New member, build question!

[milly]

Hey everyone I'm new to the forums and I've searched but wanted some direct opinions...

I'm looking to build a fun, fast race style kart that is powered by batteries instead of gas.. (Saw some crazy ones on YouTube)

Anyways, for the frame would it be best just to build my own? I've got a mig welder, I have never built a frame before and it needs to support the batteries.

 

[Doc Sprocket]

In truth, building a frame can be quite a handful. Not to say you can't do it, but you've already got a good challenge ahead of you in deciding to go electric. If it were my call, I would advise scouting for a used frame that you can modify to suit.

Welcome to the forum!

 

[milly]

In truth, building a frame can be quite a handful. Not to say you can't do it, but you've already got a good challenge ahead of you in deciding to go electric. If it were my call, I would advise scouting for a used frame that you can modify to suit.

Welcome to the forum!

Thanks for the reply! I realized this should probably be on the electric build forum, but maybe you could help me...

If I wanted the kart to do 40-50 and drive for about an hour-2 what motor/batteries would suffice?

Thanks!

 

[Doc Sprocket]

I must apologize right away- I'm not an electric guy- no idea. I can figure my way around circuitry, but that's about it. What I will do is move this thread to the Electric section...

 

[milly]

I must apologize right away- I'm not an electric guy- no idea. I can figure my way around circuitry, but that's about it. What I will do is move this thread to the Electric section...

Thanks a ton! I didn't see that section until after I posted,

Thanks for the help!

 

[milly]

But now that's it's in the right section, does anyone know which motor/batteries I should run in order to go about 40-50 top speed and be able to drive for an hour or 2?

 

[B.M.800]

You may be able to take a modify the motor and batteries from an electric golf cart?
I dunno much about electrical stuff either.

 

[CAPTAINCAVEMAN]

do some research on google for electric engines/batteries to find hp and battery life. I don't know if this has been done a whole lot but I would love to see it come together it would be a learning experience for all and we will help as much as we can good luck

 

[landuse]

I don't know too much about electric either, but trying for 50mph seems like a tall order.

 

[milly]

The only reason I was interested in this is because on YouTube I saw a couple videos "50,000 watt go kart" etc and it looked soooo much fun.
Unfortunately they don't post what kind of batteries or anything they used so I have no idea what would give them that power.

 

[milly]

This is the only think I found on it:

This 50,000 watt electric go-kart by "mfanady" is as eco-friendly as karts get. Powered by eight 12-Volt deep cycle batteries and a 48-Volt 1000 Amp PWM motor controller, it's capable of reaching speeds in excess of 60mph. Video after the break.
Read more at http://www.techeblog.com/index.php/...000-watt-electric-go-kart#Fpi6B4IGcx4bK1JH.99

 

[DaiSan76]

Getting that kind of performance and battery life is going to be incredibly expensive. You are looking at $2000 in batteries alone.

http://www.amazon.com/Optima-8016-1...id=1368544807&sr=8-1&keywords=Optima+Blue+top

The rest of what you need can be found here.
http://tncscooters.com/index.php?route=common/home

 

[milly]

Getting that kind of performance and battery life is going to be incredibly expensive. You are looking at $2000 in batteries alone.

http://www.amazon.com/Optima-8016-1...id=1368544807&sr=8-1&keywords=Optima+Blue+top

The rest of what you need can be found here.
http://tncscooters.com/index.php?route=common/home

thanks for the links, is there another type of battery that is possibly cheaper and only last an hour or so? or even go a little bit slower (30mph or so?)

what is the reason for needing 10 of them?


thanks again for the help!

 

[milly]

i Was reading the sticky at the top of this forum section and SLA batteries were mentioned as a good battery to use because there cheap and can be recharged easily...

i found these: http://www.batterymart.com/p-12v-18ah-sealed-lead-acid-battery-4pk.html
there 18ah, and its a 4 pack.... 18x4 is 72ah...(not sure if thats how it works lol)

Would those work? and does anybody know how long they would last?

also which motor would it work well with if i wanted to go 30-50..


if anybody could answer those questions id appreciate it a ton! I could even try 8 of those batties, 4 on each side of the kart..
i want to make a sweet kart, and ill definitly update and post pictures along the way, i just need to get everything planned out and make sure it will work first.

those optima batteries are EXPENSIVE!

 

[DaiSan76]

You need 10 because I can't do basic math, aside from that, you need 4 to make your 48 volts. Beyond that you can add them in blocks of 4 to add run time. There are other ways to get your voltage, but it adds complexity. You can get a deep cycle battery at Walmart for $89 that would work, but you run time would be low, as well as not being sealed. This means that it will spill if you wreck, and you don't want to take a bath in battery acid. I linked the best, because they are the best. Longer run time, and will last far longer than a cheaper battery.
For reference, I run a trolling motor with a 40 amp draw for about 2.5 hours on a single Walmart battery.

 

[milly]

You need 10 because I can't do basic math, aside from that, you need 4 to make your 48 volts. Beyond that you can add them in blocks of 4 to add run time. There are other ways to get your voltage, but it adds complexity. You can get a deep cycle battery at Walmart for $89 that would work, but you run time would be low, as well as not being sealed. This means that it will spill if you wreck, and you don't want to take a bath in battery acid. I linked the best, because they are the best. Longer run time, and will last far longer than a cheaper battery.
For reference, I run a trolling motor with a 40 amp draw for about 2.5 hours on a single Walmart battery.

gotcha that all makes since, thanks a ton!

Now for the motor controller......would you happen to know my options on that?

 

[DaiSan76]

If you look at the TNC Scooters link I gave you, there is a section for Motors, controllers, and combo deals. For the performance you are looking at, the combos won't cut it. Pick your motor, and then the controller to match it.

Honestly, I don't know anything about electric projects except for extensive theorycrafting and web shopping. I just can't lay down that much cash for batteries when I can get two 6.5 hp from Harbor freight for $160.

 

[Gopedude]

electric is definitely going to be very expensive for the speeds you want. Sla's are the cheapest batteries that still yield good results. Keep in mind slas have a life of about 200 discharge and recharge cycles. Im pretty sure all slas are sealed, which means if you turn them upside down they wont leak.

Do you know basic electronics? Like parallel and series wiring?

 

[DaiSan76]

Im pretty sure all slas are sealed, which means if you turn them upside down they wont leak.

SLA stands for Sealed Lead Acid, so yes, they are in fact sealed.

 

[Gopedude]

\ You can get a deep cycle battery at Walmart for $89 that would work, but you run time would be low, as well as not being sealed. This means that it will spill if you wreck, and you don't want to take a bath in battery acid.

You are refering to an SLA