Hello everyone!
I acknowledge that there might be skepticism, but I’m excited to share stories from our electric kart journey.
We’ve come a long way since introducing the first competitive electric kart in 2018. Initially, it was limited to competing against Junior racers. However, in 2022, we developed a kart that rivaled the speed of the fastest single-speed petrol karts like the IAME X30 and Rotax Senior, later upgraded so it could fight the Rotax DD2. Now, in 2023, our product can compete with the fastest shifter petrol karts in the KZ2 category.
Our focus has been on building electric kart powertrains, with the fastest powertrain being the BSR 2.2 25kW+ version, designed to fit standard chassis.
Here’s some technical data:
- Chassis: BSR/ BirelArt CRY 32-S14 KZ 2022; homologation N° 007/CH/12
- Racing autonomy: Over 10 minutes for a single session, and over 60 minutes for a full day session
- QSB: Quick Swap Battery System (swappable in 2 minutes)
- Power: Limited to 33kW from the battery
- Top speed: Up to 150km/h (84 mph)
- Full kart weight: 120kg (excluding tires); 62kg Powertrain
Regarding the race - it was a practice race ahead of the Baltic Cup. While electric karts can’t officially compete in sanctioned races, this event closely simulated the experience.
We set up the chassis 1-1, the same as KZ2 karts, using the same chassis, chain, sprockets, and white VEGA tires.
The format was a 10-minute practice race. We had a total of five 10-minute races with 1.5-hour breaks in between.
-In the first race, using wet tires and a 14/28 sprocket setup, we were the fastest kart on the wet track.
-In the second race, due to wet conditions, we opted not to participate, already having proven our speed.
-In the third race, using slick tires and the 14/28 setup, we achieved top 3 times. We were consistently about 1 second faster than KZ karts for the first 3-4 laps, after which our speeds evened out, but we were quicker out of corners and slightly slower at the end of straights.
-For the fourth race, we tried a 29-tooth sprocket on the rear axle. The story was similar, with top 3 times and comparable speeds to the fastest drivers.
-In the fifth race, we focused on capturing some GoPro overtake action. We let KZ2 drivers lead by 2 seconds and aimed to catch up but encountered a throttle wire failure.
Overall, we achieved the top 3 times. With two batteries available, each lasting about 10 minutes with 20-30% charge left, we opted for battery swaps to manage temperatures during the 1.5-hour breaks between sessions.
If you have any questions, I will try to answer them.
Also if you like stories about electric karts - I can also share onboard video from the race.