BRAKES
The front brakes are disc brakes from an old 1967 Volkswagon Beetle. The rear brakes are also disc brakes that came as a three wheel conversion kit for people to convert their motorcycles to three wheels.
We have a double pedal system: the left pedal works the front brakes, and the right brake pedal works the rear brakes.
We have a double pedal system: the left pedal works the front brakes, and the right brake pedal works the rear brakes.
MOTORS AND GEARS
Our motor is a motenergy ME0909 Brushed DC motor. It is rated at 48 Volts and 4 kW continuous. The motor is coupled to a 3:1 gear reducer and then connected to the rear axle by chain. We used a #50 industrial chain. The gear ratio is change-able, but that also requires changing the number of links in the chain.
SUSPENSION AND STEERING
The front suspension also came out of an old 1967 Volkswagon Beetle. It was remanufactured with new tie rods, seals, bearings, and it was also painted. The steering gear box is also from a beetle. It was easy to attach a basic steering column to that gear box using parts meant for off-road dune buggies.
The rear suspension is a conversion kit for converting motorcycles into three-wheelers. It has a differential inside of it, and a 51-tooth sprocket that takes a #50 industrial chain. It also came with a disc brake kit that we installed.
We had to design our own connecting frame for attaching the rear axle. For this, we used large 7/8" threaded steel rods welded to chrome-molly tubing that is allowed to pivot up and down. The shocks are coil-overs which were also meant for an off-road Volkswagon dune buggy. Volkswagon parts are easy to work with and can be rather cheap to.
The rear suspension is a conversion kit for converting motorcycles into three-wheelers. It has a differential inside of it, and a 51-tooth sprocket that takes a #50 industrial chain. It also came with a disc brake kit that we installed.
We had to design our own connecting frame for attaching the rear axle. For this, we used large 7/8" threaded steel rods welded to chrome-molly tubing that is allowed to pivot up and down. The shocks are coil-overs which were also meant for an off-road Volkswagon dune buggy. Volkswagon parts are easy to work with and can be rather cheap to.
WALLS AND PANELING
We used very thin 1/8" thick plywood for the walls and a few other parts. This stuff is easy to cut, and very light weight. To attach is to the metal frame, we experimented with a couple different techniques: glue, caulking, epoxy & fiberglass, and wood blocks that wrap around metal parts.
BATTERIES
Our battery bank is made up of 4 Mastervolt 90 Amp-Hour AGM batteries.
LIGHTS
Our lights are all LED. That includes our headlights, and even our interior lights as well.
SOLAR PANELS
There are many different solar panels on our vehicle. Each section is wired through it's own voltage controller: front, sides, top, and rear.
CHARGE CONTROLLERS
We are still experimenting with a circuit that will control electricity coming from the panes and going into the rest of the system.
MOTOR CONTROLLERS
We are also experimenting with using an Arduino board as a motor controller.