Electric 6 wheeler?

[LarryW]

That is cool you got it going. Seems powerful. Are all the bugs worked out or still working on it?

Hmmm, sounds like I need to plan a trip to the Henry Ford Museum.

[JRP3]

The only real bugs I'm working on are mechanical items, chains, bearings, body, etc. The electronics have been working perfectly since the first powerup. I would like to run it at 72 volts someday but it really does everything I need and more at 48 volts. I do want to try and change the main drive chain and sprockets to a toothed belt drive.

[techfx]

Glad you are okay after that spill and your invention survived ! Remember roll cage/bar AND seatbelts or neither.

[Tinodesis]

JRP3,

I'm glad you walked away with only minor injuries.

I have a question for you since you have first-hand experience with an electric ATV.

How well do you think an 8X8 at 96, 120, or even 144 volts would perform?

I'm wondering how 800-1000 lbs of batteries would change the handling on an 8X8. The Argo Avenger is rated at 1000 lbs of cargo, so it seems it might work.

Thanks

[6X6]

Hi Tino: I would first figure the weight you are removing vs. adding. How much the engine weight vs. the electric motor. And how much the fuel tank weighs should be subtracted from the weight of the batteries. (Gas is ~ 6Lbs a gallon, depending on temp and exact gas blend) And also the weight of your starter battery, unless that is one of the batteries you intend to use, then just don't add it's weight. This should give you a total of the weight your adding. Then you can always add that much weight now (Sandbags, weights, whatever) in different locations and see how you will want to distribute the load, and you can also see how it will float, handle the soupe, obsticals, whatever you plan to ride through. Just don't judge the sluggish response, the super high torque of an electric motor will take care of that

[JRP3]

6x6 is pretty much right on the money. There isn't a whole lot of weight savings by taking out the motor and gas tank. My JLO 2 stroke motor weighed around 75lbs, my 7.5 inch electric motor weighed 60lbs, plus 20lbs for the electric speed controller, so that's pretty much a wash. If your motor is larger you'll save more weight. The amount of battery weight depends on the amp hours of the batteries you use, which directly relates to run time.
What kind of performance and run time are you looking for? Basically if you want top speed then you want higher voltage but you'll have shorter run times. Decide how you intend to use the vehicle and then we can figure out what you need. I can say that my Attex with 240lbs of batteries gives me a total vehicle weight around 750lbs, and at 48 volts geared over all at 16:1 I can easily drag a 600lb log. Ideally you want to keep battery weight as low as possible to meet your needs. Gearing should be set to let the motor spin in it's most efficient range most of the time. I spend most of my time pulling load at low speed so I'm geared fairly low. The motor has full torque from 0 rpms but it's also drawing the most amps at low rpms so you want to let it spin faster to keep amps down.

[Tinodesis]

Hi Tino: I would first figure the weight you are removing vs. adding. How much the engine weight vs. the electric motor. And how much the fuel tank weighs should be subtracted from the weight of the batteries. (Gas is ~ 6Lbs a gallon, depending on temp and exact gas blend) And also the weight of your starter battery, unless that is one of the batteries you intend to use, then just don't add it's weight. This should give you a total of the weight your adding. Then you can always add that much weight now (Sandbags, weights, whatever) in different locations and see how you will want to distribute the load, and you can also see how it will float, handle the soupe, obsticals, whatever you plan to ride through. Just don't judge the sluggish response, the super high torque of an electric motor will take care of that

Thanks 6X6! Good advice I can use to test things before buying or dismantling anything.

I haven't driven an electric vehicle, but my wheelchair has more torque than I can use comfortably. It can be adjusted and the highest setting would easily throw an untrained rider off in a spin, or put their feet through a wall.

6x6 is pretty much right on the money. There isn't a whole lot of weight savings by taking out the motor and gas tank. My JLO 2 stroke motor weighed around 75lbs, my 7.5 inch electric motor weighed 60lbs, plus 20lbs for the electric speed controller, so that's pretty much a wash. If your motor is larger you'll save more weight. The amount of battery weight depends on the amp hours of the batteries you use, which directly relates to run time.
What kind of performance and run time are you looking for? Basically if you want top speed then you want higher voltage but you'll have shorter run times. Decide how you intend to use the vehicle and then we can figure out what you need. I can say that my Attex with 240lbs of batteries gives me a total vehicle weight around 750lbs, and at 48 volts geared over all at 16:1 I can easily drag a 600lb log. Ideally you want to keep battery weight as low as possible to meet your needs. Gearing should be set to let the motor spin in it's most efficient range most of the time. I spend most of my time pulling load at low speed so I'm geared fairly low. The motor has full torque from 0 rpms but it's also drawing the most amps at low rpms so you want to let it spin faster to keep amps down.

From what I can see in your videos, I'm looking for the same performance your AMP delivers. I just want to crawl around off-road, and have a little speed for getting down the road. Top speed of 20 MPH, and a 25 mile range. I asked you about your range soon after you got it running, and you hadn't had time to break in your batteries yet. What kind of range are you seeing now?

[JRP3]

Unfortunately my answer on range is always "it depends". I haven't done an extended trail ride with it so I don't really know. Most of my use is short trips into the woods or down across the stream, stop, shovel gravel into the trailer, or load wood, then take that back up to the house, unload, repeat, etc. So I'm pulling heavy loads for short periods, and I get tired before the batteries do. The longest trip I've taken was a 3 mile ride around the block at about 20 mph. Once I replace some bad bearings and bent axles I plan on testing out the range limits but I think I can get a 10 mile range on an easy cruise. I think your requirements should be doable. I would aim for 72 volts for a number of reasons:
1. 48 volts performs very well, 72 would be even better and help keep amps down which means better efficiency.
2. Going above 72 volts limits your controller options and increases the cost.
3. Going above 72 volts means you'd have to use more batteries of smaller size which means shorter run times.
4. 72 volts could give you an even higher top speed if you want it, depending on how you gear it.

[JRP3]

The latest modification to the AMPhibian: Gates polychain drive belt and sprockets.

I'm not sure if the sound in the video really shows the difference but now the motor brush noise is the dominant sound as opposed to the rattling of the chain and sprockets. The roller chain was already showing some stretch and it's been suggested that #50 chain under changing torque loads and speeds up to 6000 RPM is way beyond it's long term capacity so this should be a worthwhile modification even beyond the noise factor. Also I no longer have chain lube being sprayed around my motor and batteries.

[Mike]

That sounds WICKED! I love it.