Electric Drive System for a Race Car

Project

Problem: Driving a race car through the staging lanes and pit areas at a racetrack puts unnecessary wear and tear on the car’s engine, burns more fuel then running it down the track, and harms the car’s performance.

Solution: A prototype electric drive system that can attach to a race car allowing it to move without being started.

Goals:

• Prove that a full electric drive system for a race car is feasible to pursue.
• Create a system that can bolt right to the rear end of a race car.
• Have an easy to operate system that only requires one button to function.

System

Methods

• Motor: The motor selected for this project was a Tilton Super Starter. This motor was selected due to its high torque and plunging output shaft.
• Battery: The battery selected to run the motor was an Optima Yellow Top. The Yellow Top was selected to ensure the prototype power requirements would be completely met.
• On/Off Button: The On/Off button was implemented via simple push button mounted behind the driver’s cockpit.
• Frame: Two 1/4” aluminum plates and six 3/8” pieces of stainless steel all-thread make up the frame. The plates are held together via the pieces of all-thread and are adjustable in size via the nuts between the plates.

Conclusion

The motor has proven it can turn the rear end while the car sits off the ground and the frame fits nicely into the limited space and the back of a race car.

Future Iterations: Future iterations of this system will use a lower speed motor as the motor of choice. In its current state, the motor torques the frame to much when placed under heavy load. Future attempts will also use a battery more appropriately sized for the motor