Post by rsection8 on Dec 28, 2010 9:16:54 GMT -8
I came across this, I'm not sure if it has aired or not.. Sounds interesting though.
Those pesky Mythbusters are at it again! Using wonky science and jerry-rigged experiments to find the truth behind the myths that haunt all our nightmares. Well, mine at least. Anyway, this time they chose to tackle a myth that is starting to pop up a lot lately.
“We care about the environment and want to do our part, but still have a little fun. So we wondered: Could we create an electric kart that would outperform its noisy, gas-powered twin- and be just as thrilling?”
Noisy? Well, still a good question. With gas at the pump topping $4 a gallon and race fuel doubling that, the thought of electric powered race cars and karts have been a part of many long dinner conversations. Even Formula 1 is looking to alternative power in the near future.
“Starting with two Tony Kart gas models, we converted one to electric in 12 hours flat. We used a 25-hp brushed DC electric motor and an industrial controller from a golf cart, and then focused on four details that can trip up electric vehicles-torque curves, weight, batteries and cost.”
Once the karts were built up, the Mythbusters and film crew headed out to the Infineon kart track in Sonoma, CA to test out each kart’s performance and were surprised to find that, while the electric kart weighed almost twice as much as the gas TaG kart, their lap times on track were very close!
Read the preview article that Jamie himself wrote up for Popular mechanics. If you can’t read, then you’re in luck. The new season of MythBusters is almost here. Stay tuned to the Discovery Channel.
[ Source: Popular Mechanics ]
Those pesky Mythbusters are at it again! Using wonky science and jerry-rigged experiments to find the truth behind the myths that haunt all our nightmares. Well, mine at least. Anyway, this time they chose to tackle a myth that is starting to pop up a lot lately.
“We care about the environment and want to do our part, but still have a little fun. So we wondered: Could we create an electric kart that would outperform its noisy, gas-powered twin- and be just as thrilling?”
Noisy? Well, still a good question. With gas at the pump topping $4 a gallon and race fuel doubling that, the thought of electric powered race cars and karts have been a part of many long dinner conversations. Even Formula 1 is looking to alternative power in the near future.
“Starting with two Tony Kart gas models, we converted one to electric in 12 hours flat. We used a 25-hp brushed DC electric motor and an industrial controller from a golf cart, and then focused on four details that can trip up electric vehicles-torque curves, weight, batteries and cost.”
Once the karts were built up, the Mythbusters and film crew headed out to the Infineon kart track in Sonoma, CA to test out each kart’s performance and were surprised to find that, while the electric kart weighed almost twice as much as the gas TaG kart, their lap times on track were very close!
Read the preview article that Jamie himself wrote up for Popular mechanics. If you can’t read, then you’re in luck. The new season of MythBusters is almost here. Stay tuned to the Discovery Channel.
[ Source: Popular Mechanics ]
