I think it was time for this thread. I'm certainly not an "electric guy" at heart, but the possibilities are obvious even to me. These days, a viable E-setup that will hit 150+ mph can be had for $100.00 or less. For those of you contemplating electric, here's the key: When shopping for motors, look under EDF and Heli. These motors have the high KV ratings required for speed applications. Anything intended for a "Hotliner" is worth a look too. I avoid anything over 6S simply because the "High Voltage" ESC's and chargers (7S+) are vastly more expensive than the low-volt stuff.
The "Glow Equivalent" brushless motors like the E-Flite and Turnigy are not really suitable for speed due to their low KV ratings. The props that they swing are far larger and slower than the glow motor they supposedly match. This makes for great efficiency, but makes it difficult-to-impossible to find props with adequate pitch for truly high speeds.
One problem is weight. The main component of the weight of an E-system is the battery. This pretty much sets the upper limit of the power you can have. As the "big block" Demons have proven, deltas can get downright vicious if the wing loading gets too high. Launching becomes dicey as well. One advantage to electric is that you can bungee launch, only starting the motor after the launch. At some point in the quest for more power and speed, bungee launching will be the only option other than ROG.
Another problem is volume. In it's purest form, the Demon has damned little usable volume. Some vestige of a "fuselage" in the center section seems inevitable if the batteries are to be enclosed.
Mounting the motor is another issue. Heli and EDF motors all seem to be set up to mount at the front of the motor. This means mounting to the spinner ring, essentially. Firewall (rear) mounting seems a better choice, structurally. Most outrunners can have the shaft reversed, which allows mounting from the opposite end. Inrunners usually don't permit reversing the shaft.
I'd love to hear ideas from some of the hard-core electric guys out there. I only know enough to get in trouble.
