Teen builds his own hybrid go-kart

By Alan Smith

A 15-year-old schoolboy with a talent for engineering has built his very own hybrid go-kart.

Year 10 pupil Aaron Mitchell, from Borough Green, Kent, started working on the project back in summer.

Since then, he has spent months laboring away in his family's garage - and now has a fully-fledged go-kart which uses both a petrol engine and electric motor and can reach speeds of 55mph.

The wonderkid did all the work himself - from welding the engine mounts to fitting the electric wiring.

He even raised the $1,200 he needed to complete the project - by working at a container business on Saturdays.

Now, Aaron is looking forward to showing his work to his engineering teacher.

One day, he hopes to become an engineer himself.

Aaron said: "I don’t really know where my interest stemmed from.

"My dad is a train driver and my mom is a nurse.

"But I’ve been building things since I was about six.

"I’ve got a workshop in the garage and I’ve been building the go-kart since the summer.

"I started with just a bare chassis.

"I’ve built go-karts and quad bikes before, but this time, I wanted to build a hybrid."

Aaron has no plans to race the vehicle - but might take it for a spin in his grandmother's garden.

He explained that building the vehicle is where his passion lies.

He said: "My nan’s got some land so I will probably take it there and enjoy it a bit.

"But it’s really building the kart that I like.”

Meanwhile, Aaron's mum Diana added: "He’s always been working on something since he was very, very young.

"But his projects have just grown bigger and more ambitious over the years.

"Naturally, we’re very proud of him. He’s very talented."