There’s no denying it, there’s a push toward electric power in so many aspects of motoring and motorsport it was only a matter of time before it hit the grass-roots – Karting. Bosch have developed an electric Go-Kart: Could this be the future?
We’ve got Tesla’s on the road, we’ve got Formula E out on the race tracks now in partnership with the FIA and German Motorsport Association Bosch have developed and electric powertrain for a go-kart!
Capable of 130km/h and with that magical electric peak torque availability from the get go this thing will make a bunch of noise off the line but only from the tyres.
No engine noise, no petrol smell, this is a 48 volt power system made to power the future “e-kart”.
It’s a prototype, so don’t expect any racing on the track soon but great to see the development running down through the categories.
“With the e-kart, the FIA, DMSB, and Bosch are together laying the foundations for ‘electrifying’ performance kart racing. Just as it has on the roads, electrification will bring more excitement, driving pleasure, and greater efficiency to race tracks,” says Dr. Markus Heyn, member of the board of management of Robert Bosch GmbH.
Under the “hood” are two starter generators delivering 20kW sending 300Nm of torque to the rear axle. There’s also an energy recovery system as you’ll have heard about on F1 and road-cars, so it’s no simple slap together system.
Those boxes on the side of the kart are going to shift the weight balance of the kart and it would be a very different driving experience as a result, but not too bad given the bulk of any kart’s weight is in the driver anyway which sits mid-kart.
Fantastic innovation and development – not sure what it means for the tinkerers in the back shed using old lawn-mower motors, but the future sure does look electric:)
