Hi Bruce; ".... First Question: It would appear that many EV conversions have 96 volt systems, with 8"/9"/10" electric motors that produce somewhere around ten horsepower, and have a 40 - 60 mile range."
That's true, but 'many conversions' that you have seen are under Volted. The Voltage can be altered in the design of the motor windings but most of the motors used at 96 V are speed (rpm) limited in use. The ADC 9 inch series motor is usually wound for and rated at 144 V. A higher nominal V battery is usable because the controller won't allow the motor to see full voltage if it is Amp limited until higher speed. The rpm in use should be more than the industrial design speed. Many drag racers use 192 V packs for the 144 V motor (with extra brush advance), but the motor doesn't see that Voltage until high rpm. 156 V is probably the lowest that should be used with that motor. 96 V would keep the motor from ever running the fan fast enough to go up hills. The separately excited Kostov is designed for 96 V and the controller is a bit more expensive. I don't think a higher V system is made. ? The series 10 inch Kostov can use more Volts because it is wound with extra interpole windings; some think the brushes are too small. It is a bit more efficient. "So, what are A, B, X, Y, and Z, what are their values, and how does juggling the mix of batteries and serial/parallel connections change those values?" The battery company web pages have tables of these numbers. Obtaining and understanding Peukert no. helps comparing batteries. With deep cycle batteries, a higher Peukert no. will often mean less power per pound, but more range.... ______________________________________________________________________
