Converting a Go-Kart into a Deathtrap

Summary

Este artículo también está disponible en Español 🇪🇸As a child, I always dreamed of having vehicles that I could drive myself. I remember putting a chair with a fan in front of it and pretending to fly an airplane.The PlanNow that my son is about to turn 3, I thought I could do something similar for him. I came up with the idea of transforming a boring pedal go-kart into an incredibly powerful and dangerous, and therefore, super fun electric car.RequirementsBefore starting the project, I defined a series of basic requirements:Motor: It has to be powered by an electric motor, because we no longer live in 1940.Size: It has to be small, so it’s easy to drive and fits in the trunk for transportation.Power: There are many models of electric go-karts for children. A good example is those that can be rented at shopping centers. These, in addition to being of very poor quality, have very little power, very little final speed, and their controls are usually all-or-nothing, meaning you can’t control speed or direction proportionally. They either accelerate or not.Speed Limiter: As it’s a car for children, it has to be safe (within reason). For this, the car must have some means to limit the maximum speed it can reach. This speed can be set very low at first and increased as the child gains experience.Driving Modes: Continuing with safety measures, my idea is that the car should have 2 driving modes:Manual: Speed, brakes, direction (forward or reverse), steering, and speed limiter are controlled by the driver themselves. This will be ideal when the child is a bit older and has some driving experience.Radio-controlled: Speed, brakes, direction, and speed limiter are controlled with a radio like those used for radio-controlled cars. The steering control will remain manual (at least for now).All-terrain: Cars that can only go on asphalt are boring. Nothing better than going through dirt, stones, and mud on a difficult terrain. This kart has to have good ground clearance and be abl...