Electric Car Lab by MINDS-i
Electric vehicles are no longer the future of transportation. They are the present, and the engineering concepts that make them work, motor control, gear ratios, energy transfer, battery management, and electronic speed control, are fundamental knowledge for anyone pursuing a career in automotive technology, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, or advanced manufacturing. For STEM and CTE programs that want to teach those concepts through a compelling, hands-on project that students actually want to work on, the MINDS-i Electric Car Lab delivers them all in a single 45-hour half-semester curriculum.
Students build a fast, sleek 1/10th scale electric car from a kit that includes all the electronics and hardware needed for assembly, then program and tune it for a series of culminating performance challenges. The car is fully compatible with most hobby-standard DC motors, gears, radio transmitters, servos, bodies, wheels, and tires, making it endlessly modifiable and ensuring that student teams can differentiate their vehicles in ways that make the engineering choices concrete and the competition outcomes meaningful.
Klein Educational supplies MINDS-i robotics and STEM products to schools, CTE programs, and workforce development centers across California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Nevada, Hawaii, and Alaska.
What is the MINDS-i Electric Car Lab?
The MINDS-i Electric Car Lab is a half-semester STEM lab (45 hours of curriculum) designed for groups of 2 to 4 students built around the assembly, programming, and performance optimization of a 1/10th scale electric vehicle. The car features a 14.4-inch total length, 10.0-inch wheelbase, and 8.1-inch track width, with full-scale automotive drivetrain architecture scaled for STEM education.
The drivetrain and chassis include a hi-torque motor in an adjustable motor case with metal gears including a 17-tooth 32-pitch pinion gear and a 58-tooth 32-pitch spur gear, an adjustable motor mount that accommodates many additional gear ratios for performance tuning experiments, an aluminum main shaft with dual ball bearing mounting, U-joints with collapsible drivelines, working differentials with adjustable input angle, rack and pinion steering, and a ball bearing servo. This is a mechanically complete automotive drivetrain, not a simplified toy, and the engineering concepts it demonstrates, gear ratios, torque and speed tradeoffs, driveline geometry, differential function, and steering mechanics, are directly applicable to full-size vehicle engineering.
The electronics package includes a 23,500 RPM motor, an electronic speed controller (ESC), a servo for steering control, and an RC controller, with a multimeter for circuit testing and measurement. Programming and tuning activities use these components to explore the relationship between electrical inputs and mechanical outputs throughout the vehicle system.
Curriculum overview
The 45-hour Electric Car Lab curriculum is organized into four units that cover the foundational engineering and science concepts behind electric vehicle design and operation.
Unit 1 introduces MINDS-i and electric vehicles, covering what an electric car is and how the student performance development process guides the lab's learning progression. Unit 2 covers variables of force and motion including force and motion principles, parts and purposes of the drivetrain, gear ratios and the speed and torque tradeoff, and inertia. Unit 3 covers electrical engineering and energy transfer including energy types and transfer mechanisms, parts and purposes of the electrical system, how electric motors work and their advantages, volts, amps, and watts and how to measure and calculate them, and battery technology including usage, maintenance, and current battery technologies. Unit 4 is the culminating project, where student teams prepare for and execute a performance challenge with their completed and tuned electric cars.
Engineering concepts the Electric Car Lab teaches
The MINDS-i Electric Car Lab is particularly strong as a vehicle for teaching engineering concepts that have direct applications across automotive, mechanical, and electrical engineering careers. The adjustable gear ratio system makes the gear ratio and torque-speed tradeoff a physical, observable experiment rather than a calculation exercise. Students can configure different gear combinations, measure the resulting speed and torque characteristics, and directly experience how engineering decisions affect system performance.
The working differential demonstrates one of the most fundamental and frequently misunderstood mechanical engineering concepts in automotive technology, giving students a physical model they can observe and measure rather than an abstract description. The rack and pinion steering system introduces steering geometry in the same architectural form used in the vast majority of modern passenger vehicles.
The electrical system, with its ESC, motor, servo, and RC controller, provides a complete introduction to the electronic control of mechanical systems that is directly applicable to robotics, autonomous vehicles, industrial automation, and electric vehicle technology at every scale.
Compatibility and expandability
The MINDS-i Electric Car is compatible with most hobby-standard DC motors, gears, radio transmitters, servos, bodies, wheels, and tires, making it a platform that can be customized and expanded as student teams gain experience and want to push their designs further. This compatibility with standard hobby components also means that students who develop a passion for electric vehicle engineering through the lab can continue developing their skills using widely available components and resources beyond the classroom.
How Klein Educational supports your program
Klein Educational works with STEM coordinators, CTE directors, and program administrators from the first conversation through product selection, delivery, and ongoing support. We have direct access to the full MINDS-i product line for programs across our seven-state region.
Frequently asked questions
What is the MINDS-i Electric Car Lab? The Electric Car Lab is a 45-hour half-semester STEM lab built around the assembly and programming of a 1/10th scale electric car. It includes all electronics and hardware for assembly, easy-to-follow visual instructions, and a full curriculum covering force and motion, gear ratios, electrical engineering, energy transfer, and motor technology.
What engineering concepts does the Electric Car Lab teach? The lab covers gear ratios and the speed-torque tradeoff, force and motion including inertia, electrical engineering including volts, amps, and watts, electric motor operation, battery technology, rack and pinion steering geometry, differential function, and electronic speed controller operation.
Is the Electric Car compatible with standard hobby components? Yes. The MINDS-i Electric Car is compatible with most hobby-standard DC motors, gears, radio transmitters, servos, bodies, wheels, and tires, allowing programs and students to customize and expand the platform beyond the base kit.
How many students is the lab designed for? The lab is designed for groups of 2 to 4 students working collaboratively on a single car, with 45 hours of curriculum structured as a half-semester course.
What states does Klein Educational serve? We serve California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Nevada, Hawaii, and Alaska.
Ready to Bring the Electric Car Lab to Your STEM Program?
Our team will help you find the right MINDS-i Electric Car configuration for your curriculum and budget.