Electric car for children launching in the UK

Designed for five- to ten-year-old children as a full-featured training vehicle, the little EV is the work of Young Driver, a UK-based organisation that provides driver training to children and teens.

Although it looks similar to the Toyota Camatte57s revealed at the 2013 Tokyo motor show (below), the Young Driver EV is more than just a toy for kids to play with.

The car will be able to reach speeds of about 10mph (16km/h), and will be fitted as standard with electric motors, disc brakes, independent suspension and a pre-collision safety system that detects obstacles and stops the car to avoid collisions.

Parents will also be able to stop the car if necessary via remote control.

Above: the Toyota Camatte57s. 

“[We’ve been] working with the designers and engineers to ensure that it provides a realistic driving experience," said Kim Stanton, director of Young Driver.

"This is not a toy, it is very definitely a small car. The ultimate aim is to give youngsters a greater insight in terms of road safety."

The vehicle will be previewed at the UK gadget show, held at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in Birmingham from the 31st of March to 3rd of April.

At the show, members of the public will be able to see a teaser of the car’s final design and youngsters will be able to test drive one of four working chassis to provide feedback during its final development phase.

The vehicle will be officially launched in its production form in May, and the car will be available to test drive at selected Young Driver venues across the UK.

Special road systems will be built to allow the drivers to have a go at everything from junctions and traffic lights, to manoeuvring, reversing and parking.