Engineer Builds World’s Fastest Electric Go-Kart
An engineer (read: big kid) has built an impressive go-kart that uses 6 Optima D34 (12V 55AH) batteries that allows the kart to reach speeds of up to 60 mph (100 kph). The kart is supposedly the fastest electric go-kart in the world, and therefore is a record-breaker. The batteries drive a S-33 motor and an Alltrax AXE-7234 controller, although the battery life is not mentioned.
What’s interesting (and dangerous?) is that the batteries are mounted on the edges of the kart. These are automotive-grade batteries, weighing an incredible 42.9lbs (20kg) each! I bet that 6th battery is used just to carry the weight of the other 5 batteries! However, if he uses some large solar panels to charge the batteries, then it’s a completely eco-friendly gokart! The rest of the kart is made from cheap car parts.
If you watch the video, he clocks the speed using a sat nav. Creative speed measurement!
Source: Eco-Friend
Your Comments
No helmet + no rollcage + no seatbelt + time = high likelihood of trajedy. With appropriate safety gear however, lotsa fun for a long time. Nice work!
Hey, that’s my vehicle! Some info/corrections: I claimed it to be “the fastest electric kart on YouTube”, that’s all. It isn’t anymore, I think. I called it that largely as a challenge for others to post with faster karts. This has since happened.
The motor is a D&D model ES-33, and you know the controller. The kart weighs right around 500 lbs. (227 kg), and of that, about 300 lbs (136 kg) is battery weight. I mounted the batteries in the “saddle bag” configuration for stability, which works well. The Optima Yellow tops are not really “automotive grade” batteries, rather, they’re deep cycle units. I tried automotive starting batteries on the previous kart, and the results were less run time and ruined batteries.
Center of gravity is about where the driver’s belt buckle would be. I normally drive the kart like I’m trying to break it – that is to say I drive it hard. With fresh and charged batteries, I get about 1 hour of run time. I monitor the battery voltages, current, and charge with a PakTraker module in the center of the steering wheel. I don’t have a balancing system, so I charge with 6 individual chargers. I’m looking to change that.
I’ve gotten a lot of grief about lack of safety equipment, but despite appearances, I’m pretty careful about where, when, and how I drive the kart. I realize that the driver’s head is at about the level of a car bumper.
Finally, *normal* top speed is closer to 50mph (80kph). The difference is the rear tires. The larger “retro look” rear tires were used to set my personal speed record.
Thanks for the information Mark! Great to hear from you!
Dan