Hi Jack, I have one more bit of unsolicited advice. From the information below, you are obviously very experienced with high performance gasoline engines. I would bet that you worked with many other ICE projects before you tackled the 1000 hp nitrous engine.
If you were talking to somebody that wanted to build a 650 hp super-charged race car as a first project with gasoline engines, what would you recommend to them? Would you recommend that they start with a smaller project that was less performance with less things to go wrong? That is what I would recommend, personally. The electric drive you want to build is the equivalent of that race car motor. Personally, I would recommend some sort of lower performance project to learn on first. Make the mistakes with a 50-100 kW system rather than a 400-500 kW system. Either one could cause serious damage or injury, but the high power system can do it a lot faster. You could probably get a conversion project from someone else for a few thousand dollars. Take that apart and put it together. You will learn a lot. Read through the EVDL archives. There are a lot of subtle items that don't seem that important, but are critical. For example, fuses and contactors that are suitable for AC may be completely inappropriate to use on a high voltage DC system. They could be the starting point of a plasma fire if something goes wrong. Be careful and meticulous with all your assembly. You need to take as much care with assembly and torquing all your electrical connections as you would be in assembling an engine. This is an exciting project you are tackling. Mike On January 15, 2016 10:11:11 AM MST, Jack Wendel via EV <[email protected]> wrote: >Wow David, thanks for the well thought out response! I really do >appreciate >it. > >First, I am NOT looking for investors. >Second, the "At least I will have my own car!" response is to shut down >the >naysayers. You can find MANY people to tell you how to build your >business >that have no experience building the business you are building. When >the >car was originally going to be an ICE car I had more people than I can >count say "You can't do what you are trying to do!". While I am not >done >with the car, the 75% I have done has already proven them wrong. >The business of building and selling my car is not in question, the >only >thing in question is whether or not it will be an EV. >If I believed I had to out Tesla Tesla, I never would have started this >project. If that were true Tesla would have put ALL other cars out of >business. >Setting the goal of outperforming Tesla out of the gate would be like >running before I ever learn to walk. Again, the prototype is simply a >"Proof of Concept". Since this is all self-financed, co$t HAS to be a >major >concern. Wasting money on an AC system at this stage would be fiscally >irresponsible. > >WHY am I not looking for investors? >1) They are offering less than 10% of the projected value of my >business >for a majority share. I'm not selling my drear for less that 1/10th of >what >it is worth. >2) If I have investors I'd just be working for someone else. No thanks, >I'll keep my day job of working for someone else. >3) All investors care about is scaling the business as quickly as >possible. >That's the BEST way I know to run out of ca$h and drive the business >under >before it ever gets started. >4) My business model is low volume production. High volume isn't even >on >the radar. I can do what I want to do with my business out of my 30' x >30' >garage. >5) IF my business takes off I will scale up. But only when, and if, >sales >greatly exceed capacity. Every additional expense added to the business >to >scale will REQUIRE increasing the scale just to break even. Overhead is >the >one expense I need to avoid to ensure success at low volume. >6) Scaling actually HURTS my business with my target market. For them, >Teslas have lost their appeal because they are "Too affordable and too >common". My goal is to avoid that "trap". >7) Too many business owners that have brought investors in have >eventually >been run out of their own business by the investors. I'm not willing to >take that risk. So if "Staying small" is the result of keeping my >business >100% my own, so be it. I prefer that to working for someone else. > >BTW, contrary to common belief, Elon Musk did NOT invent the Tesla. >From >what I have read he simply invested and eventually ran the real >inventor >(oor at least one of them) out of the business. I did my research on >investors and their mindset. They feel it is their right to run you out >of >the business because their money, not your idea or work, is the reason >your >business was a success. > >When I went to the business advisers, my business plan was to build an >ICE >car, NOT an EV because I had ruled that out due to the added co$t and >risk.They are the ones that convinced me to go the EV route. > >This is not my first car to build nor is it my first business. I have >learned from what I have done in the past and that dictates my route >going >forward. The only unknown in this business is the EV part. If I can't >get >sufficient help and support there, I am willing to be "Just another ICE >Supercar". > >Once I build the prototype I will need publicity to attract the "right" >customer. I do not personally know any "People with more money than >sense". >Well maybe some that have little of either! ;^) > >My "Marketing Plan" is to build a drag racing EV that is disguised as a >"Supercar". I will put down some impressive performance numbers >following >the NEDRA model. I have already talked to John Metric and priced out >the EV >drivetrain long ago, I just need to "Pull the trigger" on that order. >So I >will be following the path of Zombie 222 but targeting a different >customer >with a different product. > >If you haven't, go to the Zombie 222 site. They have expanded from the >"EV >DC Motor Drag Race Musclecar" into "We will build whatever you want, AC >or >DC". But their DC Drag Car got them the initial publicity they needed. >Then >they expanded to set speed records as well (Texas Mile) and gained even >more exposure. Besides, my "Marketing Plan" will also be fun! 8^) > >BTW, this prototype only represents my first and second car. The car >that >will actually allow my business to be successful will be my third car. >It >will be a COMPLETELY different design and will leverage what I learned >to >date and set my "market niche". Again, something I learned AFTER I >already >had too much time and money invested in this prototype. It makes more >sense >to do the final 25% on my current car than to scrap it and start all >over >from ground zero. > >Finally, this business is simply a platform so that I can continue >designing, building and racing cars. I current own a ICE drag car that >has >produces 1000 horsepower on the engine alone and another 600 horsepower >on >nitrous oxide (two stages, 300 horsepower each). If I could, I would >simply >drop that engine in my prototype and be done with it. But the fuel >consumption could almost be measured in gallons per mile instead of >miles >per gallon. > >Oh yeah... with that in mind, I view this prototype and its successor >as >"throw away cars used as learning tools". IF they become very >successful I >MIGHT change my mind. But, even so, the REAL success of my business >will be >based on my third car. And $150k won't even come close to buying one of >those. Again, this realization didn't even come to me until I had a new >vision of my "target customer" inspired by both the business advisers >and >someone that used to build custom exotic cars. The latter actually told >me >my entire business was misguided and, at best, would only be moderately >successful but not unbelievably successful. And he was right because >he >learned it from the hindsight that can only come from first hand >experience! . (See, I DO listen to advice!) ;^) > >Again, thanks for your input. All of your points are completely valid >IF I >was going the route you describe. >-------------- next part -------------- >An HTML attachment was scrubbed... >URL: ><http://lists.evdl.org/private.cgi/ev-evdl.org/attachments/20160115/a0124ca6/attachment.htm> >_______________________________________________ >UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub >http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org >Read EVAngel's EV News at http://evdl.org/evln/ >Please discuss EV drag racing at NEDRA >(http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA) _______________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org Read EVAngel's EV News at http://evdl.org/evln/ Please discuss EV drag racing at NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA)
