Motor Selection for an Electric Kart

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"DontDoIt"

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Hey all,
I'm a first timer trying to build a kart for a project to complement my application to an engineering program. The first major question I'm trying to address is how to rig up the propulsion system and what kind of motor I should use. Since the school I'm applying for is geared towards green energy, I thought to build an electric kart and lets face it--- Electric motors can be really awesome if you do it right.

From what I understand there are several routes one can take in motor choice. Some people rig up starter motors (particularly diesel starters), others golf cart motors (Which I have found to be pretty pricey and some companies wont sell them new without proof that they're being used for "safe" purposes).

I hear that starter motors burn out really quickly so I'm hesitant to go that route.

I found a company that sells electric scooter motors, I'm looking at 36V that range from 350 to 1000 watts. http://www.electricscooterparts.com/motors36volt.html

They even have one model thats 600w with a built in fan for cooling.

Should I go with the 500 range, or is it worth the extra money for the 1000w. I want it to go fast, but I want it to last.

Lastly I would love any helpful input or suggestions for controllers or batteries. Thanks to all.
 

Jim-L-L

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I'm undertaking an electric conversion on a go kart for my son, I've chosen the 24V 350 Watt motor just like on that web page, If you check ebay there are lots of control boxes for these electric scooter motors, you will also need a "Hall effect" hand throttle, I found lots of motorbike twist type but the ATV thumb type like I wanted are harder to find, you will also need some 12v sealed lead acid batteries (SLA) and a suitable charger. I would suggest if you want reliability and performance go for the largest motor, batteries controller you can afford, it would be better than spending all your cash and being underpowered !
 

dcastillo

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I want it to go fast, but I want it to last.

your going to want more then a 500W motor...

my 4yr old daughters gokart has a 500W motor, does about 15mph but not really fast acceleration....

on the other hand, my 2000W golfcart motor, overvolted could spin a tire on asphalt...
 

"DontDoIt"

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I saw the guide to electric motors--- That guy really knows his stuff. So definitely worth it to get 1000w? Thanks dcastillo. I guess as I look into electric motors my questions really jump to batteries. I was looking at the optima yellow top and they're like 300$ apiece for a 12v. Also this guy was saying (in the above link) that if you completely run out one of the batteries it can completely kill it. 200+ bucks seems like a big risk if its that easy to kill a battery. Maybe electric isn't the best idea for my first kart build?
 
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