Getting components for this project presents a really interesting challenge. I am sure a lot of Hackaday faithful are with me in enjoying the fruits of our interconnected globalized marketplace. Unfortunately the reach of globalization has its limits. South Sudan has no postal system, nor do any of the major shipping companies work here that I am aware of. Other East African countries have access to global shipping, but at quite a cost. Of course at the heart of any EV build is the electric motors. I have chosen to use four Chinese Unite MY1122ZXF 650W 24V DC brush geared motors for the simplicity of the built in planetary gear reduction. The motors are cheap and fairly light, but with four of them weight is still over 30kg which puts shipping cost over the cost of the motor. I sourced them on Aliexpress for just under $300 for the 4 motors and $350 for DHL shipping to Uganda. From Kampala, Uganda up to Yei, South Sudan where I am working one has to be a bit more creative. I lucked out and was able to get the motors brought up in a truck owned by one of the local churches. They owed me a favor because I have been fixing their bulldozer. The Bishop has a lot of pull around here, and so his truck clears customs fairly easily. If I couldn't use his truck I probably would have had to have the motors put on a passenger bus, and then have one of the local taxis carry it across the border with their passengers. This is the way I typically get replacement parts for machinery.

I was able to get most of the control circuitry shipped to someone who lives in the US who was coming out for a short-term visit. He then carried it out to me in his checked bag, and brought it in a small airplane.

Needless to say one needs to have some pre-planing out here, as getting things fast is next to impossible. The motors just arrived today with only a small dent in one of the fan casings. Unfortunately I won't get to play with the for a while as my wife and I are heading to Yida refugee camp for a week, but I am looking forward to some testing soon.