V2.0: AC motor and Elithion BMS

I know, I know…. you’re all wondering when am I going to get this motorcycle finished. Well, you know how it is…. constantly tweaking things is a trait that comes along with being an engineer. Whether thats a curse or a blessing, I do not know.

One step towards finishing involved ordering my BMS last week. I decided on an Elithion Lithiumaete BMS. Its got a main control board that talks to all the cell boards. There are 16 cell boards (one for every 2 cell groups). The BMS also monitors pack current and charger current and will shut off the contactor and the charger relay depending on the cell voltage level. Its all programmable and its got Canbus and an RS232 connection. Its a pretty full featured system that will match very well with my headway pack.

Here are some pictures of the BMS system (hover over for description of component):

So what else? Well, while cruising the EV Trading post, I noticed that Mark Gresens (part of the Barefootmotors TTXGP team) was selling some motors and controllers. I emailed him, and he told me he’s selling a barely used HPEVS/HPGC AC-15 shafted motor and a Curtis 1238-6501 AC Controller (550A 72V)  with the enGage IV digital gauge. We haggled a little bit on price, and I decided to make the plunge.

The way I figure it is, I wanted to go AC from the beginning. And now, with my bike system almost done, I still don’t have a controller. For the cost of my DC motor and getting a DC controller, I can upgrade to AC. Now I’ll have a fully programmable controller that can exist on the canbus network with the BMS, get regenerative braking, control some external devices like lights/blinkers/contactor/etc and have a completely sealed controller.

Here are some pictures of the motor, controller and gauge display:

So, what to do with the old DC motor? Well, I talked to Dave Noble (another guy doing a VFR conversion in Seattle, Wa), because I figured I could at least sell him my motor mount. We talked, and decided that we’d trade my ADC motor and mount for his Jim Husted rebuilt 7″ motor. What will I do with that motor? Well, My buddy Josh Renoe in Portland needs a motor for his go-kart and its a perfect match. Everyone is happy.

So, I said its a 1238-6501 Controller, thats 72V right? You’re all thinking “I though you were doing 96V ?” Well, My friend Eric Cha (a guy I’ve been consulting for in the Portland area) is building an electric tilting 3-wheeler right now.  He had already decided to go with an HPGC AC-31, but was going to do 72V. I called him and said “hey, do you want to order yours with the 96V 550A controller and I’ll pay the difference + some extra cash and I’ll send my controller to be programmed for your AC-31?” He thought about it and figured “why not”…. He already had the 72V charger and his pack can be easily setup for 72V (since they’re headway cells as well). He even put in an order for an Elithion BMS too. Him and I will have essentially the same system (DeltaQ charger, Curtis controller, HPGC motor, Elithion BMS).

So After all is said and done, Dave, Josh, Eric and I all get what we wanted, and can move towards finishing our projects.

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2 Comments

• By Gabriel Walker, August 10, 2010 @ 9:23 pm

  AC motors are more efficient than DC motors and requires less maintennance “

• By Travis, August 18, 2010 @ 2:49 pm

  Yes, I forgot to mention that. Most cases they can be more efficient. You do need to consider both the controller and motor though, so it all depends.

  Less maintenance is pretty attractive. No arcing at higher RPMs is another big one.

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