At Whilton Mill kart track in UK has been launched on 23-24 July, 2020 the Electroheads electric kart races, inspired by Formula 1 hybrid power unit technologies.
The innovative electric kart series answers six-time F1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton’s call to make racing more democratic and diverse, and ensure that driver talent is more important than your budget or your background.
Designed by F1 engineer Rob Smedley, the Electroheads e-racing kart offers performance parity for significantly lower running costs meaning that talent is the most important factor.
Electroheads 2020 race events are run on simple ‘Arrive and Drive’ principles, with high-performance race karts provided and every driver knowing they will race in equal machines.
Electroheads Motorsport is part of the new Electroheads group – the world’s first integrated media, motorsport and talent brand.
The launch of the Electroheads e-kart race series was delayed by the Covid-19 lockdown, but working closely with local and motorsport authorities, the game-changing karts will take to the track for their first competitive action in an exclusive race meeting.
Smedley, who heads up Electroheads Motorsport division, explained how the state-of-the-art electric karts will change the way that budding racers take their first step on the racing ladder forever:
Our ambition has always been to make it far easier – and cheaper – for the next generation of racers to experience the awe of motorsport; we want to bring the know-how and skills learned at the very highest level in Formula 1 to the grassroots to make that happen.
As Lewis Hamilton himself said recently, racing faces some real challenges. It lacks diversity; it’s too expensive; and for too many children it doesn’t even make it on to their radar as an option. That has to change. Electroheads is the driving force to inspire, energise and thrill racers as they climb the ladder. It is cleaner, cheaper, faster and importantly, fairer. Our aim has to be to find the next crop of Lewis Hamiltons and facilitate a realistic journey all the way to F1. It has never been a more relevant time to make the changes that are necessary in the grassroots of our sport.
By simplifying and reducing the cost of entry-level racing, Electroheads Motorsport will help break down existing barriers to entry thereby making it easier for more new drivers and their families to get involved. Entrants will be able to compete in equal karts that have been designed, tested and prepared by Smedley and his team of F1 engineers.
The series will operate via a unique ‘Arrive and Drive’ basis: offering people the chance to experience fully-fledged, next-gen e-kart technology but without having to invest in their own expensive equipment. Electroheads will provide racers with everything they need to go racing – be it a half-day ‘taster’ for a complete novice – or as a competitor in a full race weekend. The e-karts’ F1-inspired technology will ensure that every racer on the grid has precisely the same power available and the team will be transparent about sharing that data, so all competitors can see that absolute drivetrain parity exists.
As part of the same ethos, Smedley will be calling on two decades of experience helping some of the greatest drivers in Formula 1 to boost the performance and development of Electroheads racers:
At an Electroheads race meeting, every driver can call on me and my engineers to help them understand the fundamentals of racing and developing as a driver. We want every child that joins ‘Team Electroheads’ to feel like they are learning and having fun in a world that really isn’t too different to a Formula 1 pitlane. Our karts offer a credible pathway to those that want to compete at the highest levels of motorsport and our philosophy is to pass on the technical learnings forged from many years at the forefront of motorsport . And because we offer complete technological parity, the principal performance differentiator is going to be driver talent. Democratic. Meritocratic. Sustainable. That’s why we’re here.
The Electroheads 2020 race series will be launched across two kart categories: Bambino and Cadet. The entry-level Bambino Electroheads karts are powered by 3kW electric powertrains in fully race-specced ‘RS Electroheads by Birel Art’ kart chassis. With an age span of 6-8 years old, the Bambino class is aimed strictly at teaching the youngest drivers the basics of kart driving before they climb the ranks of racing. From aged 8-12, drivers can race in more powerful 5kW Electroheads Cadet machines. Again, these karts feature state-of-the-art electric powertrains in the latest ‘RS Electroheads Birel Art’ Cadet kart chassis.
As part of the powertrain development programme, Smedley called on a team of the world’s most respected race and automotive engineers. Advanced virtual powertrain simulations were carried out by ex-Formula 1 engineers to create an electric kart powertrain that has no equal:
The challenge of designing an electric kart that matches or exceeds the performance of a traditional petrol-engined one is huge. Karts are the lightest, most nimble race machines imaginable and standard electrification and battery technologies add far too much weight. It was imperative that we brought to market something that was aligned to the top level of racing karts. At Electroheads, we’ve brought F1 engineering principles to the creation of our powertrains and have been able to build something that is as light, quick and agile as a standard kart. On top of that, our powertrains will be cheap and easy to run. It really is a win-win and I hope this bring more young people into a sport that has given me so many special opportunities’
The Electroheads race series kicked off at Whilton Mill on July 23-24. Further opportunities for young racers to try our ground-breaking machines will be available across the UK at:
- Whilton Mill (second event) – 27th and 28th July
- GYG, North Wales – 5th & 6th August
- Teesside – 13th & 14th August
- Rowrah – 17th & 18th August
Bambino and Cadet class ‘Arrive and Drive’ packages will be available at all the above Electroheads meetings in both half-day ‘Spark’ taster packages and ‘Fully Charged’ complete race packages.
Electrohead e-kart technical specifications
Bambino Class
Powertrain
Motor and Inverter
– IP65 Brushless Permanent Magnet Alternating Current
– Air cooled
– Bambino kart class equivalent power (2kW and 3kW maps available)
– Chain Drive
– Sevcon IP67 Inverter
– Motor Shield, made from 100% recycled flax material
– Control Area Network (CAN) Link
– Software includes variable performance profile maps
– Configuration for max speed control
– Throttle position sensor for torque demand
Battery
– Class A System
– 48V Nominal Voltage
– Lithium-ion (Panasonic 18650 cells)
– High energy and Power density
– Air cooled
Sustainable Charging Concept
– Offgrid Energy Ingenium green-charging solution, 120kWh battery pack
– Whilton Mill 50kW solar array supplying re-charge power @3.84kW
– Mean Well 600W Chargers
Safety
– Compliant with FIA regulations
– Twin fuse, twin contactor system
– IP66 Aluminium casing battery module
– Battery Management System, module and cell monitoring
– Certified to UN38,3, RoHS, UL94VO, EN61000-6-2:2005
EN61000-6-3:2007, IEC-62133
– E-Stop switch with Marshall Indication
– Max Speed Control
Chassis
– RS Electroheads by Birel-ART Bambino racing chassis
– Wheelbase 780mm
– Rear Width 525mm
– Front Width 550mm
– Overall Length 1240mm
– 25mm steel tubing
– Powder-coated paint finish in Electro-Green
– 25mm Rear Axle Shaft
– Hydraulic Drilled Disc Brake (166mm)
– Le Conte tyres on alloy wheels
Cadet Class
Powertrain
Motor and Inverter
– IP65 Brushless Permanent Magnet Alternating Current
– Air cooled
– Cadet kart class equivalent power (4kW and 5kW maps available)
– Chain Drive
– Sevcon IP67 Inverter
– Motor Shield, made from 100% recycled flax material
– Control Area Network (CAN) Link
– Software includes variable performance profile maps
– Configuration for max speed control
– Throttle position sensor for torque demand
Battery
– Class A System
– 48V Nominal Voltage
– Lithium-ion (Panasonic 18650 cells)
– High energy and Power density
– Air cooled
Sustainable Charging Concept
– Offgrid Energy Ingenium green-charging solution, 120kWh battery pack
– Whilton Mill 50kW solar array supplying re-charge power @3.84kW
– Mean Well 600W Chargers
Safety
– Compliant with FIA regulations
– Twin fuse, twin contactor system
– IP66 Aluminium casing battery module
– Battery Management System, module and cell monitoring
– Certified to UN38,3, RoHS, UL94VO, EN61000-6-2:2005
EN61000-6-3:2007, IEC-62133
– E-Stop switch with Marshall Indication
– Max Speed Control
Chassis
– RS Electroheads by Birel-ART Cadet racing chassis
– Wheelbase 900mm
– Rear Width 595mm
– Front Width 640mm
– Overall Length 1255mm (UK spec)
– 28mm steel tubing
– Powder-coated paint finish in Electro-Green
– 25mm Rear Axle Shaft
– Hydraulic Drilled Disc Brake (150mm)
– Dunlop Racing tyres on alloy wheels
Source: Electroheads
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