new beams to support the axle which will disperse the weight even more, perhaps I'll install new front tires and improve the steering.

I'll also wear a helmet.

Thanks for the feedback again, I'll update as soon as I make progress worthy of posting.
Thanks!
Freakelec

 

[Functional Artist]

I have found ( I do a lot of testing) that to propel an adult in a kart, with an electric motor
...your gonna need at least a 48V 1,000W motor
...to have "fun"

Yes, a smaller motor will "work"
...maybe, for a while/temporarily
…but, it'll be really slow (like walkin' pace slow)

For more info, check out some of "My Metal"
...every thread is "packed" with info

http://www.diygokarts.com/vb/showthread.php?t=43116