Designing a new battery and motor concept to support the conversion and frame.

After consulting my engineering son regarding suitable drawing software, he pointed me in the direction of a free version of Autodesk Fusion 360. I downloaded a copy and didn't have a clue how to use it, but after further consultation and a quick tutorial, it started to make sense and got easier.

In my first version, I made a lid that fit over the top of the Battery Box. This structure was designed to house the batteries, and the motor is floating in mid-air to allow for the purchase of a motor bracket that ELMOFO makes for the selected motor.

I quickly realised I had failed to account for the thickness of the 6 mm aluminum plate. I cut a piece of plywood the exact width to test it in the frame, but it was hitting the weld on the bike's frame.

A recalculation of the battery space was required, and a new layout for the batteries was drafted. Since I was moving things around, I changed the lid to a flat plate and changed the design to include a frame welded inside the top of the box structure. This made the top of the box 12 mm narrower and would increase the structural integrity of the box section.

Finally, I decided to have a plate welded in to mount the motor at the drive end, and we will have another plate that will bolt in to support the back of the electric motor. By welding the motor bracket in, I believe it will increased the structural integrity of the frame support.

The video below shows the progression of the design process to create the new battery and motor structure proposed for the conversion.

This is the drawing minus the motor bracket, drafted from the Autodesk Fusion 360 program.

The next step is to forward the design to Nippon Performance in Brisbane to check over the design and calculate if the structure will be suitable for our purpose and the structural integrity of the bike's frame.