September 16th, 2008 |
Published in
Build, Parts
So as I’m still looking for parts to put on to my kart it was now time to look for the biggest hurdle of all electrical vehicle manufacturers in making EVs fully competitive, the Battery.
When I looked at the karts being built by many people around the globe most where using the famous Lead-Acid batteries we know from our gas guzzling automobiles. Still with pretty decent performance these batteries suffer from one problem when it comes to putting them on a kart though: Weight!!. If I would like to get a 96 V system on my kart I would have to put 8 of these 12 V beasts on the kart and they would amount to a total of approximately 120 kg* (~265 lbs)!!! Ouch! that is not acceptable for me. So what option do I then have?
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July 28th, 2008 |
Published in
General, Parts
Since I recently put this blog live I have decided to today put a bit more effort in to the design of it. So here I start with a new template based on the wonderful blueprint CSS project. I will soon put the logo where it should be and adjust the colors accordingly.
As far as the EGO goes I now have several inquiries out at some DC motor manufacturers and I hope for replies before this week is over. I am also currently investigating the jungle of Lithium-Polymer battery cell manufacturers out there to see which are interesting and get some quotes.
Keep your eyes open and more will come.
July 27th, 2008 |
Published in
Parts
I thought I would post something very short today as I have compiled a list of kart manufacturers and links to their respective site. I hope in the future to also add a flag next to each of them so that it will be easier for you all to navigate. I hope you like it, ah yes you find it here.
All comments on the site of companies to add or remove are welcome.
The search is still ongoing, a chassis is definetly my first priority. The EGO (Electric Go-Kart) need a good one.
July 26th, 2008 |
Published in
Parts

Falco 4-cycle chassis from Corsa
When you want to build a kart the first thing you need will be a chassis. After several hours of internet poking to find a suitable one I must admit I’m overwhelmed by the sheer number of manufacturers out there. Positive side to this is that the selection is huge and the chance of getting a chassis sponsor looks brighter. I am not looking for sponsors not only to keep my own cost down but also to get the expertise if modification to the chassis would be needed. I do posses some welding and machining skills but what impact the modifications would have is something the manufacturers are much better at determining than me.
However, after pointing my browser to numerous manufacturers websites and reading up on there things I have come to some interesting conclusions when it comes to the chassis.
- I should probably go for a chassis built for a 4-stroke since these have higher torque than the average 2-stroke and this corresponds better to a electrical engine.
- Weight should be kept to a minimal at the same time as the chassis need to be rigid enough.
- Ø 30-32 mm CR-MO tubing is the standard frame material
- Ø 40 or 50 mm rear axle is also the standard
So with this in mind and also realizing that in order to have a competitive kart to race with I need the best chassis I can find I have listed below a set of chassis that I find interesting and whose manufacturers I will contact to see if I can close a deal. wish me luck.
- Corsa Racing Karts Haase manufactured kart with me interested in the Falco 4-stroke runner (picture at top of post).
- Arrow Karts, From Arrow I really like the top of the line AX9 4S which successfully has been running with the Aixro XR50 engine which I am afraid might be the new yardstick, but more on that in a later post
- 7kart, Not to sure how these karts are and they do seem a bit heavy due to the fact that they are mainly designed to run with 2 engines. 55kg (121.3 lbs) for a rolling chassis is a bit steep but I still think that the build quality of this chassis is outstanding.
The above list is far from exhaustive or even close to even represent the amount of manufacturers I have looked at. But for your sake I have decided to keep it short and I will instead create a new page later on where I will post links to the manufacturers I find.
the chase has just begun.