E-tricycle for my mother

[Roxy65]

Hello,

My mother is quite old but doesn't fit into the mobility scooter category yet so I was thinking of getting her a eletric tricycle.
As I am not too good with mechanics I would either need to buy one straight out ready to go or get a conversion kit.
I am a bit confused as to the battery watts I would need to get. She will be riding on flat surfaces (no hills or inclines) and not pedaling at any time and would be happy to go around max. 20/25 kph and would be just going to the shops which are around 5 kilometers away or the beach which is the same distance and it would need to carry her and a few bags of groceries at most. If anyone could link a suitable pre built one or a conversion kit that would suit the bill that would be fantastic.

Thank you.

 

[SamTexas]

Even with a conversion kit, someone still has to install it. It's not hard, but it could be for someone new or inexperienced. The user manual, if one exists, is of very little help.

You are correct about 20/25kph. Those should be the maximum speed. Normal speed should be around 10mph or 16kph. Traditional tricycle are not known to be stable, more so in the hands of a senior citizen. The standard brake (usually just one, either front or rear) is also weak, but should work at low speed.

Watt-hour (Wh) is the capacity of a battery. For the use you described, you only need a small to medium battery, 300 to 500Wh. Most likely you will end up with a 36V motor so you will need a 36V battery. 500Wh/36V = 13.9Ah. Amp-Hr (Ah) is another way to express the capacity of a battery, but it's always used together with the battery voltage. It's not meaningful by itself.

Just a few basic things for you to mull over. Come back for specific questions. Welcome to ES.

 

[MadRhino]

Building for my (regreted) grannie, I would start with this one.
With a fat saddle and soft tail of course.
Rear slow DD hub at 48v 40A
24" Fat tires and 40 Ah of Headways in the basket.

 

[dogman dan]

Best kit I know for an adult trike would be the one sold by E-bikekit in the USA.

http://www.e-bikekit.com/shop/catalog/Electric_Tricycle_Kits-22-1.html

Run it on 36v, and you would have a nice safe top speed of 25 kph max. It's a front hub motor, not too difficult to install on a set of steel forks typical with the adult trikes.