THE TECH DIARY: How the new e-karts align with our mission
Technology Team
Total Karting Motorsport
Faster, fairer, cheaper, cleaner – what the changes to this year’s e-karts mean for the Total Karting Zero drivers and series.
The Technology and Operations teams are hard at work behind the scenes, preparing for the first race of the season on 7th May with this year’s electric race karts. There will be photos to share soon, in the meantime, browse through the technical updates:
FASTER
Bodywork on the Cadet karts have been upgraded to MK20, claiming to provide less drag and bringing them up to date with current developments in the market.
Junior e-karts will feature almost double the Cadet power, with 10kW power for drivers to work with compared to 5.47kW of the Cadet. This will allow drivers an estimated top speed of 70mph.
New charging methods will also feature, mean less time charging and more time racing!
FAIRER
Reliability improvements will emphasise drivers race craft, giving them ever fairer opportunities for closer racing.
The addition of telemetry is set to improve the time and accuracy for identify and fixing possible faults, getting our drivers back in the race with a full-performance kart quickly. Karts will continue to use electric motors that allow us to check torque levels with more certainty in order to ensure power performance is as equal as possible between different karts.
Changes have been made in the pedal layout and more robust fixings used, as well as components in this area being provided with more protection so that they are not disturbed on contact, reducing the frequency at which known faults occur in this area. A new pedal layout also allows us to group by qualifying times for Sunday racing – a highly requested move from our drivers.
Control looms which connect sensors to the sevcon controller have also had a change in layout and functionality, featuring more robustness and better usability for team and drivers.
CHEAPER
The addition of a Junior class not only gives drivers the opportunity to progress as they get older, but also allows us to further reduce the cost of racing in all 3 classes. Race weekends now start from £440, with no commitment to a full season necessary, meaning drivers can do as few or as many races as suit them!
Electric motors have a naturally longer lifespan meaning less waste and more cost saving can be passed onto customers.
CLEANER
Sustainability continues to be a key focus for the series in the traditionally wasteful market. Where it has been possible and suitable, we have refreshed, tested and reused parts to limit the waste created from our fleet change.
Components on the Bambino karts will feature a revised design that will increase their life spans. High voltage looms have also been redesigned to remove known failure points, reduce needed materials and improve driver safety.
All brackets continue to use aluminium which can be endlessly recycled, including its industrial waste, meanwhile the vanity covers will feature a stronger construction whilst continuing to use flax fibre composite.
SUMMARY TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION
The first Northern race is at Hooton Park on 7th May, and the first Southern race is at Lydd Circuit on 21st May – join the race here!
