Which Electric Car Motor Needed for Speed?

by David Lee
(Idaho)





I want to make an electric SUV - in fact I am planning a Suburban. Can any of these motors reach speeds of 75mph in a vehicle do you think? Also could these motors handle something as big as an SUV?

Hi, David -
If you've got a heavy vehicle, and you want it to run well at freeway speeds, then you're wanting a big AC drive system for your electric car conversion, and you'll definitely need lithium EV batteries.

You can either get a large 3-phase AC induction motor to do that, or consider twinning two motors.

Heavier cars than your Suburban have been converted to electric. Randy Holmquist up at Canadian Electric Vehicles has been converting three-ton trucks to electric using one HPEVS AC-50, but they don't run at highway speeds. It's like an airport luggage truck.

The tradeoff, I guess, is that the heavier they are, the better the regenerative braking works!

Regards,
Lynne

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