clare wrote:

I'm likely one of the few on this list who has both been an auto
mechanic and built and driven his own electric car.


I'd be real interested in hearing more about it. I built an electric
car out of a friend's rusted-out VW bug. No way would it pass
inspection, so it was for tinkering, only. I used a jet engine starter
motor/generator, rated at 400 A 28 V continuous. I ran it from an
armature supply of 48 v (4 90 AH trolling motor batteries). I had
a switching regulator on the field supply. It ran suprisingly well, had
LOTS of pep. One problem was the motor was real loud. I was trying to
make a hybrid, and had a motorcycle engine that I'd brought out an
extension from the crankshaft to a stratofortress generator (the
smallest, lightest 400A 28 V electric machine you will EVER see!)
My coupling was junk, and the inline-twin engine had uneven power
strokes, so it was going to snap the shaft real soon.

If I could get another stratofort generator, that might make a really
fine drive scheme. I'd need some reduction gears, though.

Jon