DC Motors

Motor Types

The brushed series DC motor is the most affordable and readily available current production motor for road-going conversions available today. Brushless DC motors require expensive controllers. Permanent magnet motors are very efficient, but only in a very narrow rpm band, and quickly lose their efficiency in the varying speeds of normal driving. Shunt and compound motors are more expensive to build and have poorer acceleration than series motors. For these reasons, the brushed series DC motor is the motor of choice for DC systems.

Advanced D.C. Motors

Advanced D.C. Motors, Inc. combines years of DC motor building experience with tight quality control and a dedication to road-going electric vehicles that is unmatched by any other DC motor manufacturer. They are the most widely used DC motors in conversions, and for good reason.

Advanced D.C. motors feature:

Sealed bearings with high-temperature grease
Heavy-duty commutator construction
Heavy-duty brass brush boxes
Stainless steel brush springs
Brush life of approximately 80,000 miles
Easy brush replacement
1 1/8" keyed drive shaft
High-temperature molded field insulator
High-efficiency high-flow die cast aluminum fan
UL approval

Motor Ratings

It is not accurate to refer to a "10 hp motor" or a "15 hp motor", because horsepower will vary with volts and amps, and peak horsepower will be much higher than the continuous rating. It is also confusing to compare electric motors to gas engines, since electric motors are given a continuous rating under load, and gas engines are rated at their peak horsepower unloaded. For accurate identification, a motor should be identified by name or model number.

The following chart gives specifications for the two Advanced D.C. motors we carry. We do not carry smaller motors, since they are not suitable for road-going conversions.

Specifications

Medium Motor #203-06-4001
Length	Diameter	Weight	Input Voltage	Efficiency
14.50"	8.0"	107.0 lbs.	96-120 V	89.0%

Test Data @ 96 V Input
Time On	Volts	Amps	RPM	HP	KW
5 min.	86.0	322	3600	31.50	23.80
1 hr.	90.0	190	4800	20.60	15.50
Continuous	91.0	178	5000	19.00	14.40
Peak Horsepower				68.00

Test Data @ 120 V Input
Time On	Volts	Amps	RPM	HP	KW
5 min.	111.0	300	4650	37.00	28.00
1 hr.	114.0	180	6200	24.00	18.00
Continuous	115.0	165	6500	21.70	16.30
Peak Horsepower				83.00

Peak Torgue @ 120 V & 500 A						85 ft. lbs.

Large Motor #FB1-4001
Length	Diameter	Weight	Input Voltage	Efficiency
15.70"	9.1"	143.0 lbs.	96-144 V	90.0%

Test Data @ 96 V Input
Time On	Volts	Amps	RPM	HP	KW
5 min.	88.0	360	3300	35.00	26.50
1 hr.	89.0	210	3600	23.00	17.30
Continuous	90.0	190	3900	20.00	15.00
Peak Horsepower				70.00

Test Data @ 120 V Input
Time On	Volts	Amps	RPM	HP	KW
5 min.	109.0	340	3520	43.00	32.50
1 hr.	114.0	205	4800	27.50	20.80
Continuous	115.0	182	5200	25.20	19.00
Peak Horsepower				85.00

Peak Torgue @ 120 V & 500 A						110 ft. lbs.

Test Data @ 144 V Input
Time On	Volts	Amps	RPM	HP	KW
5 min.	134.0	320	4200	48.80	36.80
1 hr.	138.0	185	5700	30.40	22.90
Continuous	139.0	170	6000	28.50	21.50
Peak Horsepower				100.00

Check out our VW Rabbit 8" motor mount.

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For ordering and warranty information, see the Order Info page.