Motor Resolution

There have been a few interesting developments this week.  A big one that I've neglected to write about is that I sold my car.  The deal I made when embarking on this project is that my only budget would be whatever money I could get out of my '97 Mazda 626.  Soon after committing to the project, the timing belt broke on the car leading to $900 in repairs.  It has a junk-yard door on the passenger side, among other issues, so I wasn't expecting much. I sold it for $2000 last Friday to net $1100.

My shoestring got much shorter after paying for the repairs, and begging for rides is already cramping my style.  I have a few very nice friends at work who are helping me out, and my wife is being very patient, but mooching makes me feel a bit awkward.

You'll be able to read some details in the Wired post Friday morning (Autopia blog), but at press time the following information wasn't available:




There was a great Advanced DC 9-inch motor on e-bay.  I've been keeping my eye on e-bay and it is very rare that EV motors come up for auction.  The auction closed earlier tonight at $810.  But after shipping (it is heavy and can't be sent UPS) I would be in to it over a grand.  Still a VERY good price on a motor with a great reputation, but Carl at the Electric Car Company of Utah is getting me a competitive price on a motor from Mars Electric.  Carl has been a great help to me and I'm happy to give him some business.

The Mars happens to be slightly larger at 10 inches diameter.  I'm still trying to find spec sheets for it's performance.   Don't know much about the maker other than they have done smaller motors that are commonly used for motorcycle conversions for a while.  Their site doesn't have these bigger motors on it yet.  Carl says they are wanting to get into the full size conversion business, and have started importing these motors from China.  If they'll stake their reputation on it, hopefully this will turn out good.