Horsepower Rating

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zarlor
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Horsepower Rating

This may seem like a strange question, but based on Louisiana law it's a somewhat relevant one. What is the horsepower rating going to be listed as on the MCO for the various models?

MikeB
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Re: Horsepower Rating

The CuMoCo website has a table of the various models, with a 'Peak Power' as the last item on the right. It lists 20HP for the Deluxe model (C130), which is what my MCO says. So I'd say that's what they're gonna use. It seems to be based on the max safe output of the battery pack more than the peak load the motor can take.

My electric vehicle: CuMoCo C130 scooter.

jdh2550_1
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Re: Horsepower Rating

It seems to be based on the max safe output of the battery pack more than the peak load the motor can take.

That is correct. We did it this way to give ourselves headroom for changes to the motor and controller.

As far as the DOT is concerned: if it's over 5HP it's a motorcycle and if it's under 5HP it's a motor driven cycle. 5HP is about 3.7kW - all four models (C120e, C120, C124 and C13) are well over 5HP.

As far as your local laws go for other definitions such as moped etc. Those normally fall well below the 5HP limit.

John H. Founder of Current Motor Company - opinions on this site belong to me; not to my employer
Remember: " 'lectric for local. diesel for distance" - JTH, Amp Bros || "No Gas.

zarlor
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Re: Horsepower Rating

Just wanted to make sure. Thanks! I just found it interesting because when the XM-5000s came out they were listing the HP on the MCO as the same as they had on the XM-3500s, something like 2 or 2.5HP or something like that. I was just curious how they came out with that number since it seemed like it should have been higher, but maybe putting it on a dynamometer showed something lower than any direct conversion of the wattage rating of the motor to actual HP would provide loss of efficiency and such, I figured, but wasn't sure how they got their numbers in the first place anyway.)

Lenny Zimmermann
Metairie, LA

ljr3233
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Re: Horsepower Rating

Very interesting information about horsepower ratings. I did not know that if the horsepower is over 5HP it is considered a motorcycle and if it is under 5 HP it is defined a motor driven cycle by the DOT.

Thanks again.

zarlor
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Re: Horsepower Rating

Actually the 5HP thing depends on the laws in your State. That cutoff is true for the State of Louisiana, but it is not true in other places which often use other measures.

Lenny Zimmermann
Metairie, LA

jdh2550_1
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Re: Horsepower Rating

Actually the 5HP thing depends on the laws in your State. That cutoff is true for the State of Louisiana, but it is not true in other places which often use other measures.

True there are State by State differences.

However, the 5HP thing is actually a Federal standard and is what is applied for Federal level things like:
1) Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards
2) access to limited access interstate freeways

States often adopt the Fed rules to act as a basis to define their own and then go further to add something additional to define a moped or other more limited-power version. Fed doesn't have anything other than "motor driven cycle" and "motorcycle" and because there's no Fed definition of "moped" there's a wide range of State definitions for these smaller bikes.

As clear as mud? ;-)

John H. Founder of Current Motor Company - opinions on this site belong to me; not to my employer
Remember: " 'lectric for local. diesel for distance" - JTH, Amp Bros || "No Gas.

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