Design, Fabrication, and Analysis of a Lightweight Composite Chassis for Electric Kart ...

Objective: To design, fabricate, and validate a cost-effective and lightweight composite chassis for an electric kart, optimizing structural performance and manufacturability for Indian conditions.

Background: The growing demand for electric mobility in India has highlighted the need for lightweight yet robust chassis solutions, particularly for e-karts used in education, racing, and urban mobility. Traditional steel chassis are heavy, reducing energy efficiency and limiting performance, which affects user groups such as student teams, small-scale manufacturers, and racing enthusiasts.

Proposed Solution: This project aims to develop a composite material-based chassis using glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) and locally available fillers, optimized through CAD and finite element analysis (FEA) for structural safety and weight reduction. A full-scale prototype will be fabricated employing vacuum infusion or hand lay-up techniques, balancing cost and manufacturability for the Indian market.

Key Deliverables: The deliverables include detailed CAD models, FEA reports (ANSYS/Altair HyperWorks), a fabricated composite chassis, physical testing (static and dynamic load tests per IS 12239), integration with a standard e-kart powertrain, and documentation. The working model will be presented via a live demonstration under real-world load scenarios.

Impact & Scalability: Adoption of lightweight composite chassis can increase e-kart energy efficiency by up to 15%, promote local manufacturing, and support the Make in India initiative. The methodology is scalable to other low-cost EVs, improving sustainability and performance in Indian urban mobility.