Shall I build my own electric sports tourer / commuter?
Discussion
Zero and Energica are stupid expensive.
Triumph tease with shots of their TE-1, and talk about prices the market is willing to pay.... but they're not giving any indications of what that might be, and anyway I'm fed up waiting.
I'm going to see if I can book my unrestricted test in Easter, and if I pass I want to move to a bike I can ride on a motorway comfortably at 70 mph, with a range of say 100 miles mixed, or 80 miles m'way.
Shall I just go buy a bike with a seized engine, and convert it to electric ?
Would 50kW / 70 HP be enough ?
Triumph tease with shots of their TE-1, and talk about prices the market is willing to pay.... but they're not giving any indications of what that might be, and anyway I'm fed up waiting.
I'm going to see if I can book my unrestricted test in Easter, and if I pass I want to move to a bike I can ride on a motorway comfortably at 70 mph, with a range of say 100 miles mixed, or 80 miles m'way.
Shall I just go buy a bike with a seized engine, and convert it to electric ?
Would 50kW / 70 HP be enough ?
Yasa P400 - 60 kW continuous, or up to 160 kW for a short while. (yeah, I won't be doing that)
Very compact. Pricey though. Really nice quality motors though.
Or Avid also do a 60 kW output motor.
AEM up in Newcastle do a nice motor which might just fit inside a frame at 234mm wide. Peak power of 300 kW at 700V. I dunno, could that be a tad excessive ...?
Emrax do a nice compact motor, 60+ kW continuous. Can be configured at various voltages.I can use a DTI controller with it. Would easy fit in a frame at less than 100 mm thick.
Slightly larger motor at 107kW continuous...
Very compact. Pricey though. Really nice quality motors though.
Or Avid also do a 60 kW output motor.
AEM up in Newcastle do a nice motor which might just fit inside a frame at 234mm wide. Peak power of 300 kW at 700V. I dunno, could that be a tad excessive ...?
Emrax do a nice compact motor, 60+ kW continuous. Can be configured at various voltages.I can use a DTI controller with it. Would easy fit in a frame at less than 100 mm thick.
Slightly larger motor at 107kW continuous...
Thinking about this for a mo - I see where you are coming from re using recovered bits and bobs.
I think I wouldn't mind spending some cash on new kit to get a good result, like new motors/controllers/battery pack. A bike which will reliably get me round, last a few years, and have enough power & range. So no need for trips to the recycling centre to search for knackered washing machines.
Not that there is anything wrong with using old recovered bits and bobs.
If this is all too much of a ball ache, I could just buy a normal petrol bike to use, while I make loads of stupid mistakes building a washing machine special.
This would in fact be the sensible way to do it.
I think I wouldn't mind spending some cash on new kit to get a good result, like new motors/controllers/battery pack. A bike which will reliably get me round, last a few years, and have enough power & range. So no need for trips to the recycling centre to search for knackered washing machines.
Not that there is anything wrong with using old recovered bits and bobs.
If this is all too much of a ball ache, I could just buy a normal petrol bike to use, while I make loads of stupid mistakes building a washing machine special.
This would in fact be the sensible way to do it.
Yes, probably the place for the heavy dense battery is low down and central to keep CoG centralish to the bike.
Zero, Energica and Triumph all place their batteries where an ICE would be otherwise.
I'm talking to a company near to me about a battery pack. They are really really good at this stuff, so I'll probably buy from them. By the time I make a load of mistakes it'll end up being cheaper to pay them to do the battery pack.
I'm trying to convince myself this will be mostly plug and play, but I know there is going to be lots of modifying the frame, swapping sprockets etc.
But really, it'll be the hands on fiddling and sorting of problems that will be most useful for me.
Zero, Energica and Triumph all place their batteries where an ICE would be otherwise.
I'm talking to a company near to me about a battery pack. They are really really good at this stuff, so I'll probably buy from them. By the time I make a load of mistakes it'll end up being cheaper to pay them to do the battery pack.
I'm trying to convince myself this will be mostly plug and play, but I know there is going to be lots of modifying the frame, swapping sprockets etc.
But really, it'll be the hands on fiddling and sorting of problems that will be most useful for me.
On the face of it this project looks like a proper can of worms. However, I would love to see a full project report on this fine forum with photos, progress, pros/cons, safety issues etc.
I suppose apart from the obvious technical challenges, how does it work with type approval, MOT, VED etc??
Go for it!
I suppose apart from the obvious technical challenges, how does it work with type approval, MOT, VED etc??
Go for it!
Biker 1 said:
On the face of it this project looks like a proper can of worms. However, I would love to see a full project report on this fine forum with photos, progress, pros/cons, safety issues etc.
I suppose apart from the obvious technical challenges, how does it work with type approval, MOT, VED etc??
Go for it!
SVA, presumably - this sort of project is exactly what they are for.I suppose apart from the obvious technical challenges, how does it work with type approval, MOT, VED etc??
Go for it!
I’d love to see you attempt this and see how you’ll overcome the various engineering challenges.
I’d consider weight a very important factor and have a target weight. Too much weight can make bikes not fun to ride and manoeuvre so it needs to be an important measure.
I also wonder about electronics to keep a bike with a lot of torque at the rear wheel under control!
I’d consider weight a very important factor and have a target weight. Too much weight can make bikes not fun to ride and manoeuvre so it needs to be an important measure.
I also wonder about electronics to keep a bike with a lot of torque at the rear wheel under control!
That's a good point re electronics. A Zero makes as much torque as a Panigale. I rode a Zero years ago when they first came out, the training school I worked was considering it for a big auto license. It was very quick off the line even in Eco mode. One of my colleagues gave it a handful on a roundabout and it high-sided him to hospital.
I love the idea of this. I'm going to electrify my Impreza one day so keen to see how you get on.
I love the idea of this. I'm going to electrify my Impreza one day so keen to see how you get on.
A lad near me put this together during lockdown for a bit of quiet green laning I knew he was building this but I was amazed with the quality and execution.
I've ridden a few ev's and I like them, I only rode this around an industrial estate but was very impressed.
Here it is having an MOT and once SVA'd it can be registered, I can put you in touch if you want!
I've ridden a few ev's and I like them, I only rode this around an industrial estate but was very impressed.
Here it is having an MOT and once SVA'd it can be registered, I can put you in touch if you want!
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