# aircraft starter engine



## EVlearner (Sep 26, 2007)

Hi

My name is Moritz and just getting started with an EV conversion project. I would like to convert a van and was wondering if a *Jack & Heintz starter for a Pratt & Whitney 1830-75 Radial Aircraft Engine -24 volt *would be a suitable electric motor?


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## helibike (Nov 11, 2007)

Hello,

I'm new to the world of EV cars, but I've spent some time around aircraft. That being said, I would have to say that I would not recommend using an aircraft starter motor for an EV car.

Here's the first two reasons that pop into mind:


Aircraft starter motors are intended to have a duty cycle. That means they work like mad for a few minutes, but then spend the rest of the time enjoying the ride.
Any starter motor that came from a P&W radial engine is going to be as old as the hills. There are a lot of better motors out there.
I hope I haven't ruined your plans. Good luck with the project.


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## KiwiEV (Jul 26, 2007)

Hey there!
From what I've heard the car might be a little underpowered with that as a motor. Mind you, it depends on what you're looking for in an EV.

What sort of top speed are you after? That's a big decider in the motor selection process.


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## Guest (Apr 20, 2008)

I would say to not use it with a van but you could use it in a small VW or Metro or Yugo or something small. These motors will take 72 volts with no trouble and they were not just starter motors. They are also generators with interpoles and are used all the time and they are not just around for the ride. They are dual duty motors and will do just fine. Used with manual contactors for speed control you will also get to use regen. These are shunt motors and will do just fine. Old yes but still a viable solution for a small conversion. These will also handle up to 400 amps and 8000 rpm. Lets see a series motor handle that on a full time basis. The are military grade motors and designed such. They are rated at 400 amps military spec which is at least double what civilian specs would be. So lets say 800 amps to be sure. RPM wise you will never see the max as at 72 volts it can't do 8000 rpm period. You could get away with 96 volts if you wanted but you'd be stuck with mechanical contactors. At 72 volts Kelly controller has a modified controller just for these motors and with full regen. Nice. I will be testing my controller here in a few weeks. 

Photo album of my motor: http://www.inertext.homeunix.com/newkaylorkit/album/

This particular motor is a generator and was not used as a starter. I do however have one that was a dual purpose starter/generator. This one shown is a bit more robust than the dual purpose motors. Both kinds are full shunt with regen and will fit the same size adaptor. My adaptor is special built for the VW. These were built back in the late 70's into the late 80's to turn any air cooled VW into an EV. They can be used in the VW bus but the bus would be slow and have less distance than a Ghia or Buggy. 

Many say nay but it can be done. Many who say nay may actually be sellers of other components and want the business and others that say nay only go by what other nay sayers are saying. I say go for it. I am converting a 68 Ghia with the motor in the album. Almost ready to test drive it. Photos will come after its ready for an initial testing. Motor testing is done and it works fine on 12 volts and it is time to make my boxes for the batteries and then hook it all up. : )


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