...Or stick a prop or even a water wheel on it along with some battery storage to even out the variations in supply/demand etc. This was brilliant. I liked the way you slipped in the complexities of a delta motor configuration and multiple phases with the LEDs for a great way to understand for beginners. These motors are amazing and I would like to play with some too. Top stuff.
It's a fascinating notion that this engine, as a generator, could easily run ten four-plate electric kitchen stoves at full speed simultaneously. That's when you first realize what kind of power is contained in such a "small" passenger car engine.
This is a great educational video Ben. Thanks for sharing. I had to laugh when you said blow led's again. I hate to think how many I've blown while experimenting.
16:50 - I now understand why cycling cleats are a thing. Being able to use your leg to push and pull on the pedal means you have power through the whole pedal stroke.
The people who use the Leaf motor as a generator are all Leaf owners! Every time a Leaf owner takes his/her foot of the accelerator or presses on the brake, a load is connected to the motor/generator output. So, the car still moving and trying to turn the generator is slowed down by this process. The load that is connected is the charging system for the car's battery so the car is actually charging its own battery a little but it is hard work so the car slows down and this process is called regenerative braking..
Hi Benjamin this is good info I already thought about this a long time ago as for steady rpm just have the builders use the gearbox that mounts on this motor this would be good for a water wheel set up were the water turn the input wheel to the gearbox at the same RPM if I had one I would build it and use it.
18:59 ROFTLSTC! 😂 I can imagine using this on a tractor PTO with an IGBT-Sixpack in an AC-DC-AC configuration. No matter what rpm the ICE runs, the output will deliver the frequency and voltage! 😍
Getting the frequency is not a big deal at all. All you need is a switch mode power supply that is mains voltage that will take the high voltage dirty ac and run it through the recification down to 12,24,36,48v dc you pick your voltage and inverter and you got stable 120v or 220v 60hz. You also pick the highest rpm for the deep amp draw you run on a carb engine or a modern ecu can compensate for extra demand if you using a modern car engine.
I know this motor needs a high input voltage, and will run on a large voltage range but does the input voltage change the power output or is the voltage regulated before getting to the motor?
The voltage to run the motor comes from the inverter. It's controlled by the throttle so full throttle = higher voltage. The inverter gets it's voltage from the HV battery but I don't know what the maximum 3 phase AC voltage at the motor is.
Benjamin Nelson - nothing to do at all? buy an engine from nissan note e power , engine and generator 30 kw , everything is already ready from the factory
Hey buddy, if you connected a 3 phase rectifier to it you will get a DC +/- out! And you wouldn’t really get any losses from this. And it would be easier to power things.
Thank you Ben Can we use original inverter (upper unit) to get steady 60v or so? Then we could use third party inverter from amazon to convert it to 220v@50Hz. Maybe ThunderStruck VCU could help with it?
Of course it is. That is the normal operation of the vehicle. When you are regenerating, it is pumping electricity back into the battery slowing the car.
Hi,mate i like what you are doing but i have some questions. what make you think that the em 57 motor is a 17 or 18 Kw alternator?. i have to say honest i made the mistake to order two me57 motors with the purpose to make one working as a alternator. and i say this is stupid because i know what it will do but for me it were a time limit some more time taking to think about it were better, because i am the one who say that three phase 3 x230 volt is not rood3 690 volt but 540 volt and can build and proof this,for the em57 motor one say it is 340 volt a other it is 360 volt but if the battery is 400 volt the input will be 400 volt if you transver this 100 % efficient the input to the motor will be 400 V / 3 = 133 volt, i do not say it is bad because some countrys like yours and canada using it 133 V x 1.732 = 230 volt yes by us that is good only it is a two phase voltage and by us that is a single phase voltage,so for you and canada you can use this because you have 120 volt, in fact your real single phase is 240 volt. now a other part is reganerating breaking a lot see this as a option to my idea this is nothing more than a conflict,as a motor you feed the power in now follow the flow as a alternator that same feed is going out at the same line so the flow will turn 180 degree you only controling with how many amps that is happening and the only profit is the feed in will be low and the feed out will be higher, a nice test to try using a line having a feed in and having that same line a feed out,looks like fun. no i will not use this em 57 motor as a alternator because i need 50 hz and till now it is not clear if the rotor is 10 pole ore 10 pole pair for 50 hz that is 300 or 600 rpm but i am going to use the motor to run a alternator i buy one or build one this is going to be a 6polepair 1000 rpm 50 hz 3 x 230 volt and i know this is going to work why because this will be unit three i build to proof that you can generate more power out then you put in, a lot think the calculation is from the center but it is not it is from the shaft diameter, that center is made aman made lie the same like toquestolen from nm. why do i see a wheel as two parts is because of this center a wheel have a down part that is making contact to tranfer the energy but the upper part who have the same energy is doing nothing they simply change place at every half turn, gearing can create multiply a lot of power the most simple proof for this is a chain blck with it you canlift 1000 kg something you can not do by hand your self, i stop typing the only thing i meaning with this it is not talking and thinking but it is building and testing to know what is true yes or no. regards henk
Great video! I have a small river that floats pass my cabin so I was looking into using this as the mechanical energy and use the current to heat a swimming pool or Jacuzzi (so frequency and voltage is don't care). Has anybody out there tried this? Any reason why that should not work?
Many solar inverters run in a range of 200-600DVC. Maybe just adding one of those would be a simple way to get a steady 60 Hz 120/240VAC output? Also, I now want to add a giant hand crank to the motor shaft and try to charge my high-voltage battery pack. I'm sure that would be VERY tiring!
@@BenjaminNelsonX Nice video! I tied a string around the shaft, like a pull start lawnmower. I got up to 28 volts from the DC bus if the inverter was powered on. As you say, it would be quite a power source at 80KW.. ;)
Thanks Jack! I'm a hands-on kind of guy and find that, for me, learning like this is the best way to go. I've always found 3-phase to be a bit magical, but doing something like this brings it down to earth!
@@BenjaminNelsonX I've thought about turning a prius into a self propelled emergency generator. You would be able to fill it up at a gas station and then drive to where you need the power. It should be able to generate 60 KW of power. I was thinking 120 or 220 volts but it puts out 3 phase power like you mentioned.
@@Islamisthecultofsin A Prius makes an EXCELLENT portable generator! A friend of mine in Puerto Rico used his to power his family home for quite some time after Hurricane Maria. I think he was using just the 12V connection and a standard inverter. The propulsion battery connection is fairly easily accessible in the Prius. If a person had an inverter which could handle a higher voltage input, it could be connected to the main battery. I don't think I would try using the Prius inverter as the source of energy, that would take quite some figuring to control it as appropriate for typical home power.
Just work off a battery bank like the car, use the batteries as your power source for the house inverter. Of course this would only make sense with wind or hydro power.
I have a 55kW 3 phase generator that I am looking for a way to replace the propane motor. I was thinking about using a salvaged Nissan leaf and battery to run the generator. Any thoughts on this idea? I have solar panels that I may use in conjunction with a DC charger to maintain the battery.
Sounds like a very interesting idea! However, if you already have the battery, why are you trying to run the generator? Is it specifically to get 3-phase power? I would think that an electronic conversion would be more efficient than a mechanical one.
@@BenjaminNelsonX, I have some equipment that takes about 40kW of 3 phase power to run and I don't have 480V 3 phase power at my shop. A 50kw single phase 240V to 3 phase 208V inverter exists but they are about $30-40k and then I would need to step it up with my transformer to 480V.
In that case, it sounds reasonable to me. Just make sure that the battery capacity will be large enough for your planned use of the 40kW 3-phase equipment, and that you have high quality mechanical connections on everything.
I might want to buy a 3-phase bridge rectifier. Sounds like a very simple way to go. To properly charge a battery bank, I think I would just need to get high enough voltage, and then use a plain PWM solar charge controller. An MPPT controller would be even better. 100 amps to a 48V battery bank could probably be driven by a 8HP gas engine or similar power source.
@@BenjaminNelsonX If I recall correctly you need two and a half bridge rectifiers to get DC from three phase AC, or use some high current diodes if you have them.
It's very easy to use with the stock inverter and a aftermarket control device like the Thunderstruck Vehicle Control Unit. If I were doing a conversion with this motor right now, I think I would buy it as a complete unit with the motor, inverter, and gearbox, then build custom half-shafts from the gearbox to the drive wheels. That way, you don't have to deal with building a custom plate between the motor and transmission, and you don't have to shift gears. The single-speed gearing in the attached gearbox is already perfect for the motor. th-cam.com/video/hhMhxcjdAh8/w-d-xo.html
@@BenjaminNelsonX Very cool!! I'll keep my eyes peeled for the full kit! Thanks Benjamin! If I'm gonna do that, then I'll put it in my fwd sunfire. That will be fun!
The big mistake made at the end here, calling this an 80KW gen head or saying you could drive it with a 100hp motor is that neither the gen head or small 2.2L gas motor are rated at 100% continuous output. Hell, neither are likely to do well over 75% continuous. Even at 50% continuous your going to need quite a bit of cooling. For instance the factory radiator and fan for the gas motor is designed to keep it cool while IDLING (in high ambient temps). It gets far more airflow when cruising down the highway at 65 mph. So big rads, big fans, and if you're lucky you get 50KW continuous, 40KW more likely, and 30KW is probably a much safer number to "plan" on.
Hi Ben nice video I have a question can you connect this model of motor with a generator to start it ? Or just can it be used only with batteries? Thank you Carlos
Are you asking if you can POWER this motor from electricity from a generator? I suppose you could, but you would need to convert the AC to DC first, and you would be limited by the amount of power created by the generator. On big advantage of batteries is that they can make a huge surge of current, so the motor can be extremely powerful because of that. If you wanted to maximize the power you could get out of this electric motor, you would need greater than a 100HP generator to run it. If you are asking something a little different, please clarify. Thanks!
This is a stock clutch plate from a 1.6l engine Geo Tracker. I was originally hoping that this motor would be a good fit for an electric farm tractor conversion. It might not be the best fit though. This motor is pretty good all around, and would be great for a lot of car conversions.
Benjamin, do you perhaps still have that Nissan transmission? Would you perhaps be interested in selling it? . I'm thinking of buying a Nissan LEAF transmission to perhaps do my experiment of swopping the drive gears, and then replacing the transmission on my LEAF with the altered tansmission.
Yes, I actually think this would make a really nice motor for a sail-boat, and there's no reason why you couldn't use the propeller for charging. (Keep in mind that I am NOT a sailor, but it sounds very reasonable.)
Doesn't the "Regen Idle" on the VCU Allow DC charging to bring power back to battery?? Can't you just add a inverter back to AC at that point or even a mediator battery pack?
Yes. Regen allows for power from the motor (typically provided by momentum spinning the wheels) to go back to the battery as high voltage Direct Current. The challenge with that, is it still needs most of the car - motor, inverter, battery pack - and would then STILL need another inverter to from the 12V battery or a high voltage inverter from the main battery pack.
The first thing that came to my mind is a heat/power co-generation setup. I have an oil-fired furnace (boiler) and an old VW TDI engine laying around, though I'm still using the motor in my Leaf. It would be great to dump the furnace and use the "waste" heat from the engine to heat my house and hot water while generating power. 250 gallons of Diesel Fuel/#2 Heating Oil would run for a long time in a TDI (it would have been 10,000 miles in the Passat). If not a Leaf motor, does anyone have a thought for a good source for a generator that could take in ~80 hp? Maybe even 20 hp would be enough to get the engine hot. Thanks for sharing!
Co-Generation is a GREAT way to get more energy/efficiency out of a system! My garage has a heated floor. There's about 1,000 feet of PEX tubing buried in the concrete. For an off-grid setup designed from scratch, it would be very interesting to use waste heat from a generator to perform hydronic heating.
I found your channel because of your EV conversion. I'm new to EV's - having just bought two older ones. I came back to your channel because I keep thinking about the idea of having a 72v led acid car. I currently drive: - a 2002 GEM car (72v led acid) - a 2013 Leaf I was excited when I saw that you're playing with Leaf motors. It kind of blows my mind that someone would want a 72 v led acid car in 2021. I'm thinking about getting lithium batteries for my GEM... and yet I wonder what the "end game" will be for my Leaf as the battery continues to degrade. I would love to see your thoughts on keeping old EVs running and out of the landfill for as long as possible... or do you think that ICE conversions are the way to go?
I'm a big fan of fixing and keeping things running. I think that ICE conversions are pretty cool for hands-on and learning, and we can't beat inexpensive, commercially-built electric vehicles for general adoption. Have fun, do what you can to save green while going green.
I could see this as an excellent unit with a hydro setup. It might be a little more complicated for wind. Just based on how hard this was to spin by hand with the 12V bulb, I think it might be best to keep the gearbox with it and use the gearbox as an input. Wind tends to change speed more than water. Because of that, there's a lot of "Wild AC" - Alternating current with varying frequency. It's not a huge deal, wind setups already have ways to deal with it, but it's one more thing to deal with. This is all very interesting stuff to think about!
@@BenjaminNelsonX my paddle wheels at 1 rpm when i had 30 amp pm motor , you know what it takes for power to the field to make more resistance or just add more hot water elements for the leaf to slow down rpm THX
Yes. For pure resistive loads it's not a big deal if it's AC or DC. People sometimes use water heater elements for resistance as a "dump load" for wind turbine systems. Photovoltaic solar panels are also now cheap enough that people have used them for direct water heating, by sending the Direct Current from the panel straight to the heater element. You just need a little bit of math to make sure you match up the panels to the element correctly.
Hello! I think that You can't run on full load on mechanics from a car. A tractor or industrial machine is so much more robust build. The 80 kw is only needed in 15 sek in a leaf car. It is both mechanical and cooling problems. Go for it, but try gently from the start. Urban from Sweden
I do not think an older automotive engine of similar kw rating is appropriate in this case. The reason is most automotive engines are not designed for peak power for extended periods of time, also their peak may be at 5k revs. Which makes engines suffer higher pumping losses etc. Not expert in generators but that's what I think.
Ideally, I think a person would probably want something at lower RPM and long life. That's one reason why diesel engines are popular for larger and high quality generators. The Leaf motor COULD be run at 10,000 RPM, but there's no reason it would have to. It could certainly be run at a lower RPM and/or through the gearbox for about an 8:1 reduction.
sure electronica is not my thing electricity is but why do you need that main cotacter? and they all talking about precharge, so far i see most things are on the em57 motor charger inverter and motor so the most simple way should be 400V dc a trottle connection and a 12 volt dc connection,it is about what you need most stuf is in there creating stuf that also work is nice, but are they not created to sell stuf your mobile can have a lot of apps but not having them you can still make a call.
To use the em57 motor as a alternator can be done but is useless. feed in 400 volt dc max rpm 12000 max power 110Kw / 400 V = 275 amp. as a alternator 400 volt dc = 3x 133 volt ac at 12000 rpm it is making 400 volt but it is ac 3 x 133V, say the 50 Hz rpm = 600, meaning at 6000 rpm the alternator is making 200 V, 12000 rpm / 2 = 6000, 400 V / 2 = 200 V but with 275 amp 275 A X 200 V = 55,000 watt, now we go to 50 hz 600 rpm 6000 rpm / 600 = 10 now 200 V / 10 = 20 V ac for 3phase single phase 20 V / 3 = 6.66 volt. the 275 A / 3 = 91.66 A X 6.66 V= 610 watt single phase, now tell me how many homes you like to run on this,110 kw is on a speed from 145 kmh and 12000 rpm do i have to make the calculation of distang a hour 24 H and a year and al this time making 12000 rpm there is only one conclusion as a motor he is good but as a alternator he is very bad. the speed as motor is not depending on voltage but on the speed of electricity if you like to know more then you can calculate also the energy it cost to drive against 145 kmh wind speed something a aternator do not have.
...Or stick a prop or even a water wheel on it along with some battery storage to even out the variations in supply/demand etc. This was brilliant. I liked the way you slipped in the complexities of a delta motor configuration and multiple phases with the LEDs for a great way to understand for beginners.
These motors are amazing and I would like to play with some too. Top stuff.
Great show Mr Wizard!
Ben you have a magnificent way of explaining high tech things to us low tech EV fans! Bravo!!!
Thank you!
It's a fascinating notion that this engine, as a generator, could easily run ten four-plate electric kitchen stoves at full speed simultaneously. That's when you first realize what kind of power is contained in such a "small" passenger car engine.
it is not all what it lokes like at the end only efficiency counts.
This is a great educational video Ben. Thanks for sharing.
I had to laugh when you said blow led's again. I hate to think how many I've blown while experimenting.
Nice battery charger or Capacitor bank to control the voltage Great explanation of 3 phase AC.
16:50 - I now understand why cycling cleats are a thing. Being able to use your leg to push and pull on the pedal means you have power through the whole pedal stroke.
in fact you have only power to half of a turn and the biggest leverage is at 90 degree.
The people who use the Leaf motor as a generator are all Leaf owners! Every time a Leaf owner takes his/her foot of the accelerator or presses on the brake, a load is connected to the motor/generator output. So, the car still moving and trying to turn the generator is slowed down by this process. The load that is connected is the charging system for the car's battery so the car is actually charging its own battery a little but it is hard work so the car slows down and this process is called regenerative braking..
Exactly. This whole video is showing the AC end of regenerative braking.
Hi Benjamin this is good info I already thought about this a long time ago as for steady rpm just have the builders use the gearbox that mounts on this motor this would be good for a water wheel set up were the water turn the input wheel to the gearbox at the same RPM if I had one I would build it and use it.
The Leaf charging it's DC battery via regenerative braking. So it's electronics should convert DC to 3phase AC and back. I hoped you would test that.
Come to think of it, it would be interesting to connect this motor to a tractor PTO.
18:59 ROFTLSTC! 😂
I can imagine using this on a tractor PTO with an IGBT-Sixpack in an AC-DC-AC configuration. No matter what rpm the ICE runs, the output will deliver the frequency and voltage! 😍
You literally made a huge automotive alternator... I was hoping you would show the DC output on a scope lol
Getting the frequency is not a big deal at all. All you need is a switch mode power supply that is mains voltage that will take the high voltage dirty ac and run it through the recification down to 12,24,36,48v dc you pick your voltage and inverter and you got stable 120v or 220v 60hz. You also pick the highest rpm for the deep amp draw you run on a carb engine or a modern ecu can compensate for extra demand if you using a modern car engine.
I know this motor needs a high input voltage, and will run on a large voltage range but does the input voltage change the power output or is the voltage regulated before getting to the motor?
The voltage to run the motor comes from the inverter. It's controlled by the throttle so full throttle = higher voltage. The inverter gets it's voltage from the HV battery but I don't know what the maximum 3 phase AC voltage at the motor is.
Benjamin Nelson - nothing to do at all? buy an engine from nissan note e power , engine and generator 30 kw , everything is already ready from the factory
Hey buddy, if you connected a 3 phase rectifier to it you will get a DC +/- out! And you wouldn’t really get any losses from this. And it would be easier to power things.
He does have it connected. It's what the LEDs are...
Off this subject, How did you serial charge your batteries back in the day? Is there a charger for charging eight batteries in series?.
Thank you Ben
Can we use original inverter (upper unit) to get steady 60v or so?
Then we could use third party inverter from amazon to convert it to 220v@50Hz.
Maybe ThunderStruck VCU could help with it?
The inverter puts out 360 volts nominal.
@@Islamisthecultofsin Is it stabile?
Of course it is. That is the normal operation of the vehicle. When you are regenerating, it is pumping electricity back into the battery slowing the car.
Need a crank (like they used to start cars way back in the day) for a demonstration like this.
Yes, that would be perfect!
BenjaminNelson then 3D print on out and use 2 skateboard bearings
Hi,mate i like what you are doing but i have some questions.
what make you think that the em 57 motor is a 17 or 18 Kw alternator?.
i have to say honest i made the mistake to order two me57 motors
with the purpose to make one working as a alternator.
and i say this is stupid because i know what it will do but for me it were a time limit
some more time taking to think about it were better, because i am the one
who say that three phase 3 x230 volt is not rood3 690 volt but 540 volt and can build
and proof this,for the em57 motor one say it is 340 volt a other it is 360 volt
but if the battery is 400 volt the input will be 400 volt if you transver this 100 % efficient
the input to the motor will be 400 V / 3 = 133 volt, i do not say it is bad because some
countrys like yours and canada using it 133 V x 1.732 = 230 volt yes by us that is good
only it is a two phase voltage and by us that is a single phase voltage,so for you and canada
you can use this because you have 120 volt, in fact your real single phase is 240 volt.
now a other part is reganerating breaking a lot see this as a option to my idea
this is nothing more than a conflict,as a motor you feed the power in now follow the flow
as a alternator that same feed is going out at the same line so the flow will turn 180 degree
you only controling with how many amps that is happening and the only profit is
the feed in will be low and the feed out will be higher, a nice test to try using a line
having a feed in and having that same line a feed out,looks like fun.
no i will not use this em 57 motor as a alternator because i need 50 hz and till now
it is not clear if the rotor is 10 pole ore 10 pole pair for 50 hz that is 300 or 600 rpm
but i am going to use the motor to run a alternator i buy one or build one
this is going to be a 6polepair 1000 rpm 50 hz 3 x 230 volt and i know this is going to work
why because this will be unit three i build to proof that you can generate more power out
then you put in, a lot think the calculation is from the center but it is not it is from
the shaft diameter, that center is made aman made lie the same like toquestolen from nm.
why do i see a wheel as two parts is because of this center a wheel have a down part
that is making contact to tranfer the energy but the upper part who have the same energy
is doing nothing they simply change place at every half turn, gearing can create multiply
a lot of power the most simple proof for this is a chain blck with it you canlift 1000 kg
something you can not do by hand your self, i stop typing the only thing i meaning with this
it is not talking and thinking but it is building and testing to know what is true yes or no.
regards henk
Great video! I have a small river that floats pass my cabin so I was looking into using this as the mechanical energy and use the current to heat a swimming pool or Jacuzzi (so frequency and voltage is don't care). Has anybody out there tried this? Any reason why that should not work?
I guess using it as a DC generator through the vehicle’s inverter would also be feasible. Although the voltage would be a bit high, near 400V
Many solar inverters run in a range of 200-600DVC. Maybe just adding one of those would be a simple way to get a steady 60 Hz 120/240VAC output?
Also, I now want to add a giant hand crank to the motor shaft and try to charge my high-voltage battery pack. I'm sure that would be VERY tiring!
@@BenjaminNelsonX Nice video! I tied a string around the shaft, like a pull start lawnmower. I got up to 28 volts from the DC bus if the inverter was powered on. As you say, it would be quite a power source at 80KW.. ;)
@@billbitner9142 A pull-cord! Brilliant! This is why I love talking to folks on TH-cam!
@@BenjaminNelsonX or attach a belt drive to a stationary bike or a treadmill or something and workout properly while experimenting!
@@ThanosSustainable Maybe I can build a giant hamster wheel for my 10-year-old daughter.
Thanks for the good, educational video.
Thanks Jack! I'm a hands-on kind of guy and find that, for me, learning like this is the best way to go. I've always found 3-phase to be a bit magical, but doing something like this brings it down to earth!
@@BenjaminNelsonX I've thought about turning a prius into a self propelled emergency generator. You would be able to fill it up at a gas station and then drive to where you need the power. It should be able to generate 60 KW of power. I was thinking 120 or 220 volts but it puts out 3 phase power like you mentioned.
@@Islamisthecultofsin A Prius makes an EXCELLENT portable generator!
A friend of mine in Puerto Rico used his to power his family home for quite some time after Hurricane Maria. I think he was using just the 12V connection and a standard inverter. The propulsion battery connection is fairly easily accessible in the Prius. If a person had an inverter which could handle a higher voltage input, it could be connected to the main battery.
I don't think I would try using the Prius inverter as the source of energy, that would take quite some figuring to control it as appropriate for typical home power.
Can this motor run with a Curtis controller
Just work off a battery bank like the car, use the batteries as your power source for the house inverter. Of course this would only make sense with wind or hydro power.
I have a 55kW 3 phase generator that I am looking for a way to replace the propane motor. I was thinking about using a salvaged Nissan leaf and battery to run the generator. Any thoughts on this idea? I have solar panels that I may use in conjunction with a DC charger to maintain the battery.
Sounds like a very interesting idea!
However, if you already have the battery, why are you trying to run the generator? Is it specifically to get 3-phase power? I would think that an electronic conversion would be more efficient than a mechanical one.
@@BenjaminNelsonX, I have some equipment that takes about 40kW of 3 phase power to run and I don't have 480V 3 phase power at my shop. A 50kw single phase 240V to 3 phase 208V inverter exists but they are about $30-40k and then I would need to step it up with my transformer to 480V.
In that case, it sounds reasonable to me. Just make sure that the battery capacity will be large enough for your planned use of the 40kW 3-phase equipment, and that you have high quality mechanical connections on everything.
So something like this would actually run efficiently if you hooked it up an engine and would operate like an alternator?
Yes. It essentially IS a large, high-voltage, 3-phase alternator.
@@BenjaminNelsonX So one could put an electric transmission into an existing road car. That truth be told sounds pretty fucking epic.
Just need a 3 fase bridge rectifyre an a wind turbine
I might want to buy a 3-phase bridge rectifier. Sounds like a very simple way to go. To properly charge a battery bank, I think I would just need to get high enough voltage, and then use a plain PWM solar charge controller. An MPPT controller would be even better. 100 amps to a 48V battery bank could probably be driven by a 8HP gas engine or similar power source.
Full bridge
@@BenjaminNelsonX If I recall correctly you need two and a half bridge rectifiers to get DC from three phase AC, or use some high current diodes if you have them.
How hard is it to power a leaf motor with a 3rd party controller? Can I get just a motor and have a hope to connect it to a Pontiac transmission
It's very easy to use with the stock inverter and a aftermarket control device like the Thunderstruck Vehicle Control Unit. If I were doing a conversion with this motor right now, I think I would buy it as a complete unit with the motor, inverter, and gearbox, then build custom half-shafts from the gearbox to the drive wheels.
That way, you don't have to deal with building a custom plate between the motor and transmission, and you don't have to shift gears. The single-speed gearing in the attached gearbox is already perfect for the motor.
th-cam.com/video/hhMhxcjdAh8/w-d-xo.html
@@BenjaminNelsonX Very cool!! I'll keep my eyes peeled for the full kit! Thanks Benjamin! If I'm gonna do that, then I'll put it in my fwd sunfire. That will be fun!
I powered my Gen 1 Leaf motor (slightly different shape but same principle) from a $30 ebike controller.
th-cam.com/video/1ZGzdTrOxBQ/w-d-xo.html
good teacher
The big mistake made at the end here, calling this an 80KW gen head or saying you could drive it with a 100hp motor is that neither the gen head or small 2.2L gas motor are rated at 100% continuous output. Hell, neither are likely to do well over 75% continuous. Even at 50% continuous your going to need quite a bit of cooling. For instance the factory radiator and fan for the gas motor is designed to keep it cool while IDLING (in high ambient temps). It gets far more airflow when cruising down the highway at 65 mph. So big rads, big fans, and if you're lucky you get 50KW continuous, 40KW more likely, and 30KW is probably a much safer number to "plan" on.
Hi Ben nice video I have a question can you connect this model of motor with a generator to start it ? Or just can it be used only with batteries? Thank you Carlos
Are you asking if you can POWER this motor from electricity from a generator?
I suppose you could, but you would need to convert the AC to DC first, and you would be limited by the amount of power created by the generator.
On big advantage of batteries is that they can make a huge surge of current, so the motor can be extremely powerful because of that.
If you wanted to maximize the power you could get out of this electric motor, you would need greater than a 100HP generator to run it.
If you are asking something a little different, please clarify.
Thanks!
@@BenjaminNelsonX
Got it!
You actually did answer my question thank you for you time!
What is that leaf motor going into? I forgot what the plan was. Also, I didn't know there was a clutch plate.
This is a stock clutch plate from a 1.6l engine Geo Tracker.
I was originally hoping that this motor would be a good fit for an electric farm tractor conversion. It might not be the best fit though.
This motor is pretty good all around, and would be great for a lot of car conversions.
what power supply is that?
It's a 30V/5A desktop power supply. Good all-purpose hobbyist unit. I got it here: amzn.to/3liAh5p
Benjamin, do you perhaps still have that Nissan transmission? Would you perhaps be interested in selling it?
.
I'm thinking of buying a Nissan LEAF transmission to perhaps do my experiment of swopping the drive gears, and then replacing the transmission on my LEAF with the altered tansmission.
I do still have the transmission, but I am hanging onto it at the moment. Might still need it for a project.
Mo powa baby!!!
would this work as a motor for a sailing yacht to power it and when under sail recharge the batteries?
Yes, I actually think this would make a really nice motor for a sail-boat, and there's no reason why you couldn't use the propeller for charging.
(Keep in mind that I am NOT a sailor, but it sounds very reasonable.)
Doesn't the "Regen Idle" on the VCU
Allow DC charging to bring power back to battery?? Can't you just add a inverter back to AC at that point or even a mediator battery pack?
Yes.
Regen allows for power from the motor (typically provided by momentum spinning the wheels) to go back to the battery as high voltage Direct Current.
The challenge with that, is it still needs most of the car - motor, inverter, battery pack - and would then STILL need another inverter to from the 12V battery or a high voltage inverter from the main battery pack.
The first thing that came to my mind is a heat/power co-generation setup. I have an oil-fired furnace (boiler) and an old VW TDI engine laying around, though I'm still using the motor in my Leaf. It would be great to dump the furnace and use the "waste" heat from the engine to heat my house and hot water while generating power. 250 gallons of Diesel Fuel/#2 Heating Oil would run for a long time in a TDI (it would have been 10,000 miles in the Passat).
If not a Leaf motor, does anyone have a thought for a good source for a generator that could take in ~80 hp? Maybe even 20 hp would be enough to get the engine hot.
Thanks for sharing!
Co-Generation is a GREAT way to get more energy/efficiency out of a system!
My garage has a heated floor. There's about 1,000 feet of PEX tubing buried in the concrete. For an off-grid setup designed from scratch, it would be very interesting to use waste heat from a generator to perform hydronic heating.
I found your channel because of your EV conversion. I'm new to EV's - having just bought two older ones. I came back to your channel because I keep thinking about the idea of having a 72v led acid car. I currently drive:
- a 2002 GEM car (72v led acid)
- a 2013 Leaf
I was excited when I saw that you're playing with Leaf motors. It kind of blows my mind that someone would want a 72 v led acid car in 2021. I'm thinking about getting lithium batteries for my GEM... and yet I wonder what the "end game" will be for my Leaf as the battery continues to degrade. I would love to see your thoughts on keeping old EVs running and out of the landfill for as long as possible... or do you think that ICE conversions are the way to go?
I'm a big fan of fixing and keeping things running. I think that ICE conversions are pretty cool for hands-on and learning, and we can't beat inexpensive, commercially-built electric vehicles for general adoption.
Have fun, do what you can to save green while going green.
I was thinking more of a water wheel or a mechanical windmill to turn it. It would be a lot of work to figure it all out
I could see this as an excellent unit with a hydro setup.
It might be a little more complicated for wind. Just based on how hard this was to spin by hand with the 12V bulb, I think it might be best to keep the gearbox with it and use the gearbox as an input.
Wind tends to change speed more than water. Because of that, there's a lot of "Wild AC" - Alternating current with varying frequency. It's not a huge deal, wind setups already have ways to deal with it, but it's one more thing to deal with.
This is all very interesting stuff to think about!
@@BenjaminNelsonX my paddle wheels at 1 rpm when i had 30 amp pm motor , you know what it takes for power to the field to make more resistance or just add more hot water elements for the leaf to slow down rpm THX
Can you run 110 V AC hot water heater element on DC voltage?
Yes. For pure resistive loads it's not a big deal if it's AC or DC. People sometimes use water heater elements for resistance as a "dump load" for wind turbine systems.
Photovoltaic solar panels are also now cheap enough that people have used them for direct water heating, by sending the Direct Current from the panel straight to the heater element. You just need a little bit of math to make sure you match up the panels to the element correctly.
Hello!
I think that You can't run on full load on mechanics from a car. A tractor or industrial machine is so much more robust build. The 80 kw is only needed in 15 sek in a leaf car. It is both mechanical and cooling problems.
Go for it, but try gently from the start.
Urban from Sweden
I do not think an older automotive engine of similar kw rating is appropriate in this case. The reason is most automotive engines are not designed for peak power for extended periods of time, also their peak may be at 5k revs. Which makes engines suffer higher pumping losses etc. Not expert in generators but that's what I think.
Ideally, I think a person would probably want something at lower RPM and long life. That's one reason why diesel engines are popular for larger and high quality generators.
The Leaf motor COULD be run at 10,000 RPM, but there's no reason it would have to. It could certainly be run at a lower RPM and/or through the gearbox for about an 8:1 reduction.
sure electronica is not my thing electricity is but why do you need that main cotacter?
and they all talking about precharge, so far i see most things are on the em57 motor
charger inverter and motor so the most simple way should be 400V dc a trottle connection
and a 12 volt dc connection,it is about what you need most stuf is in there
creating stuf that also work is nice, but are they not created to sell stuf
your mobile can have a lot of apps but not having them you can still make a call.
The electric motor can act as a generator if the rotating magnetic field is much lower than rotor speed.
15:28 - or the Flux Capacitor(kinda)!!
To use the em57 motor as a alternator can be done but is useless.
feed in 400 volt dc max rpm 12000 max power 110Kw / 400 V = 275 amp.
as a alternator 400 volt dc = 3x 133 volt ac at 12000 rpm it is making 400 volt
but it is ac 3 x 133V, say the 50 Hz rpm = 600, meaning at 6000 rpm the alternator
is making 200 V, 12000 rpm / 2 = 6000, 400 V / 2 = 200 V but with 275 amp
275 A X 200 V = 55,000 watt, now we go to 50 hz 600 rpm 6000 rpm / 600 = 10
now 200 V / 10 = 20 V ac for 3phase single phase 20 V / 3 = 6.66 volt.
the 275 A / 3 = 91.66 A X 6.66 V= 610 watt single phase, now tell me how many
homes you like to run on this,110 kw is on a speed from 145 kmh and 12000 rpm
do i have to make the calculation of distang a hour 24 H and a year
and al this time making 12000 rpm there is only one conclusion
as a motor he is good but as a alternator he is very bad.
the speed as motor is not depending on voltage but on the speed of electricity
if you like to know more then you can calculate also the energy it cost
to drive against 145 kmh wind speed something a aternator do not have.