This Smart Go-Kart Will Teach Future Generations How To Drive Tastefully

By Michael Banovsky

June 7, 2016

5 comments

Photography Courtesy of Actev Motors

I had a pedal kart, and now a karting membership, but I had none of the “in-between” toys like Power Wheels, minibikes or an ATV. It was a treat when I was able to try out a riding lawnmower, or go karting somewhere, so it’s with great envy that I present the Actev Motors Arrow—a 12 mph (20 km/h) child’s toy that can be controlled from a parent’s smartphone.

Designed for pre-teen drivers that have outgrown, say, a Power Wheels, the Arrow’s higher speed and parental controls seem to strike a good balance between being useful and too nanny-like. We live in an age of helicopter, er, helikarting parents who will be impressed by the accident avoidance features, notifications for inactivity and collisions, and geo-fencing.

I think it’s cool that kids (aged 5-9) will be able to change the sound of their electric karts, attach plastic drift rings to, well, drift, and install different body kits. The company says it’s working on “distance-sensing smart cones, laser tag sensors, and gaming apps”—I suspect it’s all fun and games until the kid from down the street tries a reverse-entry drift around the swimming pool.

I’m sure we all wish we lived in a world where every toddler was handed a 50 mph sand rail and where the neighbors didn’t report every single thing to the local constabulary, but having a quick electric kart sized to work in smaller spaces, like a cul-de-sac, seems to be a smart move for Actev Motors. The kart is available for pre-order now, with deliveries expected in early summer.

What do you think of the Arrow?

H/T to Actev Motors

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