Hi,
I am a newbie on the EV world. From the topics I read and the pictures I saw, it seems that when people couple a manual transmission to an electric motor, the always remove the clutch.
How will the system work this way? Will the driver be able to perform clutch-less shifting or will the car be used on the same gear all the time?
Kind Regards
Joseph
[QUOTE=joe019;688]Hi,
I am a newbie on the EV world. From the topics I read and the pictures I saw, it seems that when people couple a manual transmission to an electric motor, the always remove the clutch.
How will the system work this way? Will the driver be able to perform clutch-less shifting or will the car be used on the same gear all the time?
Kind Regards
Joseph[/QUOTE]
typically they will not use a normal transmission system, but use only the motor for the transmission because the motor has a high rev-range and can be reversed literally for going into reverse no problem…
what most people will do though is addapt it to fit on an automatic transmission so that they dont need to make new controls for going foward and reverse. not to mention you will have a better range of gears (a bit better top end)
I’ll let NewDawn get in here and talk about the finer points i failed to mention, seeing as i havn’t done a conversion yet and am going off of text not actual experience.
Hi FEUS,
Thanks for your reply. That is exactly what I was thinking. However since I found some pictures of vehicles retaining their original transmission and remove the clutch, I would like to know how they change gears without clutch (if they change gears at all during the drive).
Kind regards
Joseph
[QUOTE=joe019;695]Hi FEUS,
Thanks for your reply. That is exactly what I was thinking. However since I found some pictures of vehicles retaining their original transmission and remove the clutch, I would like to know how they change gears without clutch (if they change gears at all during the drive).
Kind regards
Joseph[/QUOTE]
because an electric motor doesn’t need to keep running for you to start from a dead stop to going… so no need for you to ease a clutch.
a motor will continuously run at about 800rpm at idle, in an electric car its idle is 0rpm.
so for a gas car you would need to ease the clutch to get it going. well in an electric car, just put it in gear with the clutch, release, then press the gas and your off… it is MUCH better than gas, although i drive manual a lot so i could see where this would nicely come in!
I used a standard transmission, where you just need an adapter plate to wed it to the motor. No clutch, you just shift when you need to which is hardly ever. I start in 2nd and leave it there unless I’m pushing 40.
Keeping the clutch is not a bad idea. In the event of a runaway motor (it happens) you have an out (just shove in the clutch and let the motor blow). High amperage electricity has a nasty habit of welding contacts together. I think the white zombie has experienced this a few times.
Keeping the transmission is kind of motor dependent. If you have enough torque to start the car moving and enough rpms to go as fast as you want, then you do not need the transmission. You can get by cheaper with a motor that has less torque and lower rpms (5000ish instead of 13,000). Usually if one keeps the ice transmission you will only need 2nd and 3rd (assuming 4 or 5 speed).
In my car I kept the origanal trans. The shifting is achieved thru the sincromeshers in the trans. You have to wait for them to line up for the trans to go into gear. It is not ideal for racing as it takes about a second for this process to happen. If your applicatation is for racing maybe you should consider a rev limiter for the motor so it cannot be damaged there are some controllers I have seen that have that feature, and keeping the clutch. I really love running my car I just wish I got more miles on a charge, I have some ideas I am thinking about trying.
[QUOTE=new dawn;712]In my car I kept the origanal trans. The shifting is achieved thru the sincromeshers in the trans. You have to wait for them to line up for the trans to go into gear. It is not ideal for racing as it takes about a second for this process to happen. If your applicatation is for racing maybe you should consider a rev limiter for the motor so it cannot be damaged there are some controllers I have seen that have that feature, and keeping the clutch. I really love running my car I just wish I got more miles on a charge, I have some ideas I am thinking about trying.[/QUOTE]
if you dont mind not having a back seat, i might be able to hook you up with some more range 
You can shift a manual tranny with an ICE the same was as New Dawn described. A clutch is really only needed for starts from stand still and downshifting (maybe not even that). You just have to match your engine throttle with the rpm and load before pulling to neutral and then putting into the next gear. I used to do it all the time with my car just to freak passengers out. The engine basically has to be in a neutral load condition. ie. not trying to accelerate and not trying to decelerate. In an EV application when you let off the throttle the motor pretty much just freewheels and getting that magic moment of neutrality is easier. That said, Lazlow has an excellent point and is the way I would go. Keep the clutch for emergencies. It also still makes for smoother shifts over no clutch.
Cheers
My quick answer to this…
I built an EV Geo Metro and kept the clutch intact. I had to make a few changes to the motor housing to handle the linear pressure to the shaft from pushing the clutch pedal. I also made the hub to mount the flywheel to the motor shaft and also had the flywheel lightened and turned down as small as I could. Consider this. A clutch friction disc may weigh a few lbs. Compaired to the weight of an armature? Spinning up and slowing down the armature between shifts is going to be hell on the transmission’s synchros.
$.02
[QUOTE=lazzer408;1000]My quick answer to this…
I built an EV Geo Metro and kept the clutch intact. I had to make a few changes to the motor housing to handle the linear pressure to the shaft from pushing the clutch pedal. I also made the hub to mount the flywheel to the motor shaft and also had the flywheel lightened and turned down as small as I could. Consider this. A clutch friction disc may weigh a few lbs. Compaired to the weight of an armature? Spinning up and slowing down the armature between shifts is going to be hell on the transmission’s synchros.
$.02[/QUOTE]
I agree. you could just hook the electric motor up as the clutch plate… then have it drive like a normal car.
Oh I forgot to mention that spinning up the motor to 6000 and dropping the clutch in 3rd was always good for the smoke show incase there’s any EV doubters in the crowd. =) 304ft lbs of torque just cooked them little tires. If they didn’t let go the trans would.
[QUOTE=lazzer408;1006]Oh I forgot to mention that spinning up the motor to 6000 and dropping the clutch in 3rd was always good for the smoke show incase there’s any EV doubters in the crowd. =) 304ft lbs of torque just cooked them little tires. If they didn’t let go the trans would.[/QUOTE]
rofl! i can only immagine…
[QUOTE=FEUS;690]typically they will not use a normal transmission system, but use only the motor for the transmission because the motor has a high rev-range and can be reversed literally for going into reverse no problem…
what most people will do though is addapt it to fit on an automatic transmission so that they dont need to make new controls for going foward and reverse. not to mention you will have a better range of gears (a bit better top end)
I’ll let NewDawn get in here and talk about the finer points i failed to mention, seeing as i havn’t done a conversion yet and am going off of text not actual experience.[/QUOTE]
It is certainly easier to find donor car with auto transmission. I have the following questions.
Thanks
Venkat
if the automatic transmission is RWD then you can remove the tranny and hook right up to the driveshaft. otherwise you are looking into serious custom work to design and build a diff with CV outdrives. And yes, a 300V system will barely make sure that happens. You will need to gear lower than a stock Diff is.
Venkat;
The answer to question #1 is yes. Albright makes a reversing contactor for just that purpose. I have one on my truck and it works fine.
tommyt