how to make an electric go kart - instructables

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How to Make an Electric Go Kart

by austiwawa

In this Instructable I will be showing you how Itransformed an old gas powered go kart into anelectric go kart. This project was very time consumingand I am very happy to finally share it with all of you!The hardest part of this project was definitelysearching for all of the parts and overcoming issuesalong the way. This go kart is loads of fun to drivearound town and with the current sprocket set up itcan go around 50kph!

Before you go through the rest of the steps for thisproject, you should definitely watch the video that Ihave posted below. The video will show you plenty ofclips of me building the go kart from start to finish and

you will also be able to see my drive it! Also, if youenjoy the video you should definitely hit the likebutton or even consider subscribing to my YouTubechannel. Most importantly don't forget to follow mehere on my Instructables page so that you can see allof my future projects! Let's get started with thisproject!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_zB5_nKqIc

//www.youtube.com/embed/6_zB5_nKqIc

How to Make an Electric Go Kart:

Step 1: Buying an Old Go Kart

A while back I was browsing through Kijiji and I cameacross a rusty old go kart which I ended uppurchasing for only $60! This go kart did not run andwas overall in very rough shape. All that matteredwas it had a lot of the parts that I needed in order to

complete this project. I had the idea of making anelectric go kart for quite some time and when I sawthis go kart for sale I knew it would be the perfect timeto get the project started.

Step 2: Restoring the Frame

I spent a lot of time restoring the frame along withsome of the original parts. I started by disassemblingthe entire go kart. The frame was very rusty and all ofthe old paint was peeling off. The first thing I wantedto do was grind the frame down to bare metal in orderto prepare it for a new paint job. After removing all ofthe rust I realized that the frame was very short andbecause I am 6' 2" my legs would not fit comfortably. I

ended up cutting the frame in half and extending it by5".

Once that was finished I gave the frame a fresh coatof paint and then slowly began putting the go kartback together. The paint I used was a vibrant orangeRustoleum oil based paint.


Step 3: How It Works

Before I go any further with this Instructable I am going show you all of the parts that I used and show you howeverything will work.

The parts that I used were:

A 1600W 48V brushless motorA 1600W 48V speed controllerA 48V hand throttle with a battery indicator and speed limit switchA 3 pole charge portA key switchAnd a 48V 12AH lead acid battery pack

I would have much rather used lithium ion, but that would have made things much more expensive.

In the pictures above you will see a diagram that I made so that you can see exactly how I wired everythingtogether.

The motor, speed controller, hand throttle, charge port, battery charger, and batteries were all purchased from:http://www.hyperpowersports.com/categories/electric-scooters/parts-for-hyper-racing-1300/electric-scooter-parts.html

You can also find most of these parts on Aliexpress.


Step 4: Making the Foot Throttle

One of the first things that I did was convert the handthrottle into a foot throttle. I started by disassemblingthe throttle and removing the battery indicator, as wellas the speed limit switch. I will be re using the batteryindicator later on but I won't be re using the speedlimit switch.

I then took some measurements and designed a footpedal on Tinkercad which I then printed using black

ABS. The pedal just slides on and is fastened intoplace with two screws. I then covered up the existingholes so no dust will get inside and added a spring togive it more tension. I also added a stopper so thepedal can't get pressed too hard and snap.

Here is a link to the .STL file:http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2248293


Step 5: The Build

Here are some pictures of me assembling the go kartso you can see how I put everything together.

The original rear hubs were seized onto the 1" liveaxle. I was forced to cut them off with a grinder andlook for new ones. Luckily my neighbor had some oldwheels in his shed so I took them apart and cleanedthem up. Originally these hubs had bearings insideand were not made to go onto a live axle. What I didwas removed the bearings and welded on some weldon hubs from Princess Auto.

The seat that originally came on the go kart wasbroken in half. The new seat is a LEIFARNE seatshell from IKEA and it works perfectly!

I used Molex connectors to connect all of theelectrical components together. All of the electricalcomponents get connected to the speed controller.The speed controller is fasted inside of a 6"W x 8"L x3"H aluminum project box. On one side of the project

box there is a flexible grommet which all of the wirescan be fed through. The other side of the project boxis where I fastened the charge port. On top of theproject box is where I put the key switch as well asthe battery indicator. I put heat shrink around thebattery indicator to avoid any short circuits.

The go karts brake is a simple disc brake which isconnected to a foot pedal at the front with a length ofthreaded rod.

The sprocket on the motor is a 12 tooth sprocket andthe sprocket on the axle is a 61 tooth sprocket. Thechain size is #35. The sprocket on the motor iscustom made. I welded a 12 tooth sprocket fromprincess auto onto the T8 sprocket that came with it.Iran the motor and held a flap disk to it in order for theouter diameter of the old sprocket to fit inside of thenew one. That way it could be welded on perfectlystraight.


Step 6: Things to Know

Overall I had a lot of fun building this go kart and itworks better than I expected! Although there aresome features that can be added. One very importantthing that I am missing is a chain guard.

I have yet to determine how far it can go on onecharge (I will update this when I know). I only drivethe go kart for about 20 minutes at a time. I do thisjust to allow the motor to cool off.

Also, for better results try to keep the weight of your

go kart as light as possible. This will result in betterperformance.

If you have any questions please feel free to ask.

I hope that you all enjoyed this Instructable! Don't forget to follow me here on Instructables and toSubscribe to my YouTube channel! Thanks forreading and watching :)


how to make an electric go kart - instructables

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