Curtis controllers are commonly used and available from a wide variety of vendors and should be an easy swap out later. The issue of transmissions is more complicated. It must be nice to only run one gear because your motor will tolerate 12,000 RPM and you have an AC system capable of 175-200 HP to compensate for any shortfalls in the powerband. For those of us who don't have the tens (or hundreds) of thousands of dollars to get such a system, it gets more complicated. I have a cheap AC system from Solectria/Azure dynamics. The controller is the UMOC (no longer in production but not significantly different from the new DMOC). The motor is the AC 55. I will not go onto specs here, there are available at the manufacturers website. The motor is advertised to go to 8000 RPM and can be used without a transmission. I chose to use a transmission anyway because power drops off considerably over 2500 RPM. I only shift out of third when I go over 55 mph. I don't do it very often, but I would have difficulty maintaining highway speeds without the 4th gear. Another advantage is that I can shift into second when I want to regenerate. That gets a lot more power back. I'm looking at building a ground up project and it will almost surely be a DC motor. I want a hot rod that can make 200 HP and AFIK it can be done more cheaply with a DC system. I have talked to the guys who build the Warp motors. They even make a direct drive setup with a yoke for the driveshaft and output for a speedometer. There are some limiting factors which have to be taken into account when designing such a system. The motor does not live well over 5,000 rpm. The vehicle needs to have a rear axle gearing such that you have an acceptable top speed with that RPM. Then, you have to put some real amperage into the motor to get the acceleration that you want with that gearing. This places some real loads on the batteries and also generates a lot of heat which needs to be removed and the controller, wires, contactors and blowers need to be designed for this. There is a good write up for this process. Google "white zombie racing" and check out the Datsun drag racer. In summary, simpler is better, but the devil is also in the details. Using a transmission is mechanically more complicated, but it affords many advantages. One can typically achieve good acceleration and a safe top speed. It can be done with cheaper controllers, motors and other components and will be easier on the batteries. Manual transmissions are relatively reliable components. If you want to put up with limitations in top speed and acceleration, and are willing to build a battery pack that will put out near 1000 amps at peak, you can have the ultimate in light weight and simplicity. The bottom line is answering the question of what do you want to get out of the vehicle and how much you want to spend. The choices typically come from that point. I hope this helps more than it confuses. Call me if you have questions. 727 395-0664 Matt Kramp [EMAIL PROTECTED] (mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED])
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