Nest co-creator Tony Fadell isn’t focused solely on making intelligent thermostats and smoke detectors. He recently unveiled Actev Motors, a company whose inaugural Arrow Smart-Kart promises to give kids a taste of what smart cars are like. The electric go-kart includes GPS, a and WiFi to keep junior drivers safe. Parents using a mobile app can geofence the kart’s driving area, limit the top speed or hit a stop button in an emergency. In other words, even younger kids (5- to 9-year-olds are the main targets) can motor around without getting in over their heads. There’s also a proximity sensor to automatically prevent accidents.
Older children can use the Arrow, too, and it’s customizable. You can slap on different body styles (there’s a Formula 1-style kit), install a higher-capacity battery or even get a drift kit to unleash your kid’s inner Ken Block. It’s not a trivial purchase — a starter kit costs $600 if you pre-order, and it’ll normally cost $1,000 — but it could easily beat your neighbor’s Power Wheels when it arrives in early summer.
For Fadell, this is as much about education as spoiling young ones. Heexplains to Forbes that he hopes to “teach the new generation” about electric cars. The tyke driving an Arrow this year could be driving their own EV a couple of decades down the line. And before you ask: yes, there’s the possibility of an adult version for grown-up racers.
source: engadget.com by Jon Fingas
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