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[NewAge]

I am considering the AC-20 kit

http://www.thunderstruck-ev.com/AC_drive_performance.htm

Is there anything that I should know before purchasing, I would be running it at 96 volts.

[frodus]

its a longer version of the AC-15, good power, great torque.

The controller will do up to 130V, but that has to be the MAX charged voltage of the pack.... i.e. if you have 32 cells of lifepo4 in series, you'd be at 102.4V nominal, but 116.8V (3.65V a cell) fresh off the charger, so keep that in mind.

They're preprogrammed, but if you want to change settings, you need a programmer (we're buying one on elmoto in January, each person will pay a part of it, and I'd keep it when not in use).... so if you're gonna get one, we can let you in on the purchase.

Its a great motor kit, but the motor is pretty long.... which is why I went with the AC-15, the AC-20 would have stuck out a bit.

The motor is well built, the controller is a beast (heavy, but durable) and its waterproof.

[BrammoBrian]

Travis,

Just curious - what is the continuous power rating of these motors?  Do I remember correctly that you said it was around 7 hp? 

-Brian.

[NewAge]

7 ?? It is rated 48 hp at 108 volts / 550 amps (almost 80 hp peak)
I would think that at 96 volts I would expect at least 20 hp continuous.

Straighten me out if I'm wrong Travis.

[frodus]

Its not the motor that is the bottleneck..... its the controller. If you run it at 20HP continuous without proper cooling, it will overheat and go into thermal cutback. The motors have a built in fan and should handle the power just fine.

That being said, The ac-15 I have has 6hp continuous written on it.... I'd expect that the AC 20 would be slightly above that for continuous, but not likely 20hp.

[NewAge]

Woh! I actually understood what you just posted 
So... the fact that the Curtis controller is rated at 550 amps doesn't mean jack, because my power output calculations were based upon half the rated output just for the reasons that you mentioned (not to overheat the controller). I actually thought that 20 hp was a conservative estimate  .

I want equal power flow throughout the loop (big power). Do I need a Zilla to get the most from the AC-20?

Another fact regarding my project that I would like to share with you Travis is that I plan to run 8 x 20ah lead acid batteries because unlike most builders, range is secondary to brute force for my application (I only require ~6 miles per charge) But it must be the most rewarding 6 miles money can buy  , I intend on having the best, fastest,  grocery grabber in the county. Please assist me in getting my equation correct and the correct parts in place for my project. One last note is that my project is NOT planned to be compliant with local laws of the highway. but at least it will be stealthy quiet and hopefully slip under the radar... at least until I am forced to comply. God I love this shit.

[picasso]

You can not use a Zilla on an AC motor. A rewarding 6 miles will not happen on lead.

[frodus]

Woh! I actually understood what you just posted 
So... the fact that the Curtis controller is rated at 550 amps doesn't mean jack, because my power output calculations were based upon half the rated output just for the reasons that you mentioned (not to overheat the controller). I actually thought that 20 hp was a conservative estimate  .

mostly going to be limited by how hot things get. If you can keep the controller and motor cool, it ought to work well.

I want equal power flow throughout the loop (big power). Do I need a Zilla to get the most from the AC-20?

zilla = DC, AC-15 is AC, won't work. To get the most you can (currently) from that AC-20, that 96V curtis is the way to go.

Another fact regarding my project that I would like to share with you Travis is that I plan to run 8 x 20ah lead acid batteries because unlike most builders, range is secondary to brute force for my application (I only require ~6 miles per charge) But it must be the most rewarding 6 miles money can buy  , I intend on having the best, fastest,  grocery grabber in the county. Please assist me in getting my equation correct and the correct parts in place for my project. One last note is that my project is NOT planned to be compliant with local laws of the highway. but at least it will be stealthy quiet and hopefully slip under the radar... at least until I am forced to comply. God I love this shit.

8 20AH batteries is going to make that bike feel like a snail. No 20Ah batteries I know if do much more than about 100A for very long. You're going to need higher Ah batteries with higher continuous current ratings.

[NewAge]

Great feedback, Thanks, Ok now I get the AC/DC issue, so the Curtis controller offered with the AC-20 is a bottleneck, and now apparently the 20ah lead acid batteries are also a bottleneck. The 20ah batteries were going to weigh ~ 120 lbs and that was already more than I really wanted. So now it looks like the AC motor is overpowering my objective  hmmmm... maybe I was better off with the perm motor arrangement, but will it handle 96 volts with an Alltrax 7245 or should I tone it down to the recommended 72 volts, (or could I push it to 84?). because I already have Soneil chargers for lead acid batteries I would really like to stick with the 20ah lead acid setup for this effort and will allow me to spend more on the chassis fab. Someday a trick battery management system would be great.

Once again I really appreciate the forums input on these issues, I am a fabricator, not an Engineer, so if I know what the limitations of the drive system are I can move forward with my build, anyway thanks, and keep the information flowing.

[frodus]

its not the controller itself that is the bottle neck, its keeping it at the right temp so it doesn't become the bottleneck.... proper cooling is important.

Alltrax 7245 won't go to 96V, but neither will most perm motors, so tone it down to 72V and use either kelly (you get regen with a perm motor) or alltrax (good power, no regen). Not sure alltrax can go 84V, but with those perm motors, thats getting to their upper limit.

20Ah batteries will really limit your build, mostly because they can't supply the current for good to excelent acceleration. I used 18Ah batteries in my first build, and paralleled 2 for 36Ah, and it was still a little slow. You won't need battery management, you have the soneil chargers and they keep the batteries balanced because each charger gets its own battery.


How many 20Ah batteries can you fit in there? how many do you have? What do you NEED to get out of it for range and speed? Interested in a rebuilt Agni motor? I might have an AC-15 available as well. Its a good motor/controller setup to grow with.

[NewAge]

I can see that I need more education to achieve my objective, or change my requirements/expectations. I am going to focus more on my chassis for the time being and I will be in touch with you Travis regarding my drive system.

[frodus]

no prob, just let me know....I'm always around somewhere on these moto forums

[frodus]

they're great motors