Converting into electric motorcycle

[Tamerlan]

Hey guys!
I have just registered myself because I saw some amazing topics and discussions. I am planning to build my electric motorcycle. I have just acquired motorcycle for relatively cheap price. I want to convert it to electric. I have no advanced knowledge on engineering, but have huge interest in learning. I am aiming for following specs:
- AC three phase induction motor
- Lithium Ion 18650 batterries for battery pack
- BMS
My questions is, what are the specs needed for AC motor? ie: KW? brand? any other suggestions? what BMS system should I buy?
I want moderate speed with around 100 mile range. I wouldnt race, it is just for casual ride. Top speed could be 70mph. If you have built yours, please give me your suggestions.
Thank you in advance.

 

[KLRbee]

70 MPH and 100 miles is an ambitious goal. You are probably going to need 15+kWh of battery to meet that. Making that out of 18650 cells will be thousands of connections and a huge battery pack. For comparison the Zero S 13.0 will do 81 miles at 70MPH. Perhaps you should consider less ambitious targets for your first bike.

Not trying to be a downer here. Try looking at the Zero motorcycle specs to get an idea of where the state-of-the-art lies right now, then scale from there. For instance I have owned two Zeros and am now building my first bike, and I decided to use 3kWh of battery. This means I expect about a 15-20 mile range depending on how I ride it and likely only a top speed just over 60. It's still going to be a big project. The 3kWh Chevy Volt pack weighs 63 pounds. Search the threads here, you will see the 18kWh Volt pack is a tight fit in a Ford Ranger truck bed.

If you have limited experience with electronics I would suggest a brushed DC motor and a small pack around 2-3 kWh to start. You will have a much better chance of success. Brushed motors are much simpler to work with, and less expensive. If you start modular your small battery can be part of a big battery later on.

 

[Dauntless]

First off, you have to decide what YOU need. 70mph on a large or small bike, etc. Riding uphill? http://www.electricmotorsport.com/ev-parts/motors/ac-induction Sounds like you could get by with a 12KW motor. http://www.electricmotorsport.com/ev-parts/motors/ac-induction/ac-15-kit.html

Maybe you could build a moped first, as suggested. Maybe overdo it as a moped. http://www.electricmotorsport.com/ev-parts/motor-drive-kits-2/me0708-emc-r-drive-kit-with-motor-controller-throttle-contactor-wire-kit-and-fuse-block.html

 

[Chalo]

70 MPH and 100 miles is an ambitious goal.

Yep. That's gas bike territory. To attain that range at that speed, you'll have to tolerate an obnoxiously large battery, and use a lot of your available energy to tote the battery.

Realistically, how often do you need to run 100 miles at a time?

 

[Drunkskunk]

I have no advanced knowledge on engineering, but have huge interest in learning.

Welcome to the forum.

This being your first build, you are going to screw things up. Expensive things. That's just how this works. You need experience and first-hand knowledge to be successful.

My advice is to start small. build something with money you can afford to throw away. Think of that first build as a paid lesson, and don't expect it to be your dream bike. You will learn a lot as you do it, and even more as you ride, service, repair, and modify it. The money you spend on it will actually save you much more money later, when you don't screw up something that you would have before you had some experience. An ebike would be a good start, or a small moped.

100 miles at 70mph is dreaming big. doing it on 18650 cells is.. showing your inexperience. You might need a battery box the size of a full sized refrigerator.

DC brushless motors have a higher peak efficiency, For most E-vehicle applications, BLDC beats AC induction. AC has some advantages in large heavy vehicles, but with trade offs. https://www.teslamotors.com/blog/induction-versus-dc-brushless-motors

Finally, there's the cost. Building a motorcycle would be fun, but it would be hard to build a motorcycle that could out perform a Zero DS for the same money. Hell, my Bicycle cost as much as a Zero DS. You have to want to build a bike for the joy of building before this will ever make sense. Financial, it just doesn't.