Electric Go Kart Story – Part 4

Extra Parts Added To Electric Go Kart – Adding A Touch Of Professionalism

Part 3 – when the rubber hits the ground discussed the problems I went through in getting my Electric Go Kart to move under it’s power.  I learned what needed to be done to ensure the drive train did not fail.

In this article, more parts were added to my Electric Go Kart to add some more professionalism to my work and improve reliability.

Sunday 3 April 2011

The reinforcements to the Electric Motor mount was completed after putting in a few angle brackets and an extra piece of flat steel. Lots of holes were drilled and there were plenty of nuts and bolts used.  The following items were purchased from SupercheapAuto

• a packet of circlips for around $6.30
• battery master switch for around $27
• Two 2 guage switch cable for around $18 each

Electric Go Kart with battery master switch, new battery switch cable and new circlip

In the packet of circlips, I had an assortment of sizes which was handy. I think I ended up putting a 3/8″ circlip to hold the sprocket onto the output shaft of the Electric Motor.  My Electric Go Kart was rewired to include the battery master switch in the circuit. I mounted the push button switch onto the steering column. The chain was back on the Electric Go Kart, but as I had no idea how to tension it, I made it as tight as possible. I did not want the chain to fall off. This would prove to be  a big mistake as it eventually lead to push button switch to fail. The reason why it probably failed was due to the extra high current  that the switch had to handle. Although, this switch was designed for use on starter motors without the use of relays, as soon as the Electric Motor is prevented from turning (known as locked rotor) , the current increases dramatically (as the resistance in the motor due to back EMF is reduced).  Just before the push button switch failed, the Electric Motor was running very hot and at one stage I did notice smoke coming out of the Electric Motor. Although, in my case the Electric Motor was not in a locked rotor situation, the Electric Motor was struggling to turn due to the tightness of the chain tension.

Lesson Learnt: When doing an Electric Car Conversion, ensure your transmission is not struggling to turn. Not only can this damage electric components such as motor controllers, switches and Electric Motors, but this will also increase the amount of energy required to transmit power to the wheels.

Part 5 discusses replacing electrical switches and electric motor which had to be done due to burning out.

Check out the other parts to the Electric Go Kart Story:

Part 1 – What Inspired Me To Do An Electric Go Kart Conversion

Part 2 – Taking Action – Modifying An Electric Starter Motor

Part 3 – When The Rubber Hits The Ground

Part 4 -Extra Parts Added To Electric Go Kart – Adding A Touch Of Professionalism

Part 5 – Replacing Electrical Switches & Electric Motor

Part 6 – Building A Motor Controller For Electric Go Kart

Part 7 – What I’m Looking For When Upgrading The Motor Controller On The Electric Go Kart

Part 8 – Doubling The Voltage To The Modified Electric Starter Motor To Increase Speed To The Electric Go Kart

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