Segway presents its electric go-kart kit


The company that invented the self-balancing two-wheeler proposes a kit that transforms the Ninebot MiniPro into an electric kart that features with a broad range of settings and is affordable.

Surely you will have seen it, perhaps even in the paddock during races, these small hoverboards that allow the most daring (they do not give a great impression of stability) to zip around without effort.

But would you have ever thought it would be possible to turn them into karts? Somebody has. The company that practically invented this kind of vehicle, Segway (recently associated with the Ninebot which owns Xiaomi) recently presented the Ninebot Electric Gokart.

In essence, it is a kit that is added to the Segway Ninebot MiniPro, which acts as a motor and rear, to create a kart that seems to have everything in order towards conquering and entertaining a certain slice of the general public.

Among its features, in addition to the two electric motors of 800 W that can push the vehicle up to 24 km / h  - and accelerate from 0 to 19 km/h in 2 seconds - there are various settings that can also be managed by smartphones with a specific app, as well as a complete possibility of length adjustment - in addition to steering wheel height – thus making it adaptable to both children and adults from 130 to 190 cm in height. The kit is not yet available, but on Indiegogo it can be booked. Prices mentioned for the whole package (MiniPro + kit) are said to be circa 1500 dollars, that is about 1260 euros.

It certainly won't be something that goes into competition with the usual karts, being more suited to a driveway or parking lot than to a real kart track, but we believe it is something that can attract a significant number of people to the world of karting for the very first time. At this point, however, we're wondering: what is our industry currently offering people who are intrigued by this, or in other ways? Is there a truly beginner's category that allows you to enter the world of competitions with little commitment (both competitive and economic) without it being too heady or frightening?

In our opinion, no; currently, the brand trophies are too exasperated, from the point of view of a neophyte, or true amateur. It ought to be time or the case that the sports authority address the problem or issue in time, that is pushing and fostering real preparatory and "access" categories, before losing yet another precious opportunity to expand the number of karting participants.

As has already – and unfortunately - happened in the past, when occasions and opportunities such as the participation of Michael Schumacher at the World Kart 2001, or the appearance and popularity of a themed videogame like SuperMario Kart, were not exploited to broaden our favorite sport's appeal.