Electric 6 wheeler?

[JRP3]

Hi all,
I've been kicking around the idea of taking a project 6x6, (if I can find the right one for the right price) and making it electric drive. Anyone ever done something like this? I figure if I can find one cheep without the motor but with everything else I can drop in an electric motor, controller, and some batteries. I don't need top speed or range, but I've got about 4 acres with a good sized gorge and stream right in the middle. I used a friends 4x4 to haul wood up the gorge but it was a real scramble, plus I had to hug the sides of the stream. I think a 6x6 would be perfect for what I need, and the high torque electric motor would give me the low end power. What do you think? Any brands better than others for this project? I see some units use a snowmobile type clutch setup to let the motor wind up to generate torque, I might need to remove that since the electric motor generates full torque from 1 rpm.

[evil8x8]

If you are going electric you build it so one side can be going forward while the other is in reverse. You could also use a generator as a brake, it will charge the batteries when ever you need to slow down.

[JRP3]

That would require 2 motors and 2 controllers, wouldn't it? I'd like to keep this simple as possible. Instead of mounting a generator I'd rather just carry enough batteries to cover my range needs and use the existing brake and steering system.

[JRP3]

This is all I've come up with when searching for "Electric 6 wheeler"
Not exactly what I was looking for, but pretty neat anyway.
6 Wheel Drive Electric Wheel Chair 6x6 Explorer Wheel Chair Beach Bush Fishing New Zealand Kemcare

[Mike]

There was an electric Amphicat on ebay not too long ago.

I know you say you want to keep it simple but if you only use one motor then you have to still use the transmission and then several chains, jackshafts, etc. If you move up to 2 motors then you can completely eliminate the transmission and you would only need two chains for each side. Talk about simple!

Plus then you could counter-rotate the 6x6 with one side forward and one reverse. Then like evil mentioned instead of using disc brakes, recapture all of that energy to charge your batteries just like hybrid/electric cars do. Best of all, you could have all of your weight extremely low in the 6x6 and distribute it however you choose.

It would definitely be a cool project.

[Don]

Attex built an electric machine in the late 60s or early 70s. I have the Popular Science article somewhere, and I'll find it and send it to Mike. Someday I'm going to straighten all this stuff out so I know where it is!

[JRP3]

Then like evil mentioned instead of using disc brakes, recapture all of that energy to charge your batteries just like hybrid/electric cars do.

Also, doing regen with brushed DC motors is not that easy, regen controllers are rare and more expensive, and it can be hard on the brushes. AC motors have regen built in but are much too expensive for this type of project. There really isn't that much energy to recapture on ATV's because of the high rolling resistance. I ran a 3 wheeler for years with no brakes at all and just used downshifting. It was rarely a problem

[Wahoo]

Hi guys, I'm new to the forum and I just want to say I've been really impressed with the helpfulness and mutual respect I've seen displayed here. Not all forums are like this.

I've been researching the market to purchase my first AATV. After reading your comments on the different AATV's out there I've come to the personal conclusion that AATV enthusiasts have at least two major issues with the AATV's currently on the new or used markets. It seems the maintenance and reliability of AATV drive trains is one issue and the desire by many for more speed is another. The speed issue is apparently due, in part, to the difficulty in having a suspension that will allow one to maintain control at higher speeds over rough terrain and still have a water tight, swimming, chassis and not so much an issue of cramming more power into the vehicle. I've been watching Whipper's answer to that one with great interest. The maintenance and reliability issues are apparently the nature of the beast. I recently spoke to a former AATV dealer in Houston who now sells Rhinos, Kawasaki's and Kubotas and he warned me that while they were great fun and very useful, I should be prepared to work on them constantly.
It occurs to me that anything that gets beat up in the woods, trails and mud bogs will require periodic maintenance and I have no illusions about that. But, I think a Hybrid AATV might address this issue to some degree. I think properly protected electric motors, a bank of high efficiency batteries, and a small diesel or gas generator could be engineered in the the current AATV form in a way that could greatly simplify the drive train, improve reliability and provide great range. And having a robust electrical system on board would allow you to easily add a trolling motor (or two) to assist with deep water. I'm really interested in exploring the possibilities of a hybrid AATV and I think I'm ready to devote some time, money and elbow grease to produce a good one.

[JRP3]

There are two problems involved in a hybrid AATV.
1. You are essentially using two separate systems and doubling the complexity and the cost.

2. There isn't a lot of room in an AATV, except some of the larger ones, so you compromise your battery range by taking up space with the ICE components and you add weight that has to be hauled around all the time when it's really not needed most of the time.

The great thing about electric is the low maintenance, why add it back in with a generator?
Attex claimed 4 hours of run time in 1970 with golf cart batteries, how much range do you really need?

I think the best way to go would be with two reversible motors capable of regenerative braking and lithium ion batteries for increased range. This removes the transmission from the equation which further simplifies they whole system. Lithiums are coming down in price to make this feasible.

[Wahoo]

There are two problems involved in a hybrid AATV.
1. You are essentially using two separate systems and doubling the complexity and the cost.

2. There isn't a lot of room in an AATV, except some of the larger ones, so you compromise your battery range by taking up space with the ICE components and you add weight that has to be hauled around all the time when it's really not needed most of the time.

The great thing about electric is the low maintenance, why add it back in with a generator?
Attex claimed 4 hours of run time in 1970 with golf cart batteries, how much range do you really need?

I think the best way to go would be with two reversible motors capable of regenerative braking and lithium ion batteries for increased range. This removes the transmission from the equation which further simplifies they whole system. Lithiums are coming down in price to make this feasible.

Good points but, I'm wanting a vehicle I can truly take anywhere. One capable of an expedition or week long trail ride. I would welcome redundant motors, probably more than just two. And I think I'd like the generator section to be "modularized" so that people like yourself who don't require a vehicle to go into the Alaskan wilds or East Texas swamps could simply treat it like a golf cart and plug in overnight. The generator module could be mounted or demounted as required. That would give you the flexibility of easily offering a diesel or gas option. And I agree with you that I would like to design out the T-20 transmission, most of the chains and linkages and use "fly by wire" and control everything with joysticks. I would modularize everything for easy maintenance. A joystick goes bad? Pop four turn locks and put in a new one. A drive motor goes bad? Keep running on the remaining motors. Make the mounts easy to access so swapping a motor isn't a nightmare. I'd like the flexibility to run on two motors to save energy or kick in up to six (one per wheel) for full power. Maybe it could be designed for up to six but you can buy one larger motor per side and link the axles if you didn't want the redundancy.

What do you think would be a reasonable speed to expect or design to?
What about water speed?