Now that the motor is on its way, I need to carefully consider the controller. The problem I am having is that none of the controllers I am finding really suit my need. I need to be able to set an idle speed for the motor to keep the auto tranny happy, so I am considering building my own. I know the basics of a PWM controller, and I have an idea on how to build one, but I need to find some 400 AMP transistors and diodes. I will be making another visit to Radio Shack to gather the smaller parts I need, and will start on it.

Motor Choice, for Real This Time...

Well, after more searching and an e-mail from a fellow EV'er, I have chosen an ADC K99-4007, and ordered it. There was a great deal on it, and its identical to the K91 except for a different shaft, that I should be able to use just as easily as the K91 shaft. This motor is a surplus, but apparently brand new in box and never used. This motor will fit fine in the Civic, and is more powerful than the A00 by a longshot, so it should work just fine. I can run this motor at 84 volts, which I think I shall do since thats the max of the Kelly Controller.

Charger Update

Well I finally have the charger all wired up for a test fire, and it worked! I got a constant 92.6 Volts from it with no load. Right now it looks very messy, with tons of excess wires hanging out and no place for the resistors to be mounted. My next part of this is to neaten up the mess, then create a box for it, build a housing for the resistors that also acts as a heatsink, and then build the charge controller. I am still figuring out the charge controller, but my uncle says he can help my with that part. Hopefully I will have a picture in a few weeks of the completed charger, but I have finals coming up and Christmas, so who knows how much time I will have to work on this.

Measurements...

Well, all I have to say is that's its a good thing that I have not purchased any main parts yet. I decided to take some measurements of the engine compartment, and to my dismay the L91-4003 DOES NOT FIT! There is only 19 inches from the tranny to the wheel well, and the motor itself is 18.57 inches, and that does not include the adaptor plates and coupling, which is at least an inch, and I think 3 inches will be the real plate.

So, I am sticking to the A00-4009 as it is the only affordable motor I can find that will fit. I have also decided on AGM batteries for the fact that they are maintenance free, and also they are safer in case of an accident. I just need a Costco trip to check battery prices and see what else the offer that might help me out.