Bosch, FIA and DMSB develop electric racing kart

FIA Electric, New Energy Commission, and the German Motorsport Association (DMSB) recently showcased the ‘e-kart’, a purely electric racing kart prototype which runs on Bosch’s powertrain, on May 21 in Berlin.

Bosch developed the system with the motorsport bodies, as well as with Germany's kart manufacturer Mach 1 Kart. With a top speed of 130kph and an acceleration of 0-100kph in under five seconds, the only things missing in the kart are the engine roar and the smell of petrol in the air.

Commenting on the e-kart, Markus Heyn, member of the Board of management of Robert Bosch, said, “With the e-kart, the FIA, DMSB, and Bosch are together laying the foundations for 'electrifying' performance kart racing. Just as it has on the roads, electrification will bring more excitement, driving pleasure, and greater efficiency to race tracks.”

Christian Schacht, general secretary, DMSB said: “We're happy to support the forward-looking and exciting FIA electric kart project. As an advanced technology nation, Germany very much has a special obligation to support electromobility in motorsports. We do that with Formula E, and we also do that by supporting junior kart racing drivers.”

Powertrain tech from the street to the race track

Currently, most racing karts are powered by internal-combustion engines. When the FIA, DMSB, Mach 1 Kart, and Bosch decided to develop an all-new electric powertrain for professional karting, the idea was to create a purely electric motorsport discipline that made no compromises in power or performance. Bosch motorsport engineers came up with a solution in the form of the new BRS boost recuperation system, whose first generation will go into production at the company starting in 2017.

The electrical components of the BRS support the internal-combustion motor in compact vehicles with up to 10 kW of additional power, which reduces fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by up to 15 percent on the street. It also provides the internal-combustion engine with an additional 150Nm of torque during acceleration.

“We have modified the system for use in professional karting, and we are using it to electrically power the e-kart prototype. We offer a complete system combining Bosch automotive large-scale production technology with specially developed components and powertrain control software from a single source,” explained Dr Klaus Böttcher, vice-president of Bosch Motorsport.

Two starter-generators delivering a total output of 20kW form the basis of the new powertrain, which sends a sporting 300Nm of torque to the rear axle. Energy is stored in the system using a 48-volt lithium battery. In addition, the starter-generators can recover energy during recuperation and then use it for acceleration. The nerve centre of the powertrain is a custom ECU that controls energy flows throughout the kart. A set of sensors and a wiring harness complete the overall system.