If you arenât putting the whole charging current through it, 26AWG wonât melt, assuming youâre certain the charge current isnât going through it. (only the balance current which is typically <200mA) However, also remember that thinner wire is more prone to physically breaking after many thousands of miles/kilometers of extreme vibration.
I would use 22AWG or 20AWG â and 24AWG at a minimum.
26AWG - 2.2A max continuous
24AWG - 3.5A max continuous
22AWG - 7A max continuous
20AWG - 11A max continuous
It can increase amps, but not watts. Most builds, especially duals, run considerably less battery current than motor current. At low RPM (and thus low PWM), the ESC can act as a buck converter, converting the (for example) 40V and 40A from the battery to 20V and 80A for the motor.
It doesnât really matter if the motor power rating is greater than that of your battery or ESC, because the motor is a dumb lump of copper, iron and neodymium, governed by the simple laws of thermodynamics.
Itâd be very bad to try to draw 4KW from a battery that can only safely deliver 2, but running a motor at less than its rated maximum just gives you more safety margin, and can actually improve the efficiency a little.
