Volta Grand Prix

I've been working on an electric racing kart since 2006. Got it up and running in 2007 and have been developing interest and waiting for better, more cost-effective batteries ever since.

The end goal is a pure electric racing series that can be used as a test bed for EV technology, to bring greater awareness to kart racing, and to enable more people to experience driving an EV.

Following up on yesterday's post about the future of racing, watch the first couple of minutes of the video below. You'll see the electric kart (the blue kart) and get a sense of its performance against a gasoline kart.

Keep in mind that there are a number of reasons why gas kart eventually pulls away. The electric kart has a higher top speed than the gas kart carrying the camera. But the tires are not suited to the slick surface, especially when they're cold. Further, because it's a true racing kart (no bumpers around wheels) I had to be careful around the turns not to touch the walls or any other karts or risk bending things.

But ultimately, if the batteries were able to store a longer charge the kart would outperform this particular gasoline kart. I predict this will soon happen in the near future as EVs go (more) mainstream.


Indoor Kart Racing MeetUp (In the Hotseat With Mike) from Volta Grand Prix on Vimeo

For more pictures and information, visit http://www.voltagp.com/