what battery motor options are best?

I'm planning a new tadpole trike build, I'm trying to figure out the best way to set up the motor an battery

option 1
crown motor laced to 19" motorcycle rim (11.1kv motor)
battery 48v 60ah 40-50A continuous

option 2
crown motor laced to 17" motorcycle rim (8.8kv motor)
battery 96v 30ah 40-50A continuous

questions:
If i put 2 48v batteries in series will i be able to pull more amperage? (the 48v battery is rated @30A continuous)
good supplies/ model numbers for 96v motor controller (possible use of Lyen controller?)
what do you think would be the most effective/efficient set up?
is there a different motor/battery configuration I should look at?
maybe do 72v custom pack?


I do enjoy speed but most of the time I drive 40km/h and use the trike for range/commuting I have used the golden motor pie 5 at 1200w and for the post part it was fine, but it slowed down a little more than i would have liked on the hills.
The motor would be on a custom recumbent tadpole trike frame, will motorcycle rims all around, and DOT rated tires. total weight would be about

I already own a 48v 30ah LiFePo4 battery which is why im looking at 48v vs 96v systems

Thanks for suggestions/help

tonystark20 said:

If i put 2 48v batteries in series will i be able to pull more amperage? (the 48v battery is rated @30A continuous)
good supplies/ model numbers for 96v motor controller (possible use of Lyen controller?)
what do you think would be the most effective/efficient set up?
is there a different motor/battery configuration I should look at?
maybe do 72v custom pack?

Click to expand...

Putting 2 48v batteries will not increase your amperage capability, rather just your total wattage with a higher voltage. P=IV
At 96v you will pay more for controllers because the the components are less common than the super common stuff used in >72v controllers. This is not just controllers, everything gets more expensive past that voltage range. Chargers, DC-DC converters, lights, you name it. Not that it can't be done, but it will be easier at 48v.
I would argue that the most efficient and cost effective set up at your power levels would be 48v.

As for speed, I would guess that the 11.1kv motor would take you over 50kmh, and if you run that 60ah lifepo4 at less than 1C continuous, I am guessing it would last you years.

How much speed do you need? If you double the size of the magnets, double the amount of copper in the motor, you should see a pretty darn dramatic improvement in your performance up hills.

You will pull more power hauling ass up hills, so you might need to increase the size of your 48v pack by paralleling another. This is so you don't increase the pull on your battery when you change to a more powerful, higher amps, controller, which will get you the power you need on the hill.

Up the amps, up the size of your 48v, and you should be going plenty fast up hills. Go to 100v, and you will just end up with a very touchy throttle at the lower speeds. Hard to ride slow when you need to, like a low speed school zone or something.

Everything else sounds good. if you want to increase speed some, just pick the faster wind motor. Smaller rim will climb better. I'd go 17"

these are all good things to know. thanks for your responses.

I've been using this equation that I found on this forum for no load speed:

Motor KV x battery voltage = Unloaded RPM

Unloaded Speed (mph) = Unloaded RPM x wheel diameter (inches) / 336

I do use speed on flat ground every once in awhile, but most of the time drive safe at 40km/h (25mph)
I also do enjoy the torque at launch, and not getting stuck on hills.

I think what I'll do is put my 48 in parallel so that I can discharge more amps (48v 30ah rated at 30A contious)
i could look at doing a 72v pack though.

using that equation i like the idea of doing 48v with a 19" motorcycle rim (~25" with tire) as i would have 40mph (unloaded speed) and I imagine plenty of torque)
or I use the 17" rim with a 33mph (unloaded speed)

guess i have to decide what to spend my money on. thanks for the suggestions

Personally, 33 mph would be fast enough for me. Then amp it up so you have tons of watts (but not too much for the battery of course). My fastest bike at present runs 33 mph cruise speed. To go faster, I do have a motorcycle. That gas scooter goes 90 mph when I feel the need for speed.

But it depends on your needs,, if you need to keep up with traffic on a 45 mph road for a mile or more,, then you want the max speed. On the e bike,, it's very clear that hub motors do better in smaller wheels. Fast motor, small wheel seems to make sense to me. Add 24v more later always possible, so you might look into a controller that can handle 48v-72v.

sounds like a good idea.

now i just have to source 3 17x1.85 rims
plus i need spokes for the motor
and spokes that can lace to a 20mm mountain bike disk brake hub

I've decided to use the shinko 244 tire, as i plan on running in all weather i want lots of grip

any suggestions on what companies to look at for those components?

Have you considered running a motor in each front wheel? You could get away with less expensive components and have front wheel drive. (Better in the snow!)

Yes, it's more complex, but I'll bet someone on here has run dual motors.

I have a hybrid scooter and I've toyed with the idea of running both electric and gas when climbing hills for a bit more power. Normally the electric motor on my scooter only runs up to around 12mph, then the gas motor kicks in.

Im actually build a recumbent tadpole recumbent trike, so i'm unable to do front wheel drive.

I've built one trike before and I know what works and I'm just being sure to design it better this time. thanks for the suggestion though.