Using two 18V engines instead of one 36V engine?

[Jboogey2010]

Ok, so I am working on a project for the summer that involves building a robot-like RC car/atv (for off-road).
I want to figure out the cheapest way to get an engine that will output 1hp (which I am pretty sure is pretty close to 36 VDC, correct me if I am wrong though).

Is there a way to use two 18v engines to power the 4 wheels similar to the way a single 36v engine would power 4 wheels?

 

[Mech_Engineer]

Voltage is just a measure of electrical potential, it is not comparable to units of power such as horsepower or watts. 1hp is 746 watts, and to caluclate a motor's power in watts you use the equation P=V*I.

With that in mind, I recommend you take a look at globalspec.com. They have a search engine that can compare motors from many different companies. You should specify your motor based on the voltage of the battery pack you plan to use and the power output you need.

 

[Jboogey2010]

Thanks for giving me that site, it has a lot of good information on motors. However, there is one problem that I face with this project I am doing, and that is expenses. The motors sold by companies have been quite pricey so far, so I have been trying to figure out how to get a motor for a lot cheaper.
I am not sure if this is the same concept, but could a 2hp motor from a skillsaw be used similar to the motor in this link?

http://www.globalspec.com/SpecSearch/PartSpecs?partId={717FB3CA-9A4C-4A7A-B162-E5A627F77B53}&vid=181299&comp=17&qid=20569432

 

[Mech_Engineer]

...one problem that I face with this project I am doing, and that is expenses. The motors sold by companies have been quite pricey so far, so I have been trying to figure out how to get a motor for a lot cheaper.

You might be able to steal a motor out of a power tool, but you'll still need a gearbox to drive it because you won't be able to use a motor attched directly to the wheel unless it's a stepper motor.

The motors you linked to are high-end brushless industrial motors. A motor out of a skilsaw will be brushed, and odds are not as strong although I'm not sure. Either of those motors has to operate at multiple thousands of RPM's to develop the kind of power you're specifying though, so you'll need some kind of gearbox to attach them to a wheel.

 

[bmccready]

The motors you linked to are industrial motors and are probably more than you need. There are Hobby brushless DC motors that can be purchased relatively inexpensively on the web, I've bought one off of ebay and others from my local hobby shop. The one thing that you need to consider is that you need a specialized speed control, usually called a "brushless esc".

I have one like http://cgi.ebay.com/E-flite-brushless-motor-esc-li-poLymer-battery-/120715942225?pt=Radio_Control_Parts_Accessories&hash=item1c1b3b1951#ht_500wt_965
that develops about .8 Hp off of a battery pack that is actually less than its rated maximum. I also have a no-name (from ebay) that is similar but cost less yet develops nearly the same amount of power.

 

[mrspeedybob]

Make friends with the parts guy at your local chevy dealer. The cobalt has electric power steering, the motors are under recall because the occasionally short out. You may be able to get some of the take-offs for free. They are about 1/4 hp so you could use 1 to drive each wheel of a 4 wheel vehical.

 

[mp3car]

Maybe look into treadmill motors... some are DC brushless. I think they are more like 100 volts DC though.