Converting a go-kart to electric
6 min Updated how-to
The frame, steering, brakes, seat and axle are the parts that take work to make and do not care what drives them. Converting keeps all of that and replaces the noisy, maintenance-heavy part.
Is your kart worth converting
Check three things before spending anything.
Rear axle mount. Cracks or a previous repair at that weld mean the frame has been worked hard. Converting a tired frame is putting a new drivetrain onto the part that will fail.
Rated capacity. If the original kart was rated for 140 lb, it still is after conversion. An electric motor does not change what the steel will take.
Frame square. Sight down it from behind. A kart that has hit something hard will pull to one side forever, and no drivetrain fixes that.
A sound frame with a dead engine is one of the best value starting points in this hobby. A cracked frame with a running engine is not.
What comes off
- Engine and its mount bolts
- Centrifugal clutch or torque converter
- Fuel tank, fuel lines, fuel filter
- Exhaust and heat shielding
- Throttle and choke cables
- Engine kill switch wiring
Keep the rear axle, the driven sprocket, the chain if the pitch works, the brake assembly, the steering, the seat and the pedals.
What goes on
Motor. Brushless, sensored, rated continuous at your target power. Sensored specifically matters for drifting because a sensorless controller can hesitate at very low rpm under load, which is exactly where you are mid-slide.
Controller. Matched to voltage, sized 20 to 30% above the motor’s continuous draw. This is where conversions most often go wrong. Sizing detail in sizing the controller.
Battery pack, with a continuous discharge rating above the controller’s draw, and a BMS.
Charger, throttle, contactor or disconnect, fuse, cable and connectors.
The motor mount, which is the actual work
Almost every conversion needs a new mount plate. Gas engines bolt to a standard pattern that electric motors do not share.
The usual approach is a steel plate, 5 to 6 mm, bolted or welded to the existing engine mount rails, drilled for the motor’s bolt pattern. Slot the holes in the direction of chain pull so you can set chain tension by sliding the motor, which saves fitting a separate tensioner.
Check alignment carefully. The motor sprocket and the axle sprocket must be in the same plane, or the chain will climb and throw. Sight down the chain run and use a straightedge.
Some chassis are sold pre-drilled for common drive kits, which removes this step entirely.
Gearing, the step people skip
A gas kart is geared for an engine that makes power in a narrow band at high rpm. An electric motor makes torque from zero. Reusing the gas gearing usually gives a kart that feels lazy and tops out low.
For drifting, gear for torque: a smaller motor sprocket or a larger axle sprocket than the equivalent gas setup. You trade top speed for the low-end pull that sustains a slide, and on a drift kart that is the correct trade every time.
Mounting the pack and controller
Pack where the engine and fuel tank were, low and central. It is the heaviest single component and it dominates the handling.
Controller where air moves over it. Not sealed in a box, not tucked in a dead pocket behind the seat. Controllers fail on heat and mounting position is free cooling.
Nothing hanging below the frame rails, because that contacts the ground during slides.
Strain relief and cable routing away from the chain, the axle and anything that moves.
Wiring and first power-up
Cable gauge at or above the controller’s spec. Fuse the pack. Fit a main disconnect so you can isolate before working on anything. Connectors rated for continuous current, XT90 or Anderson.
Power up on a stand with the wheels off the ground. Check rotation direction, throttle response from zero, brake function, and that nothing gets warm at part throttle. Then a slow first ride in a small area, and re-check every fastener afterwards.
Cost
| Route | Cost |
|---|---|
| Matched 48V drive kit | $700 - $1,100 |
| Sourced individually | $650 - $1,400 |
| Mount plate, hardware, consumables | $40 - $120 |
| Slide sleeves, if converting to drift | $59 |
Against $1,295 to $2,795 for a complete electric kart, a conversion on a frame you already own is clearly worth it. Buying a donor kart specifically to convert is roughly break-even, so do that only if you want the project.
Matched sets are on electric drive kits, individual components on motors, controllers and packs, and the reasoning behind converting at all is in why people convert.