How big of an electric motor would you need?

Question

If you wanted to convert a 2000 pound car into an electric car by taking out the gasoline engine and putting in an electric motor, how big of an electric motor would you need for it to drive about the same as a gasoline car? How much horsepower, etc. Once you get the motor in, is there anything you really have to change, ie transmission, gas pedal, etc?

Answer 1

talk to the folks who do conversions. they can advise you on the subject. if you are mechanically inclined, they also can provide the components needed. you may want to check out whats available already converted.

Answer 2

U would need about the same horse power. If u take out a 200 hp. motor that is what u would need to put back. U probably would need to change the transmission as the power curve is totally off. U are talking about some real power. If u have a motor generator u have increased the weight to get the power u need.

Answer 3

To get around the same performance, you could use a '20 HP' motor.  The horsepower rating is not the same as a gasoline engine, however.  Electric motors are rated at their continuous state - the amount of HP they can produce without overheating, etc.  In practice, it is common for the 20HP motor (in our example) to produce more than 85HP under hard acceleration.  Along with the size of the motor, performance can be increased by higher voltages, and higher amperage controllers.

There are many electric car conversion parts places - some are good, some are not - buyer beware!

Typical parts needed for a home DC conversion are:

Motor

Transmission adapter plate (mounts motor to transmission)

Motor shaft coupling (motor shaft to clutch or direct to transmission, depending on your needs)

Motor controller (controls battery power to motor)

Throttle (potentiometer box)

Battery boxes (to mount batteries so they don't move around)

DC/DC adapter (to charge 12v accessory battery from main pack)

Battery cables and other misc parts

Battery charger

And of course the batteries...

The EV album is a good place to look to see how others have converted cars - you will probably even find the same model you want to convert.