Electric power has reshaped hobby-grade RC cars and full-size UTVs. And now it’s changing what teenagers learn in shop class.
Each spring the Edison Motors EV-Challenge hands teams an aging gas go-kart, a crate of lithium-ion cells, and nine weeks to create a working electric racer.
The 2025 series wrapped in May with record lap counts, faster battery swaps, and zero safety incidents. Proof that 16-year-olds can wire a 48 V kart as neatly as any adult hobbyist.
If you follow our coverage of electric go-karts, this program is the logical next step once young tinkerers outgrow RTR toys.
Quick-Glance Scoreboard
ThunderVolt’s 3 kW chain-drive entry from Roosevelt High topped the charts at 34.2 seconds, but the entire field finished within four seconds of one another. This was a sign that different powertrains (hub motors, belt drives, and conventional chain setups) and chemistries (Li-ion vs. LiFePO₄) can reach similar performance when voltage is capped under 60 V.
The spread in lap times offers a neat snapshot of student engineering trade-offs: extra amp-hours yielded endurance, while lighter packs and twin-hub torque vectors shaved tenths off the sprint.
| Team | School | Motor | Battery | Lap Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ThunderVolt | Roosevelt HS, TX | 3 kW brushless | 48 V 24 Ah LiFePO₄ | 34.2 s |
| GreenFlash | Lincoln STEM, CA | twin 1.25 kW hubs | 44 V 28 Ah Li-ion | 35.9 s |
| Amped Panthers | West River HS, NC | 3 kW chain | 48 V 20 Ah LiFePO₄ | 36.1 s |
| EcoTorque | Lakeside Charter, WA | 2 kW belt | 48 V 18 Ah Li-ion | 37.8 s |
| Wattage Warriors | Jefferson Tech, OH | 3 kW chain | 52 V 22 Ah Li-ion | 38.0 s |
What Makes the EV-Challenge Unique
What sets the EV-Challenge apart from typical school projects is its real-world rigor. Students work with Edison Motors salvaged hardware, open-ended rules, and safety protocols that mirror professional pit crews.
By combining e-bike motors, off-the-shelf controllers, and live telemetry software like LabVIEW, the program teaches more than just assembly. It builds habits in electrical safety, budgeting, and iterative testing.
Add in oversight rooted in NFPA standards, and you’ve got a blueprint for STEM education with genuine industry relevance.
- Low-cost entry: donor karts come from local amusement parks for under $150.
- Open rulebook: any off-the-shelf e-bike motor is legal below 60 V DC.
- Real telemetry: students log data with LabVIEW dashboards donated by NI.
- Safety: pits follow NFPA 70E arc-flash guidelines “We want teens to treat lithium the way race crews treat fuel—respect first, speed second,” says program lead Eva Morales.
Three Stand-Out Innovations
Several teams didn’t just follow instructions, they engineered clever upgrades. One squad developed pit-lane battery trays that swap in under 60 seconds. Another used dual rear hub motors with open-source logic to mimic torque vectoring, reducing corner push.
And in a first for the series, one kart successfully ran regenerative braking, squeezing extra range from each lap without destabilizing rear traction. These young builders are solving real EV problems with smart, testable ideas.
- 60-second slide-out battery trays: ThunderVolt’s pits looked like Formula E pit stops.
- DIY torque-vectoring: GreenFlash used dual hub motors and an Arduino mixer to kill under-steer.
- Regenerative braking: EcoTorque limited regen to 12A and gained ~8% extra range in the endurance heat.
Deep Dive: Cost Breakdown
Teams spent $3,200 on average, far less than a spending $10,000 or more on new electric go-kart online.
| Component | Avg. Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Donor chassis | $150 | ex-rental fun-kart |
| Brushless motor + ESC | $650 | QS & Kelly combos |
| Battery + BMS | $1,150 | 18650 or LiFePO₄ |
| Frame & seat | $300 | added shoulder hoop |
| Wiring & drive parts | $250 | SB-120 plugs, chain |
| Safety gear | $200 | gloves, cutoff switch |
Teams report a $480 “learning tax” from burned controllers and bad crimps.
Performance vs. Consumer Go-Karts
Retail kid karts stop at 10 mph. Student builds cleared 38–40 mph, matching the adult Segway Gokart Pro at half the budget.
With motors behind the seat, weight bias improved, letting them exit corners without the push common to rear-engine gas fun-karts. Noise averaged 78 dB WOT, similar to the Traxxas Pro-Scale Sand Car.
After 500 Hours
Pros: hands-on lithium safety; off-the-shelf e-bike parts; no fuel fumes, so events ran indoors.
Cons: chain tension was the #1 maintenance headache; long balance cycles if packs sat full; initial cost high for underfunded schools.
What’s Next for 2026
Organizers will lock voltage at 48V and pilot an AI lane-assist demo using NVIDIA Jetson Nano boards. Rumors point to a mini-class based on 36 V hoverboard motors, perfect for middle-school STEM clubs.
Advice for Parents & Hobbyists
- Start with a used Carter Bros 1136 frame.
- Keep packs under 2 kWh to avoid hazmat regs.
- Download a wiring checklist before your first crimp.
If your kids aren’t ready for 48V just yet, see our guide to the safest ride-on cars—the fundamentals scale up when you jump to kart voltage.
