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Electric Motor on a Geo Metro
Topic Started: Jun 24 2014, 04:53 PM (2,119 Views)
Oren
Fresh Fish
[ * ]
Coyote X
Jun 24 2014, 08:39 PM
I had 6 batteries for 72V on my setup. It wasn't fast but it mostly did the job I wanted it to I really just needed more amps and a more reliable drive system. But running around close to home ~20 miles away it was nothing to keep it over 100mpg. So adding the cost of it together it would take me prob 500,000 miles to break even on cost going from 60 to 100mpg :)

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Hey I been thinking about doing this at axle,any info on what you used
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Metromightymouse
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Powdercoat Wizard

Oren
Aug 1 2014, 08:07 PM
Coyote X
Jun 24 2014, 08:39 PM
So adding the cost of it together it would take me prob 500,000 miles to break even on cost going from 60 to 100mpg :)


Hey I been thinking about doing this at axle,any info on what you used
This should be the part you focus on.

"So adding the cost of it together it would take me prob 500,000 miles to break even on cost going from 60 to 100mpg"
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Justahoby
Unqualified informant

I got an idea, may be nuts to some but would work, and be a shitload of fabricating on the rear ..
If only you got ahold of couple golf cat motors , it won't power much by themselves but take a load off the 3cyl, running through a transaxle in the rear.. Just above that a shitload of batteries from a golf cart.. Ratio everything pick a gear so your fine up to at 60mph..
Would be a heavy ass end... Use cv axles and spindles for front, and lock them solid to,adjustable tie rod ends....
Both would be working, but I bet it would take a load off of it... Not quite the way most hybrids run, but 10 more hp from two electric motors , I bet you see the difference... Just have to reconstruct around cutting a new hole in your trunk and eliminating it
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perfesser
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Elite Member - Former Metro owner

Do some more research on that "Ratio everything pick a gear so your fine up to at 60mph.." part. The golf cart motors are designed to go maybe a quarter of that speed, so a transmission of some sort may be needed. So now you have a couple of electric motors feeding (somehow) into a single transmission and on out to the wheels.

Now, how do you synchronize the shifting and motor speed of your front wheels to the shifting and motor speeds of your rear axle?

When you're comfortable explaining in detail how this will work to someone with a bit of mechanical knowledge, then you're ready to start pricing parts.
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Coyote X


There is only one reason to add electric drive to a gasoline metro: because you can. The chain drive setup I used was terrible. The axle moves around so much that the chain never stays on and breaks the links pretty regular. I bet I spent more in chains than I did in gas or electric. The idea of putting front suspension in the rear is possible but the added weight and complexity from having to build up a frame to hold the thing together will keep that from ever really happening without being a radical change from stock. The only place I can see that would be possible to drive is either drive the front of the engine with a larger belt hooked to the crank or modify the 5th gear set in the side of the transmission to be able to get the power into the transmission somehow.

My next try will be to modify the 5th gear set to get the power into the transmission through them. But I haven't even started on that and it is probably a year or so off before I even look at a transmission to figure it out.

Ultimately if your metro is getting 50mpg and you go to 500mpg. And assuming you are a miracle worker and get the whole thing built for $1000 it would still take 10 years to break even. It just isn't worth it once you get to 50mpg you are already spending so little on gas that it just doesn't save much. So the only real reason to do it is because you want to play around with it and are not really trying to save money.
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Hanuman
"The Almighty Grounds Cleaner"

also guys, look at the up-front gas savings.
lets say i want to drive from my house to anchorage and back......
9 dollars in gas becomes 4 dollars in gas. thats a big difference in the cost of that one trip.
my van.....25$
my truck ...50$
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arudlang
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Andrew

:popcorn I had no idea such an awesome conversation was going on over here!! I am a huge EV enthusiast, I'll try not to gush.

evmetro and coyote x :worthy :worthy :worthy way to innovate!

Awesome to see your successes. Maybe Honda was taking a leaf out of your books when they designed my CRZ with the IMA (integrated [electric] motor assist) system!

Anyways, the thought of converting my Sprint to hybrid has crossed my mind as well. If nobody minds me dropping my two cents in here, this is what I had in mind: (keeping in mind its all dreams/hypothetical at this point)

My '88 seems ideal, no power steering, no vacuum run brake booster, got the 5 speed manual, this car has little to nothing holding it back from being safely operated without the gas engine running. One of the lightest models produced (as far as I know).

Once I finish getting my motor rebuilt and working well, I want to leave it alone. No hacking into the transmission or putting sprockets onto axles for me. My goal is not to run highway speed on electric, but rather have a system where I can drive all electric in town up to 35-40 MPH. This is how I *think* I want to do it:

Get the smallest, lightest solid axle I can find from a rear wheel drive donor car.
Fabricate mounts for some small leaf springs and shocks, etc.
Get myself a good set of clutches from a snowmobile, which is essentially a CVT system with freewheel built in (give or take some customizations).
Get 20-30 kW peak rated brushless motor wound for something low, 48-72 volts, and a HIGH amperage controller.
Get the appropriate number of cheap SLA batteries to match controller and motor, build a custom box for them in the back, the solid axle with leaf springs should have no trouble with them.
Fabricate the axle with the motor and CVT system as a single unit such that the axle "free wheels" when being pulled by gas/front. Mount it up with whatever cutting may be required to the trunk area.
You can guess the rest, piggyback a POT onto the gas pedal and make an on/off for the electric system.

So for highway driving, the gas motor can be fired up and driven front wheel drive like normal. Carrying a lot of extra weight yes and gas mileage would suffer from stock but I doubt it would suffer too terribly if the axle has good bearings. A lithium pack, money willing, would help a lot there.
When toodling around town in the 30-35 mph zone, shut off the gas engine but keep the key on. Flip on the electric system, and drive on that. If all math and gears and tire sizes are done right the snowmobile "CVT" should provide good gearing to get you going quickly and then wind out to a higher ratio to cruise efficiently at 30-35 mph.

Basically then if you live in town and drive less then 20 miles a day, you use nothing but electric. When you get out on the highway for a longer drive you merely put your transmission into the appropriate gear, bump start, shut off the electric and go wherever you are going.

Anyways, thats what floats around in my wildest dreams. My experience is in building electric bikes/scooters, nothing as big as a car just yet and its likely this plan will never come to pass for my Sprint but a guy can dream. Sorry for spilling my daydreaming all over your thread... :ashamed
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