electric motor conversion for a BCS or Gravely?

[RichardTX]

Hey Fred,




Richard,

I too would like to see your calculations.

I spent a considerable amount of time calculating the true cost of recharging a battery and did not save the data. I am not about to do it again. The most time consuming part was finding out the true capacity of a battery in amp/hours.

Then there is the part where the electric car makers don't tell you certain facts like the AC and all other accessories were turned off for their range tests.

Anyway, my son checked my data and calculations and agreed. Electric is more expensive than gasoline. That is why he bought a gasoline powered car.

Speaking of gas, we are burning gasoline at a higher rate than ever before thanks to the EPA adding ethanol. The addition of 10% Ethanol decreases mileage by about 5-10% depending on conditions. The only conclusion I can draw is that the Government's priorities are a little different than what they say they are.

 

[farmerboybill]

I spent a considerable amount of time calculating the true cost of recharging a battery and did not save the data. I am not about to do it again. The most time consuming part was finding out the true capacity of a battery in amp/hours. .

Basically, you're saying "Trust me, I know what I'm talking about". Sorry, I don't personally know you, so I don't trust you... Until you show us your "considerable work", I'm just gonna assume you pulled a number out your number two.

We do agree that "for right now" electric cars are not feasible. Where we disagree is that you seem to think they will NEVER be viable. I think within 10 years there will be a car that the average citizen can afford and can go 500 miles with the A/C on without worry . It's gonna require having a standardized, smaller battery like small farmer mentioned that can be swapped out within 10 minutes at a fueling station, and to have these stations at every street corner just like current gasoline stations. It's also gonna require better PV solar cells on the vehicle to extend distance when the sun is out and provide an option to power up without calling a tow truck if you run outta juice - and power your A/C. It would also be smart to have those same PV cells on your house roof to charge the vehicle off the grid. In fact, the fueling station could also have PV cell panels and wind turbines to charge the batteries they swap between vehicles.

Right now we're at the "rich man's toy" stage. I'm sure not gonna drop $70K for a 300 mile range Tesla, but some Hollywood actor looking to make a point might. As sales go up, prices go down, technology gets better, prices go down again, sales go up, prices come down, etc, etc, and BANG millions of electric vehicles on the road by 2022... The faster fuel prices go up, the faster this will happen.

That, or we could just keep using gasoline, diesel fuel, natural gas, propane, coal on into the future with no other plan for when fuel DOES reach $14-20 a gallon...

 

[RichardTX]

Basically, you're saying "Trust me, I know what I'm talking about". Sorry, I don't personally know you, so I don't trust you...

Good for you. Question everything. Assume nothing. More people should apply critical thought to more things. Who knows, I might be wrong and I am willing to accept that.

It is actually pretty easy to estimate. Convert HP to KW (746 watts=1hp) and then the rest is easy. Consuming 1000 watts for 1 hour is 1 KWH.

My son pays a whopping $0.27 - $0.32 per KWH depending on time of year, etc. It seems really high to me, but that is the price in the part of Europe where he lives.

 

[oldmech]

Hi! We can have electricity FREE from sun or wind and FOR EVER .I have now a electric tricycle for five weeks. I make 16 kms for .03 electricity is about .06 kwhr here . Hydro use electric car cost is 10x less than gas. But batteries are too expensive . We must calc the cost of battery by hour.or divide by kwhr . The battery cost by kwhr is very high more than electricity. Good luck! Oldmech

 

[RichardTX]

That free electricity isn't free. Someone has to pay for the generating equipment and the payback on that is at about 20 years the last time I checked. Then there are bearings that will wear out. I am sorry but it isn't free.

The short story is there is no free lunch.

Battery costs are high and have a finite lifetime. I did not even factor that in. Thanks for that reminder. On the other hand, engines don't last forever either but well maintained, a premium engine should last between 6000 and 9000 hrs between major overhauls.

BTW the earth is doomed and will not last forever. It will either get thrown out of it's orbit around the sun due to a collision with another solar system or will get engulfed by the sun when the sun turns into a red giant. It will just take a while before either of those events occur.

 

[RichardTX]

Here are my calculations for a 12 hp electric motor operating at 100% efficiency.

12 hp * 746 watts = 8952 watts

If that motor is run for 1 hour it consumes 8.9 kw hours of electricity.

8.9 kwh at $0.12 per kwh = $1.07 per hour to run.
8.9 kwh at $0.27 per kwh = $2.16 per hour to run.

Factor in the efficiency losses of the motor, controller, etc and the cost creeps up. Then there is the extra weight of the batteries to haul around, battery replacement costs, etc.

 

[mpapiary]

"BTW the earth is doomed and will not last forever. It will either get thrown out of it's orbit around the sun due to a collision with another solar system or will get engulfed by the sun when the sun turns into a red giant. It will just take a while before either of those events occur."



Lets hope that his calculations about this happening aren't accurate!:laughing:

 

[brokenot]

This isn't a conversion....just someone's home build.

Walk behind electric tractor. - YouTube

I've thought about doing something similar just for fun. I have access to piles of motor controllers, contactors, motors, pumps, throttle pots, etc. because I work at a rental facility. Places like eBay are excellent sources for bits and pieces as well.

If you enjoy browsing online auction sites like K-Bid like I do, you'll also stumble upon lots of parts and/or complete machines being sold dirt-cheap because chargers don't work/batteries are bad/whatever. Types of equipment that could be sourced for parts for your project include scissor lifts, floor maintenance machines, powered pallet jacks, warehouse stock-pickers, golf carts, etc.

There are also a lot of places that sell new, rebuilt, or exchange components like motor controllers.

I say go for it. Post photos of your progress!

 

[small farmer]

One of the concerns for an electric two wheel tractor is how hard the electric motor would be working. I think that the electric motor would be working hard more of the time than in a car application. We won't need a clutch though. Just imagine doing your work with out ear protection. No diesel noise to bother the neighbors with. I guess that's good or bad depending.

jim

 

[RichardTX]

"BTW the earth is doomed and will not last forever. It will either get thrown out of it's orbit around the sun due to a collision with another solar system or will get engulfed by the sun when the sun turns into a red giant. It will just take a while before either of those events occur."



Lets hope that his calculations about this happening aren't accurate!:laughing:

Unfortunately they are quite accurate. It is unknown what will exactly will happen when our solar system will collide with another, but the sun engulfing the earth is a sure thing.