What do you do when you’re 25 years old and can’t quite afford a new Tesla just yet? You buy a Radio Flyer Tesla Model S and convert it into a badass go-kart.
That’s exactly what Austin did on his YouTube channel, austiwawa. After being inspired by seeing a similar project with a Barbie Mustang Power Wheels outfitted with a dirt-bike engine, he went out and purchased the mini-Tesla to build the worlds smallest Tesla, complete with an electric engine.
Related: Vancouver dad builds his son a Cybertruck go-kart for Christmas, and it’s awesome
After putting together the kid-sized Tesla, Austin fabricated a go-kart frame to fit the plastic body from the Radio Flyer. It turns out the Radio Flyer was much smaller than he was expecting, so he had to perform some extensive modifications to get the body to fit onto the frame, while still allowing space for his own body.
The most important part of the build was the power source. Much like Tesla’s 100kWh battery in the Model S, which uses 8,256 18650 lithium ion cells, the Teskart uses the same lithium ion cells, but on a much smaller scale, a 1.1kWh battery using just 224 cells.
Once the batteries and electric motor was complete, it was time to put on the finishing touches and put everything back together and see if it worked. The final product was so small, Austin had to use a thumb throttle and install a removable steering wheel, just so he could fit in the seat.
It looks like it was worth the effort based on the video below – the Teskart tops out at a speed of 72km/h (45mph). Check out the full video for a lot more detail on the build process and final product.
Who wants one of these Model S go-karts?
