What could I do with a 67HP electric motor from the wreckers?

I was super bored in class yesterday.

Open Inverter.com is this wiki site I found a little while ago which has detailed instructions for how you can hack a Prius inverter wide open to essentially, do whatever you want with it to it's physical capacity. A second or third gen inverter has two separate 3-phase drivers for the starter motor and E-assist motor, and both of these can be run in parallel for a total output of over 50 kilowatts, or around 67HP.

They have a short list of motors listed on the site too, and one of them is a Toyota Electric rear end found in Highlanders and Lexi- the MGR rear transaxle. A minute later and I find one is near me in a local yard, and if they don't know what it is (they have no price provisions for a electric motor or inverter) it'll be about $100 for the rear and likely alternator or "Brain Box" (their words) price for it, which is $40.

But what would I do with it? I know it's kind of funny to be on GRM and ask "Why should I buy this?" but what creations would you make with this?I feel like I should get it just to experiment, but I want to at least have the resemblance of a plan first.

Build the most awesome PowerWheels ever?

If you have access to cheap air cooled VWs that's what I'd be tempted to do. Or that small rear diff motor into a motorcycle somehow. I'm not very familiar with them. I should remedy that seeing as I'm a certified Parts Professional at the big T.  

How much weight would battery capacity add for it to run wide open for a total of ten minutes?

In well setup 600- 800 pound vehicle you could own FTD in autocross. 

67hp?  That seems like pit bike territory to me.

Dual motor setup with something small and FWD.  Mercury Capri comes to mind.  

Floating Doc (Forum Supporter) said:

How much weight would battery capacity add for it to run wide open for a total of ten minutes?

In well setup 600- 800 pound vehicle you could own FTD in autocross. 

Good question tbh. I think Prius/Lexus batteries run around ~350v, and the inverter can go up to 600v. Aside from I do not clown with 600v... Not much if I only want the range for a night of drags. But I'm not sure if that motor can handle it since it doesn't have a cooling circuit other than abient air.

Wow, I need that. Cool. I would like to build AWD by electrifying the rear of a FWD.

Electric FormulaVee, with 20mins of run time

In reply to Floating Doc (Forum Supporter) :

You'd need more than that.  My F500 as an older obsolete motor in it with a power output of 83hp and it's 780lbs with me in it. I'm routinely 1-2 seconds back from the shifter karts. I also have to work very hard to stay ahead of some of the  faster production based cars.  

The car would still be fast though.

67hp yes, but also 102 ft-lb of torque, available immediately!

Since electric motors provide better performance than ICE for equivalent HP ratings, this could be fun in any number of applications. My first thoughts went to Locost, and other LBC's. So things like Spitfire, Spridget, Mini, etc.

Of course the idea of a dual motor AWD setup in a lightweight FWD car would be fun. It also has me thinking about how it might be used for a dual motor RWD setup.

Cooling concerns could probably be reduced with a drill, some AN fittings/lines, and a small oil cooler.

This would be a good match to a classic Mini or some other little car like a Fiat 500.

Karacticus said:

Build the most awesome PowerWheels ever?

That was literally my first thought.

I'm guessing there's a reason that when hooked to a 245v battery pack Toyota rates this rear end at 40kw, and when hooked to a 288v battery pack Toyota rates this rear end at 50kw. I'd like to see a proposal for how to get a 288v battery pack into a PowerWheels.

Throw two of them in a Ford Festiva. 

Keith Tanner said:

This would be a good match to a classic Mini or some other little car like a Fiat 500.

Yep, in the back seat. 2-3x horsepower boost on demand.

Driven5 said:

I'm guessing there's a reason that when hooked to a 245v battery pack Toyota rates this rear end at 40kw, and when hooked to a 288v battery pack Toyota rates this rear end at 50kw. I'd like to see a proposal for how to get a 288v battery pack into a PowerWheels.

192 AAA batteries in series. About 3 lbs and you can buy replacements anywhere!

paddygarcia said:

Keith Tanner said:

This would be a good match to a classic Mini or some other little car like a Fiat 500.

Yep, in the back seat. 2-3x horsepower boost on demand.

Honestly, would be a reasonable total engine replacement.  My bugeye only has about 65hp...  And it wouldnt have oil to leak

Apexcarver said:

paddygarcia said:

Keith Tanner said:

This would be a good match to a classic Mini or some other little car like a Fiat 500.

Yep, in the back seat. 2-3x horsepower boost on demand.

Honestly, would be a reasonable total engine replacement.  My bugeye only has about 65hp...  And it wouldnt have oil to leak

You can always add a supplementary oil drip system for that vintage experience.

other thought is, since it's Highlander... and that (maybe?) shares platform with the Camry...

awd swap ~2012 Camry Hybrid

In reply to Keith Tanner :

Range measured in inches?

Driven5 said:

In reply to Keith Tanner :

Range measured in inches?

And output of about 3/4 hp

Driven5 said:

In reply to Keith Tanner :

Range measured in inches?

How far do you think a 67 hp Power Wheels is going to go at full throttle before having some sort of catastrophic event?

dculberson said:

67hp yes, but also 102 ft-lb of torque, available immediately!

That's my thinking. Maybe I'm wrong here, but I think the instant onset of full torque is going to be the factor that's going to make it accelerate like a far more powerful car. 
 

I saw David Marcus drive his model 3 in the last local event before he took it to Nationals. It cornered okay, certainly nothing special. It's the acceleration that got it moved from B Street to Super Street. 

A car capable of quick, short bursts of acceleration (torque) is a potent weapon for autocross.