Electric karts and boards
Opinion on my design criteria for Electric Go Kart
Submitted by amesmich on Tue, 11/17/2009 - 10:11Hello,
First what a great forum, thanks for all the information provided. I have been spending a lot of time planning a ground up build of an electric Go Kart similar to the ones found on youtube found here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bERjkSTYOdU
My main question are with the battery and motor. I am well aware of the all the technical associated with these components however I target goal in mind and cant seem to pin down what I need to get the result I am looking for.
The desired results is a kart that does the following:
1) Gobs of torque
2) 2-3 hr run time (abuse in a playful manner, spin the tires, fun race etc)
3) Enough power for speeds up to 6o mph
I have considered the following components.
Motor = D&D ES-15-6 48-72 VDC 10hp single-shaft
http://www.cloudelectric.com/category_s/735.htm
OR
ETEK STYLE RT Motor 19HP (Permanent Magnet Motor)
http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW*-ETEK-STYLE-RT-Motor-19HP-(Permanent-Magnet-Motor)_W0QQitemZ250502931866QQcmdZViewItem?rvr_id=&itemid=250502931866
Battery = Elite Power Solutions packs
http://elitepowersolutions.com/products/product_info.php?cPath=1_4&products_id=1
Em-60-08
Em-60-16
Eb-40-20
Controller = DCX 400 amp Alltrax controller
In your expert opinions do you feel the above components will achieve the desired results?
In my opinion I wonder what better the D&D series wound motor or the Etek???
Then I wonder if I will have enough AH in the batteries to do what I want????
When I think I got it figured out I then wonder if it’s ridiculous overkill?????
Comments or Opinions ????? Any input would be helpful Thanks.
- 2 comments
- 81 reads

Electric motor
Submitted by jan041992 on Wed, 11/11/2009 - 17:19I need some help deciding on a motor to use on my electric go-kart.I really need this because I'm doing this for my high school senior project. I would like to use a 12 or 24v motor but the specs showing watts confuses me. Will someone help me? What will be the best one to use?
- 1 comment
- 64 reads

4hp motors and controllers for a kart?
Submitted by aliekens on Wed, 11/04/2009 - 05:40Hi all,
In the last months, we built an electric kart from salvaged 500W (3/4HP) electric scooter parts (http://electrickart.blogspot.com). With 17AH batteries we can easily run full speed for about an hour and a half which is awesome and gives us a good range (currently 27kph top speed, which gives 35-40km on a charge!). Now we'd like to build a second version, one that can win from the gas guzzling kid karts (4HP) at our local karting club. Our current electric kart is not much slower than the kid karts although we have about 5 times less power, so we're confident we could outrun them with just a bit more electric power on our wheels. We're now wondering how much power we should put in the machine.
I see that many people adopt Etek motors and use AllTrax controllers for their electric kart conversions. This results in a powerful kart at 10HP or 7.5kW, and the results look awesome, but maybe it's already too much for our experiment. I'm afraid that running the motor at a rated 200A will kill any battery in a matter of minutes. Indeed, 40AH batteries will run dead after 12 minutes at 200A. I don't see any mentioning of the battery times or ranges of these karts, so I' guess they will not be much good. (And maybe my computation is completely off)
We're not convinced that we need to bring that much horsepower into our kart, and are now looking for alternatives in the 4-5HP range that may possibly also be easier on our wallet (Etek+AllTrax combo costs about $1000, which is not cheap).
Looking at electric scooters, we love the use of 3000W (4HP) engines in models that can run at least 60kph on a range that is beyond 40km. As our experience with bringing in scooter parts onto the kart was very positive, we're looking for motors and controllers in the 3000W range that could be used on a kart, but the parts should not necessarily originate from scooters.
Do you guys have any shopping recommendations for such motors and their controllers? Has anyone built a 4HP electric kart? What type of motor should we adopt? What kind of voltage, 24, 36 or 48? How much AH should be in our batteries? Where do I go to buy motors and controllers in Europe (Belgium)?
Thanks in advance, Anthony
MY1020 question
Submitted by AppTarheel on Wed, 10/07/2009 - 17:09Does anyone know if the drive sprocket can be removed/replaced from MY1020 motors easily? I'd like to know before I buy it and the seller hasn't answered my questions about it. I'm replacing the existing sprocket with one that will fit a bigger chain.
thanks
- 1 comment
- 160 reads

Board recommendations
Submitted by knabo on Thu, 08/20/2009 - 07:24So there are several brands and styles of boards on the market.
Which are the most highly regarded?
How has your experience been with the wireless controllers?
- 2 comments
- 145 reads

Urban Surfer UM70
Submitted by silentguy on Wed, 08/12/2009 - 14:20Got my new board.
It is an Urban Surfer UM70.
http://www.extremetoysforboys.com/index.php3/item/item/Urban%20Mover%20-%20Usurfer%20-%20UM70%20-%20Electric%20Power%20Board.html
Used, but in good shape.
I am really liking the suspension, and carving of the board.
Definitely an upgrade over the G1 I have.
It is a lot heavier and sturdier though.
The wheels make a big difference, as I can go offroad now.
I will probably try to upgrade to lithium and a larger 600W motor.
Right now it is 24V 15AH Lead Acid, and 320 Watt motor.
- 12 comments
- 361 reads

Mini-Moto gokart controller and throttle help request
Submitted by dieterschmied on Sun, 06/21/2009 - 10:06I have just received a cute 36v Mini-Moto gokart , for which there is no wiring diagram available nor is there a controller available from the original distributor. I can make the motor run by hooking it up directly and it will run at one speed in one direction.
My problem is that I have no clue as to how the controllers work. I am confused about the throttle which seems to work through a magnetic field as there is no rheostat-like device. What kind of signal is sent to the controller?
Is there a sequence of commands? In other words, does the controller pause before taking action?
Features on the controller would be on-off, forward/reverse, variable speed, brake, recharge.
Is one feature dominated by another feature. Does it have to go through a sequence if I turn of the ignition like cruise control on a car?
Dieter Schmied
Help with new Board
Submitted by poolman10 on Sat, 05/23/2009 - 15:52Hi,
I just bought this board off Ebay, Can't find any info on it at all, It is a Rincon R-600. Haven't got it yet, It will be here next week, Anyone with info, would be a big help... Thank-You 
- 77 comments
- 1245 reads

Check out these Electric boards
Submitted by poolman10 on Sat, 05/23/2009 - 14:04Hey,
Just came across this site, http://www.metro-board.com/ Hope you all enjoy...
Electric Mountain Board
Submitted by silentguy on Tue, 05/12/2009 - 10:57Article and design plans for an Electric Mountain Board
http://www.designnews.com/file/3202-Gadget_Freak_Case_140_build_instructions.pdf
Looks a little bit prototypish, but it will give people some ideas....
- 1 comment
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