Which AC Electric Motor is Best for EV Conversions?

by David Kuc
(Locust, NC)



Can any type of 3 phase AC induction motor be used for a conversion, or should a specific type, such as the type of housing, be used?


Hi, David -
The best AC motor to use for a car, in my opinion, is the one (well, there's more than one, actually) that has been developed specifically to move a car.

Siemens makes them. Azure Dynamics makes them. Let's see...Brusa. Who else? Anybody else, feel free to chime in, here.

2011 Update: HPEVS makes an awesome AC motor specifically for electric cars.

The point is, your motor needs to be small enough to fit into the space available, tough enough to bounce around, light enough, and intermittent duty. Those motors are built exactly to work well in a car.

Scavenging an AC motor? The next best place to find an AC motor for your electric car is in a forklift. Most of the traction motors for forklifts are series wound DC, but you can often find AC motors in the more modern ones.

Regards,
Lynne

Click here to post comments

Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How? Simply click here to return to Motor Q&A.