Design and Fabrication of a Quick Assembly Modular EV Gokart

Abstract

This paper presents the design and development of a modular electric go-kart with quick assembly and disassembly features. The go-kart uses an AISI 4130 steel tubular chassis, mild steel body panel frames, and lightweight fiberglass panels to ensure structural strength, safety, and ease of maintenance. Quick-release mechanisms are integrated for the steering, battery, and body panels, allowing rapid removal and installation of components. The modular design improves maintainability, supports future upgrades, and enhances overall performance and safety in racing conditions.

Introduction

The document describes the design and development of a modular electric vehicle (EV) go-kart that uses quick-release mechanisms to simplify assembly, disassembly, and maintenance. The goal is to overcome limitations of traditional go-karts, which have fixed components that make repairs time-consuming and difficult. The proposed design improves efficiency without sacrificing performance or structural strength.

The go-kart uses lightweight and strong materials such as AISI 4130 steel for the chassis and fiberglass for body panels, supported by CAD modeling and structural analysis. Key modular features include quick-release systems for the steering, battery, chassis sections, and body panels, allowing fast part replacement and safe handling.

Existing research emphasizes chassis optimization, lightweight design, cost efficiency, and EV powertrain integration using CAD and FEA methods. Building on this, the proposed system focuses specifically on modularity and rapid maintenance.

Results show major improvements in efficiency: traditional go-karts require about 40 minutes for assembly/disassembly, earlier designs take around 6 minutes, while the proposed system reduces this time to approximately 2.3 minutes, demonstrating the effectiveness of the quick-release modular approach.

Conclusion

The design and development of the modular electric go-kart chassis successfully achieved a lightweight, strong, and easily maintainable structure. By incorporating quick-release mechanisms and optimizing the frame, assembly and disassembly times were significantly reduced compared to previous designs and commercial market karts. The proposed system demonstrates enhanced efficiency, structural integrity, and user-friendliness, making it suitable for educational purposes, small-scale racing, and practical applications in resource-constrained environments. Overall, this project highlights the effectiveness of combining CAD modeling, FEA analysis, and modular design principles in improving both performance and usability of electric go-karts.

References

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Copyright

Copyright © 2026 Dr. B. Vijaya Kumar, Mr. N. Yadagiri, D. Vamshi., MD. Azam Pasha, V. Barath. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.