ITS Such an small world and it Amazing to randomly read an comment of yours on this vid! GOODNight bro THE tech-destroyer, lol, also & anyway super DUPER random ?? BUTT , i have 1000 IPHONE 10 -10MAX and 10 Pro or whatever PHONE SCREEN PROTECTORS i purchased made in taiwan[i believe] . Would you like them? mabey for an future random vid? i literally have no use for them. i wanted to sell them but that's probably way more work then profit at this point. PEACE JRE take care man.
he does. he really really does. because he films EVERYTHING, there is no mystery to what he is doing. every project looks big and complicated until you realize its just a bunch of small projects rolled into one finished project.
The fact that you can use this as a power output too with the addition at the end gives it so much more use. Love the build as always, thanks for creating the content!
As an industrial solar electrician, it was awesome seeing you work with the same stuff I do on a smaller scale. This project is awesome and your wires look clean. Good crimps are underappreciated 🤙🏼
@@joewoodchuck3824 If they are crimped, you do not need to solder. Soldering a crimped joint can cause overheating and premature failure of the electrical connection.
@@joewoodchuck3824 Aviation standard is crimped. Never soldered and this is expected to last 20 to 90 years. Yes, really some crimps have survived 90 years. Soldering heat de-tempers the wire making it brittle right beside the solder. These fail in high vibration environments. Automotive is almost all crimped except right at a circuit board for the same reason. Some small electronics will do all soldered for simplicity at the factory, but not expected to survive 20 years. Often not expected to survive a single year.
Really awesome project, really enjoyed the journey. There is one small issue i have with the wiring: in automotive electrical work you typically don't solder, but use clamping or screwing connections, because the vibrations could break soldered connections over time. Thats not a weeks of driving and vibrations but a years of driving issue, so not a pressing issue, juat wanted to mention it
I love your videos for a few reasons! 1. You use basic tools. This is something accessible to most people. 2. You work with the materials you have. On the cheap. Make it work and don't reinvent the wheel. 3. You don't editorialize your videos. Straight and to the point explanation of what you're doing and why it is you are doing it. It's brilliant and this solar car is absolutely fantastic! Anyone following your video could build it. Keep it up!
Glad you noticed, that's always been the goal of the videos. Create projects that the average person can repeat if they really wanted to. Thanks for watching!!
@@DrewBuildsStuff Pojazd komfortowy, rodzinny, terenowy, na każde warunki atmosferyczne. Prawdziwy luksus. Świetnie wpisuje się w kierunek w który kierują nas elity. A oni będą latać na wycieczki na orbitę. Oczywiście nikt im śladu węglowego nie liczy za Starlinki którymi nasz monitorują.
I recommend drilling holes in the ends of the mounting bolts for the tie rod ends to put cotter pins as extra insurance on top of the nylon lock nuts you used. Those are parts you NEVER want coming apart.
Love that you said "do your own research" this is all about experimenting and trying things out and the fact that you share your process and the fun of it is amazing, thank you
Step one of the research should be looking up the fines in your area. In Alberta they like hitting you with no registration and no insurance tickets which are a few hundred each.
Drew, this is the first time I watched your channel, and I am just amazed at your creativity, all-round skills and your ability to make this awesome solar vehicle from scratch! I take my hat off for you! I was fascinated by every step of the project in which you explained in minute detail your design considerations, use of materials such as profiles, bolts and nuts, fasteners, cabling and paint job. I found it so creative to repurpose parts of common bicycles for the front wheel steering. Seems like so much fun driving around in it. Thank you for sharing your project with us.
Unlike so many others you explain what you are doing and why you do it the way you do. So many others do not explain anything they do, the materials they use or the glues and nails etc. I always learn something new watching Drew Builds Stuff. Everyone thumbs up 👍🏽 and subscribe to Drew Builds Stuff.
That was one of the reasons I started doing these videos. Lots of building channels but very few that actually have clear instructions on how to do stuff. Thanks for watching!!
Great video, Drew. Awesome ride and portable generator you have now. The amount of time, detail, and quality you put into your videos and builds is astounding. I know these videos take you a very long time to make, but I do wish you could come out with videos more often. One of my favorite channels.
Agree, and was just think the same myself. Maybe Drew Clones Himself would be a good new channel, then the Drews can work on multiple project simultaneously.
That's a great, fun project Drew! One thing I can offer is that your steering might be improved. Any vehicle with two front steerable wheels needs correct steering geometry to avoid "scrubbing" during turns. When they build stretch limo's they do a small modification to correct this geometry. The secret is known as the "Ackermann" angle. What it does, is turn the steering wheels at different angles so there is no skidding, or "scrubbing" of the tires during a turn. If you park a car with the wheels turned fully to the right or left, youll see that the wheels are not turned the same amount. Your buggy is light weight, so you might not notice this, but it will handle better with correct Ackermann angle steering. It's easy to correct this by bending the steering arms on each fork. Calculations are available online.
Came here to say the same thing. You can think about it this way: If you draw a line perpendicular to the direction of each tire, they should all meet at a single point called the instantaneous center of rotation. That's just not possible with the two front wheels always parallel, so at least one tire needs to skid when you take a turn
The Ackerman angle is derived by lines from each front wheel turning pivot to the centre of the rear axle but based on what this guy can do he would know all about it. Nice build and these are what we should all be driving. However I think an alternative arrangement is worth investigating and that is motorcycle and side car with e bike upgrade.
Don't those calculations depend on the fact that there is an axle connecting the wheels? This is a fully axle-less design. The only connection point is the chassis and then the cross beam by the steering wheel. It's a very intriguing problem because you can do ackerman angles but they'd be much different. A car axle used to be the weak point and failure point, that's gone now and all the calculations would change.
I have watched all of your videos numerous times, because it's not about you, it's THE PROJECT, I want to watch a craftsperson, not hear his or her accolades! You are about 5 steps above any craftsperson I know! Such a pleasure to follow! ❤❤
You said you'll connect the left and right motor in parallel, in is not difficult when you steer your frontwheel left or right? Anyway that's awesome, from Phils.
FANTASTIC BUILD!!! One big error however is your washers cover part of some of the solar cells, and that will significantly cut power production. Also, connecting panels that are facing different directions in series limits production to the worst angled panel. For others thinking of something similar, ebike kits with regen braking are an essential part of the build for typical braking needs at this weight to save on brake pads, and gain a little power. 2nd throttle for braking is good setup, but means specialized controllers.
Drew: Great Craftsman ship and quality! Only one warning you used bicycle handle bars they are only friction griped to the yoke. 55 years ago I had a small scooter with handle bars from a bicycle and I went into an uncountable speed wobble at about 35 KPH. It needs to be welded. or bolted. For off road mount the rear wheels on rubber mounted torsion arms so you always have good ground contact on all 4 wheels. Mount the steering rods onto the control arm, right on bottom, left on top, of the control arm this will take the side to side pressure off of the connecting bolt!. Your build was the best I have ever seen! Andy Miller Lebanon, MO🏖
for steering - while what you have may work - you might want to lookup ackerman steering. draw a line from pivot center of front to center of line running thru rear axle. midpoint between width of car. your front steering tabs where your linkage mounts - should be at this angle. as you turn - the inside wheel is a tighter radius then the outer - and ackerman steering sets up your linkage to compensate for this. less tire scrubbing.
Man if that build ain't worthy of a sub and a like, i don't know what is. That's pure awesomeness ! Shows how simpler and fun it's become to try and experiment with solar builds, I'm really hoping this will inspire others.
Had this in my to watch list & just noticed that the next chapter is out so I'm pulling the trigger this WE. Creative scrappy builders are my fave people. I love the philosophy and the concept. Thanks for uploading.
Nice project. One suggestion : have separate charge controller for front and rare panels.since while driving, they have different angles and if connected in series their output degrades. So to optime each solar output two charge controller will be good..
You don't need 2 charge controllers. Just wire things in a combo the rear are in series with each other, then that pair is in parallel with the front. I do this on top of my van, where I have 4 panels - 2 pairs, in series internally, wired in parallel.
if you have 2 panels in the rear in serias and just 1 front panel parallel - this will not work becaus of the different voltages. Either you connect all three panels in parallel or add a separate mppt controller for front and rear. @@pauldavisthefirst
The panels can both be mounted for adjustability for optimum charging both at the same time which would serve to equalize performance. I can't imagine any need to have them set at different angles from each other. The front one can be overhead to avoid the mechanical constraint of the shown position.
I was thinking about that. Worried that wiring panels in series, may lead to a shaded or damaged panel braking the chain, and interrupting the other panels, that's why I would just wire them all in parallel, and just use a boost converter to step up the voltage, unless the charge controller is ok with low voltage high currant input. I'm self taught about e-bikes, BEVs, and Hybrids. But I'm new to panels and charge-controllers.
@@observingrogue7652 A boost converter is a power supply. The current it outputs is dependent on load. In this case the load is how much current (and voltage) the battery needs in order to charge at any point in time. It does not dump current because of what it's capable of.
This was absolutely amazing Drew, one of the things I love the most is that you are using basic workshop tools for your builds. This shows your dedication and I can imagine the time it takes to do all this. The most I've done are simple computer desks from 3/4" SHS also with a small flux core welder. This was very inspiring and I look forward to see what next you do with it! ALSO, 100Km of range is insane! That's awesome!
@@PLOJ Aptera is the best example of a company doing it right. They're making a light weight, ultra efficient, 3 wheel solar charging EV, and are doing it at a larger scale than any of the other smaller hand made EV's that I know are out there. They're well on their way to completing the first production vehicles, and while these to my understanding are equivalent to what costumers will be getting, they are going to be torture tested before they finalize everything and start building the costumer cars. They are however I think all set with funding and supply chain stuff to go into full production once their validation testing is all complete.
i remember watching solar powered cars like that 20 years ago being made, and they were so big and barely could move , its amazing to see the differences 20 years makes
Drew.... TOTALLY AWESOME. the best part of the whole thing is your brother "layin' it over" on the corner and giggling wildly. precious! nice job! can ya send the plans??!! take care! build on!
i was in awe this entire video.. this IS THE FUTURE!! gives me hope for humanity. thank you so much for uploading this video. you put in soo much work. This is a seed of inspiration.
Drew, you should use one breake lever to pull one front and the opposite side back whell, making the breake system in a "x" configuration for safety. Nice built!
Fantastic effort! I wonder if you could raise the rear solar panel permanently and create a cargo area above the batteries and it would make a fantastic cargo carrier for local deliveries - essentially unlimited power.
If you reinforced a couple areas of the frame and reorganized the electronic and electrical system closer to the seat you could have a sturdier vehicle with decent trunk area. Also, even though it doesn't ride that fast, adding a few plastic or wood panels to seal the shape and improve the aerodynamics as well as help protect the equipment.
Great job! My only suggestions would be to better look at the layout of your panels and batteries so as to make the cable runs as short as possible (for example, rotate your rear panels 180 degrees). Your #10 wire is probably loosing voltage as your wiring paths are not optimal. Also, you should switch the positive rails instead of (or as well as) the negative rails otherwise you have a constantly electrified system. Also, add a master shutoff. Add a few creature comforts like lights and USB charging socket for your phone - at some point you'll have to call your brother for a ride home :)
Its the norm to switch the ground, that way, if it is disconnected, if you short the positive of the battery to the chassis, it wont do anything. If you disconnect the negative, the positive dont do anything, it is "floating"
The panels appear to be wired in series which means they have less than 10 amps running through them at peak power. 10awg wiring is rated for 30 amps continuous, I think his wiring is fine since it's only a few feet between the panels. The only suggestion I would have is to not cover the solar cells with the fender washers. You can see in the video they are over the cells. He's probably losing more power there than through the wiring.
That thing looks sweet! Id love to build something like that but too many police around that would probably give me a hard time and wouldnt really be able to cruise around in it much. It would be cool to get cost breakdowns of your builds at time of building! Obviously prices will change over time but would still be cool to see what your projects have ended up costing on a per component and overall basis
You should have put the panels in parallel. When youre using them in series, they will only supply the amperage of the weakest cell (the one with the least llight shining onto it). It basically acts like a resistor when they dont face the same direction.
This is a cool build! I'm glad you wore a helmet, but I have some other safety concerns. The seat mounts into wood. If you want to use this long-term, please build a steel box to mount the seat. If you hit something, it will rip through the wood. Also, please consider adding additional safety features like a seat belt/harness, turn signals, brake lights, and headlights.
@ojizarcozurdo9925 The battery mounting is a fair point, but your last two sentences are extremely rude. Drew put in a lot of effort into making a video for people to watch. It's important to remember that he and everyone else here are human, and deserve a basic respect and decency.
Very nice and impressive build too, love the fact that you added 3 large solar panels and two 100ah batteries. Thanks for sharing your experience man. I know this was a good sized project but the effort was well worth it though.
Battery voltage here is 25.6V, so they have a capacity of 2560 Wh each. Most LifePo4 batteries of this form factor are 12.8V, 200 Ah, so this is a good example of why one shouldn't use Ah as a unit for energy.
I am in absolute love with what you made here. I work in environmentalism, so seeing someone making proof of concepts so accessible and easy-to-understand for a product that one day could have a positive impact on the world, kudos! First video I’ve seen from you, and I subscribed for more.
Great project. I'm a solar power engineer and have designed and built around 200 systems over the last 10 years. Most of mine are commercial systems 50 to 300 KW but it's always a great feeling when a system powers up. You might want to note that the solar charge controller usually needs to be connected to the battery before being connected to the solar panels. Some controllers will let out all the magic smoke if you connect the panels first so it's just a good practice to always do battery first. On a purely aesthetic note if you covered the sides with aluminum sheets it would really look even more like a mini cyber truck. Awesome built.
I think it would be cool to make a smaller version, like a go-kart. Using the front suspension forks from a mountain bike for the steering would be a somewhat easy upgrade to make as well.
Genius. I honestly think your on point. Modify it to a camping vehicle and let it have a trailer. You can also do a mini crawler tractor. Great idea. EPIC. Love from Kenya.
Awesome build! Thanks for explaining every step! I just have one safety concern - the seat should really be mounted directly into the frame, just worries me that it will get ripped off during the ride
28:27 I love to see it! A little cable management goes a long way. And I just love seeing things done orderly! It's easy in the eyes and makes troubleshooting, repairs, and modifications that much simpler. 😮💨
I'm sure many have mentioned it, but you'll definitely want to address the solar design to get the most out of it while driving. Either a smaller mppt for each panel, likely most expensive but most efficient, or at least run them all in parallel, you'll get a little less efficient in boosting to battery voltage but you won't get hit so hard from shading. You could also make the front panel out of two smaller wattage panels, so you could series each set to the higher voltage, and then parallel the front and back sets. Still might have some shading issues, but not nearly as much as you're likely getting all the time by having the panels essentially facing different directions.
When he's parked he can prop up the back panels to be on the same plane as the front so all he has to do is park facing the sun. It's such a small setup and mobile, I can't imagine shading will really be an issue.
One of the big advantages of using switched brake levers is that the motor controllers will likely provide regenerative braking (a must for efficiency). Also, put a couple of USB sockets on it for charging your phone / sat. nav. ...and lights.
Drew, this is the first time on your channel and I found it incredible. I’ve done a little solar panel work myself, but your system was amazing! I hope to see more builds like this on your channel. Keep up the great/ creative work. P.s.: Maybe the next one you can put a passenger seat. Lol 😊
The overall size could be reduced. Frame switched to aluminum to reduce weight, increase range, and prevent rust. Batteries / panels reduced overall by half, reducing price. And this could make a very decent commute vehicle for people who live in inner cities with good bike infrastructure to carry groceries or other luggage around town.
Very nice build and I can only think of 3 things you need to improve on based on my experience with ebikes and solar installs 1. Putting the panels in series in different orientations will mean reduced harvest 2. Those brake levers that came in have a connection to the controller that will also throttle down the motors when you press the brakes 3. The batteries needs an equalizer to prevent battery imbalance after a certain time. A windshield would be awesome but it is a very cool build.
GREAT THING, Drew! Here some ideas, how you can further improve it. As @TheGbab said very well, you should mod the Geometry of the Wheels. It should be relatively easy to made with some more (re-)welding. The front wheels should look (a little bit!) like this: / -- \ and the back ones like this: \ -- / And in addition the front wheels should turn a little bit to the front center each. Doing this, the car will have a much better traction in curves and it will "center" itself after the curve, like a real car does. (im not very sure if this is the correct geometry, but should be possible to find out how it works correctly 😉) you also should think about a suspension. In the front it also should not be that big problem. You can exchange the forks with suspended ones. Really cool would be the "one-arm" things. I know very expensive, but cool 😎 In the back, maybe some kind of swing arm from bikes or you build another nice DIY thing. As a little optinal improvement: You can also try to "suspend" your bumpers in front and back. You will need very very hard ones, but without any, you have a very high risk that your frame gets broke or bent, even in a very very small crash. Then something about the solar and electricty. Your panels already deliver a LOT of power. I'm wondering, how efficient they are? I know common panels have something between 10 and 20%. But meanwhile there are also some improved panels on the market that have an efficency up to 40%. So with the same square, you can double the power output. (If they haven't already an efficency significant higher than 20% ...) Would be another expensive thing, I know. but should be worth. Maybe you can additinally/alternatively add some more smaller panels, making some kind of roof with them. If you are able to improve the poweroutput significantly, you can think about adding stronger engines in the back, or you can add two more in the front. They are also available for front forks. At least the thing should definetly get a second seat somewhere. And some Hifi stuff! Give it sourround system! Maybe add another small 12V battery fopr that purposes. Should be possible with your already very nice electricity installation. And now i've won a price for the longest YT comment ever, have I? 😁😁😁 Cheers, Marcus
Very nice work! My idea would be: Just build a 4-wheel-drive vehicle with 4 x 350w wheel motors - and about the same amount of solar power - 4 to 6 light flexible panels of 1200-1500wp in total. So on a sunny summer day you could ride from dusk til dawn almost without needing battery power. Wouldn't it be cool to make up to 400-500km a day without adding energy? I would also try to protect batteries and driver against sun and rain just by using these solar panels as a shield. And for long trips I would also take along 2-4 more panels - to be able to do faster charging while having a break
Great work, everything looks tidy, neat & professional, only thing I would do differently is add a main system fuse on the positive terminal of the battery and a second mppt charge controller for the front panel as this would add more efficient use of the power that your panels produce. Overall your build is very impressive. Great job.
Great project! Next time when you drill holes in steel, try going very slow, with some coolant, so first gear and half squize. Little bit more weight on the drill. It'll keep your drillbits sharp, and your steel happy.
You are a very talented man ,glad I came across your tiny home exterior build . I Can not wait for the interior . My partner does tiny home Solar installations in Hamilton ,so I shared this video with him
No hago mas que dejarme llevar por la Fantástica iniciativa de toda esta Genialidad, por el uso de herramientas, Proyecto, Orden haciendo las cosas como un juego, reconfortante verte trabajar, enseñando todo, muchas gracias por compartir, Gran Abrazo!!!
I loved to watch it. This projects you guys doing are amazing and also can give rest of people with similar interest to make better versions. It is good to have a community to share experiences and make more advanced versions. Aluminum chassis is more expensive but since weight is a game changer better to use and get max weight reduction. Also use more panels on Roof and sides to get max coverage. If panels can get command from a photo cell to change angel in order to get max efficiency o man
![I.N "HALLUCINATION" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/n5B5q1Hwt_U/mqdefault.jpg)
Way freakin cool. Nice work!
You have to destroy this @JerryRigEverything, just to make sure the quality of the built :D
yes
ITS Such an small world and it Amazing to randomly read an comment of yours on this vid! GOODNight bro THE tech-destroyer, lol, also & anyway super DUPER random ?? BUTT , i have 1000 IPHONE 10 -10MAX and 10 Pro or whatever PHONE SCREEN PROTECTORS i purchased made in taiwan[i believe] . Would you like them? mabey for an future random vid? i literally have no use for them. i wanted to sell them but that's probably way more work then profit at this point. PEACE JRE
take care man.
The king of DIY has spawned
should of been 2 seater with steering wheel
Excellent video
I love how you showed it to the kids and one said "That is really cool". You really inspire a lot of people.
he does. he really really does. because he films EVERYTHING, there is no mystery to what he is doing. every project looks big and complicated until you realize its just a bunch of small projects rolled into one finished project.
The fact that you can use this as a power output too with the addition at the end gives it so much more use. Love the build as always, thanks for creating the content!
As an industrial solar electrician, it was awesome seeing you work with the same stuff I do on a smaller scale. This project is awesome and your wires look clean. Good crimps are underappreciated 🤙🏼
Thanks for watching!!
Soldering crimped connectors helps too.
@@joewoodchuck3824 If they are crimped, you do not need to solder. Soldering a crimped joint can cause overheating and premature failure of the electrical connection.
@@joewoodchuck3824 Aviation standard is crimped. Never soldered and this is expected to last 20 to 90 years.
Yes, really some crimps have survived 90 years.
Soldering heat de-tempers the wire making it brittle right beside the solder. These fail in high vibration environments.
Automotive is almost all crimped except right at a circuit board for the same reason.
Some small electronics will do all soldered for simplicity at the factory, but not expected to survive 20 years. Often not expected to survive a single year.
@@AustinAnthony-akaftw Solder increases the surface are in crimped connectors filling in gaps, thus would lower joint resistance.
Really awesome project, really enjoyed the journey.
There is one small issue i have with the wiring: in automotive electrical work you typically don't solder, but use clamping or screwing connections, because the vibrations could break soldered connections over time. Thats not a weeks of driving and vibrations but a years of driving issue, so not a pressing issue, juat wanted to mention it
I love your videos for a few reasons!
1. You use basic tools. This is something accessible to most people.
2. You work with the materials you have. On the cheap. Make it work and don't reinvent the wheel.
3. You don't editorialize your videos. Straight and to the point explanation of what you're doing and why it is you are doing it.
It's brilliant and this solar car is absolutely fantastic! Anyone following your video could build it.
Keep it up!
Glad you noticed, that's always been the goal of the videos. Create projects that the average person can repeat if they really wanted to. Thanks for watching!!
yep the most sophisticated tool he used was a gasless wirefeed welder. everything he used is readily available
I agree, this is so cool, I might tae some inspiration for a similar thing I am trying to do but all 3d printed, keep up the great work!!!! 😀
@@DrewBuildsStuffgotta love my 10 inch wires a average person owns...
I love that you give all the details that go into making these builds. Excited to see what you build next!
Thanks for watching
@@DrewBuildsStuff Pojazd komfortowy, rodzinny, terenowy, na każde warunki atmosferyczne. Prawdziwy luksus.
Świetnie wpisuje się w kierunek w który kierują nas elity. A oni będą latać na wycieczki na orbitę.
Oczywiście nikt im śladu węglowego nie liczy za Starlinki którymi nasz monitorują.
I recommend drilling holes in the ends of the mounting bolts for the tie rod ends to put cotter pins as extra insurance on top of the nylon lock nuts you used. Those are parts you NEVER want coming apart.
Love that you said "do your own research" this is all about experimenting and trying things out and the fact that you share your process and the fun of it is amazing, thank you
Step one of the research should be looking up the fines in your area. In Alberta they like hitting you with no registration and no insurance tickets which are a few hundred each.
Drew, this is the first time I watched your channel, and I am just amazed at your creativity, all-round skills and your ability to make this awesome solar vehicle from scratch! I take my hat off for you! I was fascinated by every step of the project in which you explained in minute detail your design considerations, use of materials such as profiles, bolts and nuts, fasteners, cabling and paint job. I found it so creative to repurpose parts of common bicycles for the front wheel steering. Seems like so much fun driving around in it. Thank you for sharing your project with us.
Really fascinating display of work. Really impressive the way you neatly arranging wires and everything, extremely inspiring.
Unlike so many others you explain what you are doing and why you do it the way you do. So many others do not explain anything they do, the materials they use or the glues and nails etc. I always learn something new watching Drew Builds Stuff. Everyone thumbs up 👍🏽 and subscribe to Drew Builds Stuff.
887321_46326.jpg
That was one of the reasons I started doing these videos. Lots of building channels but very few that actually have clear instructions on how to do stuff. Thanks for watching!!
you literally have my dream garage and that car looking sick you got a new suscribe
@@oneaboveall1895 hii
Прикольно
Great video, Drew. Awesome ride and portable generator you have now. The amount of time, detail, and quality you put into your videos and builds is astounding. I know these videos take you a very long time to make, but I do wish you could come out with videos more often. One of my favorite channels.
Agree, and was just think the same myself. Maybe Drew Clones Himself would be a good new channel, then the Drews can work on multiple project simultaneously.
Fine, I volunteer to help Drew create clones... The only way I know how 🍑🍆
Thanks for watching!! I also wish I could put them out faster but it isn't that easy apparently hah
I am a retired mechanic with Canadian Tire and I love your hobby project. Thanks again for your China tour as well. 🎉
Imagine if it had some suspension on it too!? That's gotta make the list for next summer! Great build as always Drew :)
Run the tires at 20 psi plenty of suspension!
Road tires would make this thing insane
@@GsctemTemgsc more like terrible inefficient
I'll see what I can do for the upgrade video! Thanks for watching!!
@@DrewBuildsStuffi think slick tires will produce less friction/drag improving efficency.
That's a great, fun project Drew! One thing I can offer is that your steering might be improved. Any vehicle with two front steerable wheels needs correct steering geometry to avoid "scrubbing" during turns. When they build stretch limo's they do a small modification to correct this geometry. The secret is known as the "Ackermann" angle. What it does, is turn the steering wheels at different angles so there is no skidding, or "scrubbing" of the tires during a turn. If you park a car with the wheels turned fully to the right or left, youll see that the wheels are not turned the same amount. Your buggy is light weight, so you might not notice this, but it will handle better with correct Ackermann angle steering. It's easy to correct this by bending the steering arms on each fork. Calculations are available online.
Came here to say the same thing. You can think about it this way: If you draw a line perpendicular to the direction of each tire, they should all meet at a single point called the instantaneous center of rotation. That's just not possible with the two front wheels always parallel, so at least one tire needs to skid when you take a turn
The Ackerman angle is derived by lines from each front wheel turning pivot to the centre of the rear axle but based on what this guy can do he would know all about it. Nice build and these are what we should all be driving. However I think an alternative arrangement is worth investigating and that is motorcycle and side car with e bike upgrade.
Nice build Drew!! You just need some a nice suspension system on all four wheels.
Don't those calculations depend on the fact that there is an axle connecting the wheels?
This is a fully axle-less design. The only connection point is the chassis and then the cross beam by the steering wheel. It's a very intriguing problem because you can do ackerman angles but they'd be much different. A car axle used to be the weak point and failure point, that's gone now and all the calculations would change.
Your organized approach, skill set,and resourcefulness is awesome!
Even if this video ran for 4 hours, I would watch it through. Very entertaining, professional and super kewl! Well done man!
Thank you!!
Love the wide range of builds you do on your channel!
Thanks for watching!!
I have watched all of your videos numerous times, because it's not about you, it's THE PROJECT, I want to watch a craftsperson, not hear his or her accolades! You are about 5 steps above any craftsperson I know! Such a pleasure to follow! ❤❤
“I have no idea what I’m doing, so feel free to do your own research.” The proceeds to build a master piece. 😂
Haha it’s still true!
@ojizarcozurdo9925😂you know what’s funny? No one asked.
@ojizarcozurdo9925 your jealousy is showing
@ojizarcozurdo9925bet you're fun at parties 😂
You said you'll connect the left and right motor in parallel, in is not difficult when you steer your frontwheel left or right? Anyway that's awesome, from Phils.
FANTASTIC BUILD!!! One big error however is your washers cover part of some of the solar cells, and that will significantly cut power production. Also, connecting panels that are facing different directions in series limits production to the worst angled panel. For others thinking of something similar, ebike kits with regen braking are an essential part of the build for typical braking needs at this weight to save on brake pads, and gain a little power. 2nd throttle for braking is good setup, but means specialized controllers.
Watch again, the washers are on the white trim and not on the receivers
Drew: Great Craftsman ship and quality!
Only one warning you used bicycle handle bars they are only friction griped to the yoke. 55 years ago I had a small scooter with handle bars from a bicycle and I went into an uncountable speed wobble at about 35 KPH. It needs to be welded. or bolted.
For off road mount the rear wheels on rubber mounted torsion arms so you always have good ground contact on all 4 wheels.
Mount the steering rods onto the control arm, right on bottom, left on top, of the control arm this will take the side to side pressure off of the connecting bolt!.
Your build was the best I have ever seen!
Andy Miller
Lebanon, MO🏖
Rad build! Instead of zip ties, could be cleaner to run all the electrical and brake lines through the square tubing. Thanks for sharing!
At least he could have used red zip ties so they would not be so obvious.
I hate that he made a tutorial on something nobody’s ever going to build. This is so stupid.
@@GardenGuy1942 maybe he was explaining in his process for the people that are interested, you think?
@@BenEllefson NO
@@GardenGuy1942
When the oil runs out, everyone can build an electric car.
Bro!!! Props to you on building this project. With this, you are defeating Tesla for sure 👏🏻
awesome build. I wish i was there to see the complete build process. And power outlet ideas makes it 5 stars. Good job drew.
for steering - while what you have may work - you might want to lookup ackerman steering. draw a line from pivot center of front to center of line running thru rear axle. midpoint between width of car. your front steering tabs where your linkage mounts - should be at this angle. as you turn - the inside wheel is a tighter radius then the outer - and ackerman steering sets up your linkage to compensate for this. less tire scrubbing.
it's a 320 lb. bicycle going 25 mph. I don't think tire scrubbing is going to be that much of an issue. It's nice and simple.
Man if that build ain't worthy of a sub and a like, i don't know what is.
That's pure awesomeness !
Shows how simpler and fun it's become to try and experiment with solar builds, I'm really hoping this will inspire others.
Had this in my to watch list & just noticed that the next chapter is out so I'm pulling the trigger this WE. Creative scrappy builders are my fave people. I love the philosophy and the concept. Thanks for uploading.
Nice project.
One suggestion : have separate charge controller for front and rare panels.since while driving, they have different angles and if connected in series their output degrades. So to optime each solar output two charge controller will be good..
You don't need 2 charge controllers. Just wire things in a combo the rear are in series with each other, then that pair is in parallel with the front. I do this on top of my van, where I have 4 panels - 2 pairs, in series internally, wired in parallel.
if you have 2 panels in the rear in serias and just 1 front panel parallel - this will not work becaus of the different voltages. Either you connect all three panels in parallel or add a separate mppt controller for front and rear. @@pauldavisthefirst
The panels can both be mounted for adjustability for optimum charging both at the same time which would serve to equalize performance. I can't imagine any need to have them set at different angles from each other. The front one can be overhead to avoid the mechanical constraint of the shown position.
I was thinking about that. Worried that wiring panels in series, may lead to a shaded or damaged panel braking the chain, and interrupting the other panels, that's why I would just wire them all in parallel, and just use a boost converter to step up the voltage, unless the charge controller is ok with low voltage high currant input. I'm self taught about e-bikes, BEVs, and Hybrids. But I'm new to panels and charge-controllers.
@@observingrogue7652 A boost converter is a power supply. The current it outputs is dependent on load. In this case the load is how much current (and voltage) the battery needs in order to charge at any point in time.
It does not dump current because of what it's capable of.
Drew, you outdid yourself on this build, well done!
Love the build and love the way you filmed and edited this all together. Great job!
This was absolutely amazing Drew, one of the things I love the most is that you are using basic workshop tools for your builds. This shows your dedication and I can imagine the time it takes to do all this. The most I've done are simple computer desks from 3/4" SHS also with a small flux core welder. This was very inspiring and I look forward to see what next you do with it! ALSO, 100Km of range is insane! That's awesome!
my man has a grinder, a welder, and a dream 😅
this is how every electric cars should be made. lightweight, low energy consumption, with its own electrical generation. awesome build !
Lmfao
that do you think they are trying to do?
@@PLOJyeah, there are some companies making solar powered cars but for now it's only in the state of concept
@@PLOJ Aptera is the best example of a company doing it right. They're making a light weight, ultra efficient, 3 wheel solar charging EV, and are doing it at a larger scale than any of the other smaller hand made EV's that I know are out there. They're well on their way to completing the first production vehicles, and while these to my understanding are equivalent to what costumers will be getting, they are going to be torture tested before they finalize everything and start building the costumer cars. They are however I think all set with funding and supply chain stuff to go into full production once their validation testing is all complete.
That's why they are electric cars and not solar electric cars.
This is genuinely one of the coolest DIY videos I've ever seen on RUclips. Great work man.
That is bloody awesome! I am very surprised by the excellent range you get. Nicely done and very cool 😎
I was as well!
@@DrewBuildsStuff Did you try to go up some sort of incline/hill? Were it able to, and if it did, what was the performance hit?
@@obroeste We did a couple large hills and speed was not impacted, i'm sure battery range would be decreased.
@@DrewBuildsStuffThat is so cool. Torque ftw!
What a fantastic build! Even with this prototype, your attention to detail is great. Well done, Drew. Maybe a cargo-capable version next?
I love this video. I watch it all the time. Sometimes twice in a row. It always gets my mind going for what I want to build. Which is several things.
Its nice to see one man doing metal work, wood work and electronics all alone 👌
Wow, I'm so impressed with the build. It's not about the specs of a 'car' rather the spirit of building it yourself. Keep doing a great work!
40:15 several Future builder and engineers are made that day in that bus.
The cage kinda looks like a cybertruck.
I thought the same thing
Same here. Would be cool to see mimic the cyber truck design even further in his next iteration
Came here to say the same thing
That's because he designed it to look like that.
It's better than a cybertruck
i remember watching solar powered cars like that 20 years ago being made, and they were so big and barely could move , its amazing to see the differences 20 years makes
Unfair comparison. Those cars were powered directly by the sun, this one has a battery.
@@tuckeyuk mm your right! They were straight solar cars. I forgot that
Drew.... TOTALLY AWESOME. the best part of the whole thing is your brother "layin' it over" on the corner and giggling wildly. precious! nice job! can ya send the plans??!! take care! build on!
OP: Tears a bunch of bikes apart.
Also inadvertently makes a better version of the cyber truck.
BS cyber truck is bullet proof out the factory this is shit
More like an aptera version of the cybertruck* lol
@@zee-fr5kw 💯
@@zee-fr5kw question is, will the company definitely give the cyber truck to you 😁
This isn't Reddit you dumb neckbeard
Actually excited to see how you could optimize this further from a proof of concept to a better EV, especially after seeing your bike camper build!
i was in awe this entire video.. this IS THE FUTURE!! gives me hope for humanity. thank you so much for uploading this video. you put in soo much work. This is a seed of inspiration.
Drew, what an incredible project. I work with solar in Brazil and I loved your idea!
Thanks for watching!!
Drew, you should use one breake lever to pull one front and the opposite side back whell, making the breake system in a "x" configuration for safety. Nice built!
Great work. Appriciate your efforts
Fantastic effort! I wonder if you could raise the rear solar panel permanently and create a cargo area above the batteries and it would make a fantastic cargo carrier for local deliveries - essentially unlimited power.
If you reinforced a couple areas of the frame and reorganized the electronic and electrical system closer to the seat you could have a sturdier vehicle with decent trunk area. Also, even though it doesn't ride that fast, adding a few plastic or wood panels to seal the shape and improve the aerodynamics as well as help protect the equipment.
Coroplast would be a good way to enclose it. Next to no weight, but pretty good strength to it. Check out what Paul Elkins does with it
Painting the cedar, BLASPHEMY!!! 😧
😉 Thanks for documenting and sharing your build.
Great job! My only suggestions would be to better look at the layout of your panels and batteries so as to make the cable runs as short as possible (for example, rotate your rear panels 180 degrees). Your #10 wire is probably loosing voltage as your wiring paths are not optimal. Also, you should switch the positive rails instead of (or as well as) the negative rails otherwise you have a constantly electrified system. Also, add a master shutoff. Add a few creature comforts like lights and USB charging socket for your phone - at some point you'll have to call your brother for a ride home :)
Its the norm to switch the ground, that way, if it is disconnected, if you short the positive of the battery to the chassis, it wont do anything.
If you disconnect the negative, the positive dont do anything, it is "floating"
The panels appear to be wired in series which means they have less than 10 amps running through them at peak power. 10awg wiring is rated for 30 amps continuous, I think his wiring is fine since it's only a few feet between the panels. The only suggestion I would have is to not cover the solar cells with the fender washers. You can see in the video they are over the cells. He's probably losing more power there than through the wiring.
@@Jasonoid Yeah, 10ga should be fine, but the thin eye connectors used here and there could be hot spots.
You make some valid points. I want to build my own, thank you.
you are talking like the guy was using 100 meters of car lmao, the power loss for the length he uses is negligible
This is incredible! It’s so great to see and hear you piece it all together. Makes me want to learn how to weld.. thank you!
Thanks for watching!!
The Sun is an amazing source of energy, great job, well done, drew.
That thing looks sweet! Id love to build something like that but too many police around that would probably give me a hard time and wouldnt really be able to cruise around in it much. It would be cool to get cost breakdowns of your builds at time of building! Obviously prices will change over time but would still be cool to see what your projects have ended up costing on a per component and overall basis
You should have put the panels in parallel.
When youre using them in series, they will only supply the amperage of the weakest cell (the one with the least llight shining onto it). It basically acts like a resistor when they dont face the same direction.
Tbh he sould have used at least 2 mppt controllers apart from that
that's a great idea
Absolutely the dogs danglers! Great project... off now to watch the trailer build! Thanks for posting dude!
This is a cool build! I'm glad you wore a helmet, but I have some other safety concerns. The seat mounts into wood. If you want to use this long-term, please build a steel box to mount the seat. If you hit something, it will rip through the wood. Also, please consider adding additional safety features like a seat belt/harness, turn signals, brake lights, and headlights.
@ojizarcozurdo9925 The battery mounting is a fair point, but your last two sentences are extremely rude. Drew put in a lot of effort into making a video for people to watch. It's important to remember that he and everyone else here are human, and deserve a basic respect and decency.
Very nice and impressive build too, love the fact that you added 3 large solar panels and two 100ah batteries. Thanks for sharing your experience man. I know this was a good sized project but the effort was well worth it though.
Battery voltage here is 25.6V, so they have a capacity of 2560 Wh each. Most LifePo4 batteries of this form factor are 12.8V, 200 Ah, so this is a good example of why one shouldn't use Ah as a unit for energy.
Magnifique vidéo j’adore le format long. Avec plus d’explications c’est vraiment passionnant. Merci à toi
I am in absolute love with what you made here. I work in environmentalism, so seeing someone making proof of concepts so accessible and easy-to-understand for a product that one day could have a positive impact on the world, kudos!
First video I’ve seen from you, and I subscribed for more.
For somebody that claims they don't know what they are doing, you sure fooled me. Outstanding work buddy!!!
Just letting everyone know I have never built a solar car before haha
Great project. I'm a solar power engineer and have designed and built around 200 systems over the last 10 years. Most of mine are commercial systems 50 to 300 KW but it's always a great feeling when a system powers up. You might want to note that the solar charge controller usually needs to be connected to the battery before being connected to the solar panels. Some controllers will let out all the magic smoke if you connect the panels first so it's just a good practice to always do battery first. On a purely aesthetic note if you covered the sides with aluminum sheets it would really look even more like a mini cyber truck. Awesome built.
This guy was so tired of waiting on his Cybertruck he decided to make his own. As an early reservation holder I totally get it!
Haha how many years can you wait!
@@DrewBuildsStuff please add metal panels to this! or at the very least coroplast sheets with like a chrome vinyl wrap.
I think it would be cool to make a smaller version, like a go-kart. Using the front suspension forks from a mountain bike for the steering would be a somewhat easy upgrade to make as well.
bro really wrote a whole ass paragraph@ojizarcozurdo9925 💀
Genius. I honestly think your on point. Modify it to a camping vehicle and let it have a trailer. You can also do a mini crawler tractor. Great idea. EPIC. Love from Kenya.
Awesome build! Thanks for explaining every step! I just have one safety concern - the seat should really be mounted directly into the frame, just worries me that it will get ripped off during the ride
28:27 I love to see it! A little cable management goes a long way. And I just love seeing things done orderly! It's easy in the eyes and makes troubleshooting, repairs, and modifications that much simpler. 😮💨
Very impressive build Drew! A fun project.
I'm sure many have mentioned it, but you'll definitely want to address the solar design to get the most out of it while driving. Either a smaller mppt for each panel, likely most expensive but most efficient, or at least run them all in parallel, you'll get a little less efficient in boosting to battery voltage but you won't get hit so hard from shading. You could also make the front panel out of two smaller wattage panels, so you could series each set to the higher voltage, and then parallel the front and back sets. Still might have some shading issues, but not nearly as much as you're likely getting all the time by having the panels essentially facing different directions.
When he's parked he can prop up the back panels to be on the same plane as the front so all he has to do is park facing the sun. It's such a small setup and mobile, I can't imagine shading will really be an issue.
He's very humble by saying that he doesn't know what he's doing but yet does it perfectly... this is so freaking awesome dude. 👏 well done.
That is absolutely incredibly amazing wow.
One of the big advantages of using switched brake levers is that the motor controllers will likely provide regenerative braking (a must for efficiency).
Also, put a couple of USB sockets on it for charging your phone / sat. nav.
...and lights.
Corect, sunt de acord.👍🙂
and a hitch to tow his camper with !
Drew, this is the first time on your channel and I found it incredible. I’ve done a little solar panel work myself, but your system was amazing! I hope to see more builds like this on your channel. Keep up the great/ creative work. P.s.: Maybe the next one you can put a passenger seat. Lol 😊
Great work and really well filmed and commented...thankyou
The overall size could be reduced. Frame switched to aluminum to reduce weight, increase range, and prevent rust. Batteries / panels reduced overall by half, reducing price. And this could make a very decent commute vehicle for people who live in inner cities with good bike infrastructure to carry groceries or other luggage around town.
Those flexible solar panels would look great mounted on a curved roof.
google for Sinclair C15. My dream project car. I have the C5 with 2000w hub motor. Sanyo copied it into the Amorton but was only a concept sadly.
So cool!! These videos are the best part of RUclips.
Very nice build and I can only think of 3 things you need to improve on based on my experience with ebikes and solar installs
1. Putting the panels in series in different orientations will mean reduced harvest
2. Those brake levers that came in have a connection to the controller that will also throttle down the motors when you press the brakes
3. The batteries needs an equalizer to prevent battery imbalance after a certain time.
A windshield would be awesome but it is a very cool build.
Nice!
One note, if you shade just a little bit of a panel, like those slightly too big washers, the power goes down a lot.
Nice work! Clean cablemanagment!
GREAT THING, Drew!
Here some ideas, how you can further improve it.
As @TheGbab said very well, you should mod the Geometry of the Wheels.
It should be relatively easy to made with some more (re-)welding. The front wheels should look (a little bit!) like this: / -- \ and the back ones like this: \ -- /
And in addition the front wheels should turn a little bit to the front center each. Doing this, the car will have a much better traction in curves and it will "center" itself after the curve, like a real car does.
(im not very sure if this is the correct geometry, but should be possible to find out how it works correctly 😉)
you also should think about a suspension. In the front it also should not be that big problem. You can exchange the forks with suspended ones. Really cool would be the "one-arm" things. I know very expensive, but cool 😎
In the back, maybe some kind of swing arm from bikes or you build another nice DIY thing.
As a little optinal improvement: You can also try to "suspend" your bumpers in front and back. You will need very very hard ones, but without any, you have a very high risk that your frame gets broke or bent, even in a very very small crash.
Then something about the solar and electricty. Your panels already deliver a LOT of power. I'm wondering, how efficient they are? I know common panels have something between 10 and 20%. But meanwhile there are also some improved panels on the market that have an efficency up to 40%.
So with the same square, you can double the power output. (If they haven't already an efficency significant higher than 20% ...)
Would be another expensive thing, I know. but should be worth.
Maybe you can additinally/alternatively add some more smaller panels, making some kind of roof with them.
If you are able to improve the poweroutput significantly, you can think about adding stronger engines in the back, or you can add two more in the front. They are also available for front forks.
At least the thing should definetly get a second seat somewhere. And some Hifi stuff! Give it sourround system! Maybe add another small 12V battery fopr that purposes. Should be possible with your already very nice electricity installation.
And now i've won a price for the longest YT comment ever, have I? 😁😁😁
Cheers, Marcus
Very nice work!
My idea would be: Just build a 4-wheel-drive vehicle with 4 x 350w wheel motors - and about the same amount of solar power - 4 to 6 light flexible panels of 1200-1500wp in total.
So on a sunny summer day you could ride from dusk til dawn almost without needing battery power. Wouldn't it be cool to make up to 400-500km a day without adding energy?
I would also try to protect batteries and driver against sun and rain just by using these solar panels as a shield.
And for long trips I would also take along 2-4 more panels - to be able to do faster charging while having a break
Ma Sha Allah
Balah Goum Good
Idiar Works.....................
太厉害了，线材的整理和摆布简直就像艺术品一样，给一个大大的赞👍
Great work, everything looks tidy, neat & professional, only thing I would do differently is add a main system fuse on the positive terminal of the battery and a second mppt charge controller for the front panel as this would add more efficient use of the power that your panels produce.
Overall your build is very impressive. Great job.
Great project!
Next time when you drill holes in steel, try going very slow, with some coolant, so first gear and half squize. Little bit more weight on the drill. It'll keep your drillbits sharp, and your steel happy.
That's amazing! - I think you need to ad a Flex Capacitor for the look!
You are a very talented man ,glad I came across your tiny home exterior build . I Can not wait for the interior . My partner does tiny home Solar installations in Hamilton ,so I shared this video with him
No hago mas que dejarme llevar por la Fantástica iniciativa de toda esta Genialidad, por el uso de herramientas, Proyecto, Orden haciendo las cosas como un juego, reconfortante verte trabajar, enseñando todo, muchas gracias por compartir, Gran Abrazo!!!
Love the build! I would've done the frame differently myself, but this is your concept!
i build this concept 3 years ago ,just go to youtube Brunson solar power car
Well that’s so cool to see you get it done and see you run it around there that way
This is amazing work! Greatly inspired!
I loved to watch it. This projects you guys doing are amazing and also can give rest of people with similar interest to make better versions. It is good to have a community to share experiences and make more advanced versions. Aluminum chassis is more expensive but since weight is a game changer better to use and get max weight reduction. Also use more panels on Roof and sides to get max coverage. If panels can get command from a photo cell to change angel in order to get max efficiency o man
your channel is so inspiring! this is the kind of thing id like to do full time!
In any case, whatever happens, I congratulate you for all of your careful work and the quality of your video. A big congratulations
This was excellent work. Looking forward to more.