Mark Jarvis' Neurotikart 2

Owner	Mark Jarvis
Owner's Other EV	Electric Gokart
Location	Sterling, Virginia US ^map
Web/Email	WebPage
Vehicle	2007 Neurotikart 2 Successor to the Neurotikart, the Neurotikart 2 is a slightly improved version. Better ergonomics and more powerful motor/controller. A real blast to drive, but hell on tires.
Motor	D&D Motor Systems, Inc. ES-33 Series Wound DC Modeled after the ADC K91-4003, the ES-33 is slightly better and the same size. Face mounted on a 5.875" 4-bolt circle.
Drivetrain	New Belt drive, solid rear axle, 10 inch diameter rear tires.
Controller	Alltrax AXE-7234 Nice, basic controller, programmable via a PC serial port without requiring some expensive proprietary box or interface.
Batteries	6 Optima Yellow tops, 12.00 Volt, Lead-Acid, Gel Nice, tough, leak proof batteries. Expensive, but you get what you pay for.
System Voltage	72 Volts
Charger	Schauer I use three 10 amp deep cycle battery chargers that I picked up from the local auto parts joint. I charge the batteries three at a time without removing them from the kart or circuit.
Heater	Run kart hard for 30 minutes and rest your hand on the motor.
Instrumentation	on/off switch, 4000A emergency disconnect, reversing contactor, Pak Trakker battery and current consumption monitor.
Top Speed	55 MPH (88 KPH) On flat ground. Pretty exciting when you're butt is 3 inches off the ground and the wind is howling in your ears.
Acceleration	Wonderful. Makes me smile just to think of it.
Range	30 Miles (48 Kilometers) I can comfortably get 10 miles, but I've never tested it. I don't drive it for range, I drive it for speed and abuse. Based on how long I can drive it at speed, I'd estimate the range to be at least 30 miles.
Seating Capacity	One adult, sometimes take slow parade-speed rides with kids riding "side saddle".
Curb Weight	500 Pounds (227 Kilograms) Estimated, but of course it's heavy. The frame is iron gas pipe, and the 6 batteries weigh nearly 50 lbs each.
Tires	Slicks, 5" front, 6" rear.
Conversion Time	2.5 months of evenings and weekends
Conversion Cost	Chassis: $1000, motor/controller: $2000, batteries: $1000
Originally fitted with a Perm PMG-132 motor that burned up after less than 8 hours of service. One of the clips at the outer edge of one of the armature windings came loose and shorted other windings. This burned some contacts on the commutator, and although the motor still turns, I don't want to risk damage to my controller. I've heard that this has begun to happen to Perm motors lately. I was careful not to allow the motor to get hot - I could always comfortably lay my hand on it. Perm claims the motor was abused (overheated) and offered no help. The replacement, a D&D ES-33, is heavier, but better in every respect. Besides, 20 lbs. is noise to a vehicle that weighs nearly 500 lbs. It's fast, sturdy, and well supported. I gave it a checkup recently and it's still in essentially as-new condition after perhaps 100 hours of hard use.

code by jerry