Converting An Old ATV To Electric Drive

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[RCLifeOn] happened upon an old petrol-powered ATV that had seen better days. He decided it was the perfect candidate for a conversion to electric drive.

First up, the chassis was stripped back and cleaned, before being given a fresh coat of paint. It then got fresh valve stems for the tires and was ready for its drivetrain conversion.

The motor of choice is a brushless type, rated for 42 kW at 120 V. [RCLifeOn] doesnā€™t have batteries capable of maxing out those specs, yet, but carried on with the build. The motor was mounted on the chassis, and a 3D printed hub was installed to get the sprocket on the end of the motor.

A stress test uphill killed the speed controller. This was not unexpected, as it was a cheap unit severely undersized for the application.

The first drive was rough and ready, as the speed controller wasnā€™t sensored, the gearing wasnā€™t quite right, and the chain wasnā€™t very tight. However, it did successfully make it around the grass, slowly. Further improvements then included a water cooling circuit for the speed controller and the addition of a battery compartment. That wasnā€™t enough to stop the speed controller bursting into flames during a difficult uphill climb, though.

Fundamentally, though, the project shows promise. Bigger batteries, a sensored speed controller, and appropriate gearing should make it a quick beast. 42 kW of power is a good amount for a light ATV, plus thereā€™s the benefit of instant-on torque from an electric motor.

Weā€™ve seen [RCLifeOn] tackle some high-powered electric builds before, like his impressive powered surfboard.  With the right parts, weā€™re sure heā€™ll have this thing ripping about at pace before long!



from Blog ā€“ Hackaday https://ift.tt/QHzPZ7t

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