Desertprep
1 kW
Just to be clear, I am talking about this kind of atv - some people call it a quad cycle. I am looking for an electric powered vehicle like this to help survey and develop a piece of land that I bought. It does not have to be fast - 15 mph is adequate because it will seldom be on pavement (20 mph would be ideal, but range is more important), though some of them have transmissions that let gearing make it go faster. I want it to pull a small trailer - gross weight about 40 pounds with 26" mountain bike tires, along with about 40 pounds of tools on the atv. In the winter I want it to do some snow plowing (no trailer then). Survey of atv's on the web said that power was not the most important aspect of plowing but rather the total weight of the vehicle. They have to be heavy enough to cut through the snow and not ride on top of it. I have read reviews of 125cc atv's that worked well as snow plows, as well as other utility functions. Range is important - would like it to do 30 miles on a charge. Most of the projects I have seek online re: converting atv's to electric power have focused on speed, so have not been able to find a project to compare to. I think replacing the gas engine with one electric motor would be the easiest upgrade, vs. a hub motor in each wheel. Is 3KW (about 4 hp) likely going to give me the power that I need? Most of the 125cc motors are a little under 4 hp. 48v or 72v? and 40amp battery?