TAFE SA Regional student Alex Spriggs driving the student-made electric go-cart at the Riverland Speedway event. Photo: Gary Schwartzkopff
An all-electric go-cart made by TAFE SA Regional students was a unique addition to the revving petrol engines at the Riverland Speedway over the Easter long weekend.
At the invitation of the speedway organisers, the go-cart was driven around the track during race breaks and displayed in the pit area for the duration of the event.
“The opportunity to showcase the go-cart at the speedway was awesome; the students took great pride in driving the go-cart around the track and talking to interested people in the pits,” said TAFE SA Regional Lecturer Mr Dean Smart.
The electric cart was a four month project for renewable energy students Alex Spriggs and Callum Hammerstein, along with their lecturer Mr Smart. Created from an off road go-cart frame, the 13 horsepower, 48 volt dual brush motor is designed to run at a top speed of over 60 kilometres per hour with no carbon emissions produced.
“The students transformed the go-cart from a simple frame with four wheels, into a racing machine powered completely from electricity,” said Mr Smart.
“The purpose of this project was to bring together the theoretical components of their electrical and renewable energy studies into a tangible project, enabling the students to see these concepts in a real world application.”