The current design performs acceptably on pavement. It moves at about walking speed, which is the targeted 1 m/s.

It works in fields, but I find the performance to be qualitatively unacceptable.

I am trying to build the least expensive system that will work.

I'm currently using the "Wondermotor 12V DC Reversible Electric Gear Motor 50 RPM" which performs just below that line.

I am planning on upgrading to AmpFlow 12.5-inch WheelMotors with E30-150 Motors for $298 each.

This is about three times the cost of the current motor/wheel setup which includes:

$69 motor
$9 wheel
$8 pillow block bearing
$6 axle
$14 Lovejoy couplings

But, the AmpFlow WheelMotor negates the need for a custom manufactured mounting assembly, which was fun to make. But, access to CNC mills and plasma cutters is limited and it was a time consuming process.

"[AmpFlow] motors and controllers are used in diverse applications including robots, industrial motion control, factory automation, semiconductor manufacturing, educational projects, and motorized scooters, go karts, and electric bicycles."

So, they would appear to be exactly what I need. But, AmpFlow Electronic Motor Controllers are $500!

After a bit of consideration, I realized that I could use Hall Effect DC Current Sensors (~$8x2), IBT-3 motor drivers (~$10x2), thermocouples (~$1x2), (plus shipping,) and modified APM:Rover firmware to achieve my performance targets for about 1/10th the cost of the AmpFlows EMC! APM:Rover firmware could also be modified to allow a "Battleshort." Because sometimes you just need more power!