Lately I have been concerned about the motor. It is, after all, quite small for a 3000 lb car. When I first started to drive this thing I felt the motor after each drive to see how hot it was getting. Lately I have been carrying an infrared temp gun in the glovebox to check the temperatures of the motor body and commutator after driving.
After the 6-1/2 km drive home from work, including a 1-1/2 km long uphill with a 4-way stop a quarter of the way up, the motor body is 120F and the commutator is 180F, so about normal internal combustion engine temps. No big deal.
After the 10 km drive home from church, including climbing the same hill, the motor body is 150F and the commutator is over 200F. Hmmm.....how long will this motor survive?
I posed the question on
diyelectriccar.com, asking whether it may be time for an upgrade to a larger motor. The answer from a member named "major" (who has helped me a lot with this project) is that the limit for commutator temperature is 350F and not to worry even if the body reaches 212F.
Mine isn't even coming close to that. I guess I can stop worrying.
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