Segway Releases Attachment that Emits V8 Engine Sounds

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I’m…not quite sure what to make of this. The Segway…the dorkiest form of personal transportation in the history of ever…can now sound like a Mustang. Let that sink in…

We’re talking about the Segway, the two-decade-old electric scooter invented by Dean Kamen that’s capable of a brisk 12.5 miles per hour for 24 miles on a full charge. And that can now sound like a muscle car. Is this like calling a human gorilla “tiny”?

The company has released the Ninebot Engine Speaker, a Bluetooth wireless speaker that straps onto Segway / Ninebot electric scooters, GoKarts, electric bikes, and more. It runs on a 2,200mAh battery, good for nearly a full day’s worth, and emits a V8 engine sound.

Course, I seriously doubt the Ninebot Speaker was intended for the classic Segway, unless you want some confused looks. The V8 speaker is actually a great fit, though, for Segway’s new Super Scooter GT-series, which can accelerate to 30 mph in 3.9 seconds, with a top speed of 43.5 mph.

That peppy little scooter is more akin to a go-kart than the infamously dorky Segway, and a V8 engine sound is actually a great idea to warn pedestrians.

What’s really funny is this whole situation is a microcosm of what’s happened with road-worthy electric vehicles – since EVs are about as loud as golf carts, they present a certain danger to pedestrians, especially at lower speeds.

That weird scenario led the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to pass a law in 2016 requiring most new EVs and hybrids to emit noise when travelling < 19 mph (at speeds greater than that, factors like tire and wind noise “provide adequate audible warning to pedestrians.”

I suppose Segway wanted to get out ahead of regulators and make their new souped-up scooter that much safer.

The Ninebot Engine Speaker runs $149.99.