Maybe we need a place for this. It seems we have several e-projects being worked in by members and it’s undeniable that e-karts are gonna be more and more of a thing.
I came across this today which I thought would be of interest to Mr. Hall.
" The Mercedes-Benz Vision EQXX has beat its own EV range record by traveling over 746 miles on a single battery charge. The Vision EQXX had driven 626 miles on one charge in April of this year, but there was enough range left (about 15 percent state of charge) to take another shot at the record. So, this latest journey saw the Vision EQXX travel 1,202 kilometers from Stuttgart, Germany to Silverstone, UK under real-world conditions, according to Mercedes-Benz."
This appears to be quite an increase in range. They achieve this by under-clocking the engine, I suppose.
“Meanwhile, the Vision EQXX makes just over 200 hp. During this latest long-distance drive, Formula E pilot Nyck de Vries pushed the EV up to 87 mph, and the average speed over the journey was 52 mph. That’s far from the ludicrous performance we usually associate with EVs. But it’s not just about speed: the EQXX is lighter and more aerodynamic than other Mercedes EVs”
I suspect the car is pretty flaccid to drive but that’s very impressive range. That’s better than my cayenne with a full tank (which does an impressive 28mpg in 8th).
Not shabby. But as they say, it is a prototype that was “hyper miled”. What cells are they using? How long will they last with that higher energy density? How much more will they cost? Etc…
On the karting side… the continuing supply chain situation makes it a no-go overall at the moment. Maybe in 1-2 years we can start getting components in high enough numbers that eKarts can be built and sold in reasonable numbers. Until then, I am continuing to refine my CAD/EDA/Coding skills and designs to improve efficiency, add features, and lower cost and weight.
Personally speaking I have zero interest in anything electric in sport, I tried watching FormulaE for the first time this weekend. Its just not the same. I tried to get into it, but I just couldn’t get there.
Formula E is pretty gimmicky and the racing has turned into a bit of a joke. Also the new gen cars are hideous. And I hate the twisty street tracks.
But also I imagine that if IndyCar or Formula 1 was electric with the same drama, speed, and we all were familiar with the drivers and back stories, it would be basically just as exciting as it is now. If you don’t watch FE a lot and don’t know any of the teams or drivers real well, it’s not that engaging. Same with any sport.
Basically I think Formula E’s issue isn’t that it’s electric, it’s that the product isn’t very engaging overall.
I watched a race on a street course somewhere that was reminiscent of Ling Beach and was dirty as hell. It was good fun and many crashes. It was like someone had given the lo206 field PCP and said, “Have at it”.
Gary I think is mostly building Golf Cart batteries now. Higher dollar market and not nearly as stressful on the cells as racing.
I myself have been concentrating on improving the long-range efficient motor’s coil designs. The high powered magnetic coils with single digit uS pulse widths have more in common with particle accelerators than traditional motor coils. Getting the right resistive vs induction balance is key to overall efficiency and cost reduction of the motor driver. My goal is to get a solid volume manufacturable design completed to nail down the patent application, so I’m not giving out many details at present.
As for making a racing kart with current battery cell technology and standard motors - I’m not currently pursuing that. The motors that are available (you can order them new) and reasonably priced are not great, nothing has really changed there in the last four years. DHX is now chasing the battery aircraft market, since that market WILL pay for efficiency. The best cells are still NMC, expensive, and stupid heavy and volatile. I’d like to think that will change soon, but better designs always seem to be “just about ready” for mass production.
Just need about 48 hours in the day and ours will be production ready. Until then, everything is sitting on the shelf until we have time. Our prototype is still ripping around Whiteland whenever we need.
