Upgrading the EVT 168 to a motorcycle
Dear community,
I'm riding an EVT 168. This is my first electrical vehicle and I'm indeed fascinated by the subject. So much potensial, all this technology waiting to unleash itself, etc. But the scooter is weak. It's puny and slow in traffic. I need something that can keep up with squash pufflers and hateful, mental cab drivers.
Time for an enhancement :)
What I'd really like, is to make this flashy peace of plastic and battery acid able to reach 85 km/h, and to have it legally registered as a motorcycle. As I have no mechanical experience on motor cycles at all, I hope some of you can answer these questions: Will the scooter be safe to ride? Will the brakes be effective enough? Will the frame take the speed? I reckon it will be good for 65 km/h, since this is the ungoverned speed. Making it legal requires testing by the government, which could be hard to pass. Should I just anabandon the project right away?
If you share some of my hope, here is what I thought (now, I know very little about this subject, all guiding will be apreciated):
The 3kw 72V EVT hub motor
or the 6kw 72V hub motor from Kelly
and some lasting and light lithium batteries. For example a123. Next summer, lithium batteries will be pretty affordable :)
Any comments, ideas or suggestions? Is the 6kw motor suitable? What amperage on the batteries?
Thanks a lot in advance!
Regards
gurkelur
85 km/h ...? That's 50+ miles/hr ... are you sure you want to do that on such a small vehicle frame? The fastest I've had my EVT4000 was 40 miles/hr and that was a bit exciting.
The 40 miles/hr was achieved via the turbo button on my bike which makes it switch to a 60v pack configuration from the normal 48v pack configuration.
It would follow that a 72v pack configuration and a beefier motor might get you the speed you want.
I think the frame is solid enough for this (that's my wild guess and it's your butt on the line so be careful) but the consideration is whether it's a good idea to go that fast with 10" wheels.
The EVT motor has a longer history than the Kelly motor and it's unknown what the Kelly motor is like.
Lead-acid batteries won't get you very far down the road at that speed.
I've been looking on different 125cc Vespa-scooters, and the wheel dimension on some models seems to be only one inch larger on the front wheel than the EVT 168. And those scooters have a top speed of 120 km/h..
Now, my only concern is the frame. And the controller. The asian controller has 48V max input. How do I match the throttle input with other controllers, like Curtis? Any experience on this?
I'm going for for the 3kw hub motor. It will fit without any fabrication, and the efficiency is good.
Hi gurkelur
I'll be really interested to see how your project works out!
Been wondering about that 3Kw EVT motor too so it'll be good to hear how it goes.
I've been running my EVT at 60v for some time now using the original motor and controller. (There was a thread about this some time ago).
In standard form the bike did about 31mph (50kmh) and at 60v it manages about 37mph (59kmh). The extra speed makes it safer in traffic on my commute.
If the roads are smooth, then the bike feels quite stable, despite the extra weight of the 5th battery. Any bumps do tend to upset it though - it really jars over them. I think the standard suspension and small wheels don't help. Changing the shocks and tyres would probably improve things.
The bike and frame as a whole seems fairly robust, although I have noticed the frame flexing a little bit over undulations and bumps in the road.
Anyway, good luck and keep us posted!
Yeah, better tires are necessary with higher speed.
These are the probably the largest that will fit.
They are Metzeler 100/80-10 53L and will give you much better cornering and more stable bike.
Since they are larger, also higher top speed.
You need to pump them pretty hard.
The EVT throttle is a mechanical cable that goes into the middle of the controller and manipulates an thing that passes in front of an optical sensor. It's not directly compatible with a curtis controller as they require a 0-5k ohm resistor input. You may be able to adapt the mechanical cable to control a potbox and if so that would be compatible with the curtis controller.
Not new, old brakes..
Remove one of the spring-shockabsorbers, bring it to a good moped/motorcycle shop and find high quality ones that has similar length and mounting holes.
Not sure how you would mount a front caliper on the 168.
What about using the complete front forks and disc brake from a 4000e?
Perhaps that would improve the ride too - the 168 front suspension looks in keeping with the styling, but I suspect the telescopic forks used on the 4000e would work a bit better.
(Mind, I don't know if the forks would swap straight in, or if the frame geometry is the same on both bikes - I think the 4000e has a longer wheelbase.)
What price are the 12v 40a lithium batteries you are referring to? I am currently running 5 lead acid batteries (60 volts) in my evt 4000e and top speed on a gps was 62km/h on the flat.
It certainly would be nice if they dropped to $700.00. Who was the dealer that predicted this?
Yes, I admit the wheels are a tad small. Perhaps this is just a passing night time madness.
Does 70 km/h sound plausible with the 3kw motor and the asian EVT controller? I've been driving a 65 km/h fossile scooter with 10" wheels for years, and I've allways felt safe. But that scooter did only weigh half of the EVT, so there's clearly much more momentum in the picture.
I'll go to sleep now.