Does anyone know of a VESC suitable for use in road vehicles? I notice the warning in the VESC manuals suggests using one wouldn't satisfy approval for vehicle/road use.
I have a small rear-engined microcar i'm looking at converting to EV. Dual VESC 75/300 would work for my power needs. I read up on the Axiom VESC project but the specs are complete overkill for my needs.
No one in her right mind is going to tell you any VESC controller is suitable for the road or anything else. First, the notion of suitability will very vastly depending on location and applicable local laws. Second, claiming suitability for any use is assuming liability for such use in some jurisdictions. You are assuming a full responsibility for where and how you use a DIY product.
NextGen FOC High voltage 144v/34s, 30kw (https://vesc-project.com/node/1477)
I know all that. I simply wondered if anyone has made a VESC or a vehicle using a VESC that met vehicle approval that's all. e.g. a Sevcon Gen4 controller clearly satisfies vehicle approval because it is used in Zero EV Motorbikes. Sevcon clearly don't approve a DIY use as meeting approval, the approval is on the cars builder.
What do you mean by road vehicle? There are people running eskateboards, scooters and eBikes on VESCs on the road. I have a Sinclair C5 with a VESC in it.
There are a few very high power VESCs, the Axiom is one there is also the BESC and this one. Out of interest why is the Axiom so overkill?
Vehicle approvals will nearly always have to be done on the actual vehicle. You may wish to try searching though actual EV like EndlessSphere or similar for builds that have passed approval.
The documentation of VESC simply says the device may not be used in vehicles that require fulfillment of special safety standards.
I'm assuming, by that (in Europe) it's simply to protect their legal liability that VESC isn't liable if someone gets killed because you used it in a vehicle on the road and it malfunctioned or whatever because it's not passed any electrical/type approval for use on a road in a vehicle.
Axiom is overkill, because the microcar I have only weighs about 200kg. I don't need 100kW controller. 2x10kW peak would be over double the existing ICE peak output lol!
I will try and find out what the situation is. My microcar is classed as a quadricycle in Europe (L7e), so I think so long as the power rating remains that of the ICE, I shouldn't need to satisfy anything other than a visual inspection of the low voltage system hopefully.
In US, you can build a car and register it for road use as long as it has proper lights, brakes, mirrors and meets emission standards with the latter obviously not even applying to EVs. No one cares what motor or controller you put in there or whether it's "approved" by anyone whatever that means. The caveat is that the DIY vehicle must not be built for sale which does not necessarily mean you cannot sell it. You just cannot purposefully make it for sale but you can sell it as a used vehicle down the road. I imagine Europe will be so much more constricted in what you are allowed to do.
If your target is low voltage up to 10-15kw, you may want to try VESC75/300.
If you need more more, here is the controller I've been working on that you can check out: https://vesc-project.com/node/1477
Availability is currently limited though, so there is a wait time.
NextGen FOC High voltage 144v/34s, 30kw (https://vesc-project.com/node/1477)
EV Conversion without altering the chassis in any way is accepted in UK because it is only considered a change of fuel type and requires minimal red tape. Building from scratch above 48V in Europe requires electrical approval and that test in uk is nearly £15K last time I checked.
I really just wondered what the legal consequence of using a controller on the public road in a vehicle is, when VESC appears to say you can't use VESC in vehicles. I might have to see if Vedder could shed some light on this as I can't really find any controller that is actually being sold as allowed to be used in a vehicle as a DIY conversion.
I think your best bet is to check your local laws or consult a lawyer who knows them. Things will vary wildly from location to location. No one here in their right mind would be giving you a legal advice.
NextGen FOC High voltage 144v/34s, 30kw (https://vesc-project.com/node/1477)