From Segway To Go-Kart, Convert Your Hoverboard To A Rideable With A Ninebot Kit
After its huge success with hoverboards, Segway is set on reinventing itself again this summer. Ninebot, Segway’s parent company, has just released the promotional photos of a new kit which attaches to the Segway and converts it into a go-kart. This comes on the heels of the news that Segway will also be showing off e-skates, called the Drift W1, at a trade show in August, according to The Verge.
Abacus News reports that the Ninebot Go-kart kit could be available as early as July 24, in Los Angeles. The kit provides the Segway user with a completely new experience by converting an existing hoverboard into a rideable with wheels. The photos on Weibo show that the kit may comprise seating, a front bumper, steering wheel, brakes and rear wheels to a standard Segway miniPRO. Abacus also reports that the kit has a chassis and run-flat tires. It can reasonably be deduced that the seating is adjustable because the promotional pics show an adult and a child can both fit comfortably into the Segway once it has been converted.
This will provide another way to use your Segway now that the novelty of a hoverboard may have worn off. Although widely popular when it was first introduced, the Segway is now mostly seen being used by travel agencies when they take clients on tours or by security officers.
Ninebot built a kit that converts Segways into go-karts https://t.co/4pMoMryk3j pic.twitter.com/wqrbJqBOdX
— The Verge (@verge) July 15, 2018
The idea of converting a Segway into a go-kart is apparently not a new one. A quick YouTube search will yield dozens of Segway go-kart hacks for adventurers who wanted to explore the hoverboard’s possibilities. A typical video will show a YouTuber who attaches a chair to their Segway.
However, the Ninebot Go-kart kit could provide a safer alternative for those who love driving. The Segway has received bad press concerning safety when former President George Bush fell off the hoverboard in 2003. Then, there was the tragic accident that caused Jim Hedelson to lose his life after he accidentally drove a Segway off a cliff. So, the alternative may provide for a more secure option.
Of course, the Drift W1 will first be seen next month and has already piqued the public’s interest. The e-skates have a black and white design, and you balance on them without any straps holding your feet in place.
Ninebot appears determined to steer Segway, which it bought in 2015, into unchartered territory. The company has not released any information as to when the Ninebot Go-kart kit will be available or how much it will cost.
