Hillhater said:
But none of these is a “grass roots” option to get more folks into Electric racing. ..that has to be something like a Kart series.
If you are lucky enough to be near a K1 speed location (https://www.k1speed.com/), that is good place to do electric karting.
Karting is about improving as a driver and a racer (and having fun). The K1 karts are always in constant use and you cannot set them up to your own preference but it is fun to see how quickly you can identify the kart you are driving limitation, and finding a way to work around it. Bad brakes, worn front tires, worn rear tires, weird toe setting (from repeated crashes
), it is all a challenge.
They have a race series as well but it is still a little of a crap shoot as to what kart you get.
Karting is designed to be limited in development, to allow driving to matter more than equipment.
If you want to race in a "grass roots" series that allows you to develop and improve your vehicle, then you should consider Electrathon. It is pretty cheap especially compared to most racing. It is fun. There is lots of room for developing better electric vehicles.
There is no limit on power but strict limits on energy. Your battery pack cannot be rated by the manufacturer for over 1 kWhr. We (ProEV) are running a lithium pack (~$325 with shipping).
An electric bike motor or large RC motor and controller works well. We run a motor/controller combo that gives us around 4 kW peak when we need it.
A new kit car will cost you but is a quick way to get running (http://www.blueskydsn.com/products.html). Many build their own. Here is a step by step by a master builder: http://electrathonfl.homestead.com/Jimsbuildseries.html . He claims he has seen cars built for as cheap as $500.
The vehicles are small enough that they can fit in the back of a pick up or on a cheap trailer (~$450) behind a Prius. No need for a big team. I often just run myself but a second set of hands can be useful.
The two hot spots for Electrathon are the West coast of Florida (Tampa) and the West Coast (California and Oregon). Georgia and Alabama have been growing too. Most of the organizers are High School STEM programs who have access to parking lots and running tracks. The students learn the basics of electricity and engineering as well as working as a team. The Open teams bring in more sophisticated vehicles and everyone gains.
There are plenty of ways to get more sophisticated without spending a lot of money. Using an Ardunio and a GPS sensor, a Data Acquisition System that does Amps, Volts, Watt-hours, lap times can be built for around $75.
The hour long races give lots of seat time. The low rolling resistance tires and high torque motors make driving fun.
What Electrathon needs is more teams and more races. We are all racing very basic vehicles so there is lots to explore in making better EVs.
