For this assignment, we were tasked with creating a proposal as a group and presenting an oral presentation on engineering innovation. Our goal was to identify a specific void or need in the field and suggest a design and production solution to satisfy it.
Go-karts are a way for children and even adults to have fun. While they can be fun there are many factors that can be time-consuming and money-consuming with these systems. One of the key issues is the traditional gas engine. Gas is one of the primary costs in these machines and with the price of gas on the rise, many companies are switching their operations over to electric. However, with electric go-karts, it takes a couple of hours to charge each kart resulting in massive downtime. With the new wireless go-kart track, the carts charge as the users drive around the track, resulting in less down time and more availability for the riders.
With wireless charging go-karts there come many improvements. As many Go karts run on fuel or a spark because of the engine needing to generate power, this can cause many performance issues and accidents to occur . Traditional go-karts cause 8% of all accidents in amusement parks, which is the highest injury rate compared to everything else . A lot of factors go into that 8% of accidents like oil spills, unsafe barriers, weather, mechanical failure, and much more. But with wireless charging go-karts, accidents will be reduced. With a wireless charging track, the go-kart will be charged as they are driven .
The track will have a power source where energy will be output from copper coils and on the bottom of the kart will have a receiver that converts the energy and charges the kart. This will be installed around the entire track, so that there is no need to refill the go kart, and it lowers the chance of it being damaged or malfunctioning. And with wireless charging there will be no odor or smoke making the air cleaner. With this, more people being able to ride and will have a better overall experience. This upgrade would impact karting in the best way possible and would incite a better time with friends and family. Furthermore, with the success rate go karts have this will bring in more revenue and could soon be spread to more places .
While a complex innovation, wireless charges have few parts . Typically, wireless chargers consist of a transmitter and receiver, a power source, charger, and a battery. An electric go-kart will already have a standard battery and charger, so the innovation will specifically be the receiver which accepts the wireless power and connects to the charger on the go-kart as well as the transmitter embedded in the track which delivers the power from the power source. The transmitter generates an electromagnetic field from the power source, and the receiver turns it into electricity. Aside from the transmitter and receiver, the track will also include construction basics aside from the innovation like concrete, floor resin, barriers, etc.
The receiver on the go-kart will include a receiver controller chip and a coil which will accept the electromagnetic output from the transmitter. Below is an example image of a receiver controller circuit. To the right of the circuit is where the circuit will send power toward the go-kart charger leading to its battery. To the left of the circuit, where the half circles are, is where coils are connected to receive the electromagnetic signal. The diagram above, Figure 1, displays a basic idea of the complete receiver. The grey region indicates the coils which receive the signal, the green region indicates the receiver controller including the circuit shown in Figure 1. From the chip, cable leads connect to the charger and battery onboard the go-kart finalizing the charging process. Just like traditional wireless chargers, the receiver coil will be made of copper and the chip will be made of silicon and an embedded circuit, again displayed in Figure 2 below.
The receiver coil will be coated in a very thin and flexible plastic protecting it from basic elements. The coil will have to be placed directly on the bottom of the go-kart to ensure maximum connectivity to the track. The controller chip will be connected to the coil within the car where it can easily access the charger and battery elements.
The transmitters and receivers are identical aside from their primary function and computer chips. An idea of how the complete transmitter will look can be inferred from Figure x. The transmitter will also include a copper coil where the electromagnetic field is generated, just like traditional wireless chargers, however this one will have to withstand higher power output and thus will be much larger. The transmitter chip or controller will also of course be made of silicon and an embedded circuit. The circuit will follow the circuit shown above in Figure 3 where power comes from the left end and an electromagnetic field is produced on the right end.
Some important notes regarding the parts and construction include ideas of quantity and placement. Every car will have to include its own receiver coil and chip while the track will consist of many coils placed accordingly on the track. The transmitter coils will lead off track and connect to one transmitter controller chip and one power source. There will also have to be more construction done to enclose the coils and receivers on the track and individual go-karts.
Depending on the region and zoning regulations, the cost of commercial land in New York State can range from $5 to $50 per square foot, according to LoopNet data. For instance, in 2021 a 1.5-acre commercially zoned plot of land in Albany, New York was listed for sale at $895,000 (Loopnet).
According to RSMeans’ 2021 North American Construction Cost Guide, the cost of building a recreational go-kart track is anticipated to be $15 to $25 per square foot. A 30,000-square-foot go-kart track in Missouri, for example, was built for around $650,000, or $21.67 per square foot (GMB Architecture + Engineering ).
An average large wireless transmitter is 64 square inches. Therefore, to cover at least 50% of the track, you will require a total of about 40645 transmitters. The overall cost of the transmitters came to about $1,422,575, with each transmitter costing $35. (Amazon.com) However, depending on the details of the system, such as the addition of more transmitters to increase charging speeds, the actual cost could vary significantly. Additionally, each go kart needs 20 receivers. The total cost of the receivers will be $700 because each receiver costs $35.
The price of the go-karts themselves will also need to be taken into account, in addition to the cost of constructing the wireless charging system for the course. Depending on the manufacturer and type, a new go-kart can cost anywhere between $1,500 and $5,000, according to data from KartingConnect. For instance, the pricing range for a popular go-kart manufacturer called SodiKart’s models is $3,195 to $5,395 (Sodikart America).
Overall, the Wireless Charging Go-kart Track is a fantastic way for businesses to save money in many ways such as gas and down time. While many other businesses are already switching over to electric go-karts, there is still the downside of standard standby charging. With the innovation of this wireless track, users and businesses can keep the go-karts running without standby periods. Alongside no gas fumes, this truly is the best version of indoor go-karting. Even though there is a cost factor associated with businesses, this innovation will more than offset the cost in no time .
