Project
Delivery Kart
A custom electric delivery vehicle, built with a friend for a local farmer who'd been delivering produce with an e-bike and trailer.
A local neighborhood farmer had been delivering his produce with an e-bike and trailer. He hired my friend and me to build him a customized electric delivery vehicle.
Starting with a Frame
We started by asking the client questions about load, range, and driving style, and settled on a Li-ion and brushless-motor drivetrain. Once we accounted for his height and the bed length, we knew what size to make the frame.
Getting Comfortable
The client requested we purchase a seat rather than build one. We settled on a forklift seat — easy to mount, had a seatbelt built in, and was adjustable, which mattered since he'd be driving it for long hours and we wanted the kart to fit him perfectly.
Adding Power
The chassis was similar to my high school go-karts: a brushless-driven rear axle with a disk brake, and normal Ackermann steering.
We used foot controls to make the kart as intuitive to drive as possible — an old go-kart pedal modified to pull the brake cable, and a throttle pedal mounted on the other side, with a fair amount of ergonomic planning going into the pedal locations.
In back, the electric motor was mounted right by the axle to minimize chain distance, with slots to tension the chain. On the other side, a heavy-duty disk brake was capable of quickly stopping the vehicle.
We settled on a double-parallel battery system, letting the client drive on one battery while the other charged, or use both for double range. They were mounted in a tray for easy removal, leaving the option for the client to add more batteries later. He'd also requested a battery cutoff switch for storage, plus a key and a forward/reverse switch — we modified an automotive battery cutoff for the higher voltage, waterproofed it, and mounted the other switches on a panel within easy reach of the seat.
Finishing Touches
After testing wrapped up, the finishing touches included welding on the truck bed and mounts for a tractor hood — a special request from the client — then taking it back down to the frame one last time for a coat of green paint to match the John Deere look.
A Great Delivery Vehicle
The end result was a go-kart with over 40 miles of range, a top speed around 25 mph, and enough torque to carry over 500 lbs — all it was missing was a nice-looking bed, which the client wanted to build himself. This kart represented all the experience we'd built up across the countless vehicles we made throughout high school. Here's a photo the client sent after more than 6 months of use, still going strong.
