Karl has spent countless hours sourcing the parts necessary for an electric motor to be integrated with a gas-powered engine. He successfully found a reliable brushless motor, Porsche car battery, and motor controller. Each of these is integral to the electrical system of their hybrid go kart.
“The battery powers the motor controller and the motor controller controls how fast the motor spins” said Karl.
The next steps involve integrating the electric motor, gas engine, sensors, controls, and numerous other components.
Karl elaborated: “The throttle pedal that the driver is using to accelerate the engine will activate both the electrical engine and the gas engine. We have to add more mechanisms for safety… If the motor spins too fast it will destroy the motor or the controller.”
Karl and his team are definitely busy. When I caught up with him for our interview, he was right in the middle of working on the motor, and the second we wrapped up he jumped straight back in with his teammate Robert Yao.
It makes sense. When you’re trying to pull off something ambitious on a tight timeline, you’ve got to keep the momentum going.
