Skip to main content

High speed mobility

A group of automotive enthusiasts in the UK hope to set a new world land speed record, with a mobility scooter. Powered by a 600cc motorcycle engine the mobility scooter is now thought to be able to reach some 192km/h, around 15 times as fast as a conventional mobility scooter. Official timed runs have yet to be made for the record to be set. The rules call for two timed speed runs to be made within one hour with the record being an average of the two. However the group believe their mobility scooter will e
September 26, 2013 Read time: 2 mins
A group of automotive enthusiasts in the UK hope to set a new world land speed record, with a mobility scooter. Powered by a 600cc motorcycle engine the mobility scooter is now thought to be able to reach some 192km/h, around 15 times as fast as a conventional mobility scooter. Official timed runs have yet to be made for the record to be set. The rules call for two timed speed runs to be made within one hour with the record being an average of the two. However the group believe their mobility scooter will easily be able to top the current mobility scooter speed record of 115km/h.

Meanwhile another man in the UK has fitted the starter motor from a Chinook helicopter to a shopping trolley. The starter motor has been modified to produce thrust and is estimated to deliver around 112kW. The first speed test at the Santa Pod drag strip has shown this unusual vehicle to be capable of reaching 70km/h, which makes it the world’s fastest shopping trolley. Its builder, a go-kart racer, believes it is powerful enough to reach 160km/h although he is unsure about its stability at this speed. Given the heat and noise the trolley generates, it is not likely to be welcome inside a supermarket however.

Related Content

  • Asphalt paving innovations are being unveiled
    June 11, 2019
    Asphalt paving technology has moved forward another step
  • Mobile handbag
    February 22, 2012
    Police in a German town were initially disbelieving when they received a call that an alligator had been seen roaming through the town at night and was close to a local motorcycle shop. However by the time they received several calls they realised that the callers were not mistaken and a quick search soon found the stray alligator, wandering the streets and causing a disturbance to traffic. The police were able to trap the 1m long alligator using equipment usually used for tackling dogs. The alligator was t
  • Hitachi digs deep into gravel pits for Swiss firm Scrasa
    July 15, 2015
    Swiss civil engineering company Scrasa has made a successful investment in a Hitachi ZX470LCH-5 as the main production machine for its sand and gravel pit. The large Zaxis-5 excavator was delivered to Scrasa’s Satigny site on the outskirts of Geneva by the country’s Hitachi dealer, Probst Maveg. The ZX470LCH-5 is part of a fleet of machinery that includes two ZX225USLC-5s, a ZX135US-5 and a ZX85USBLC-5, but it is the only machine based at Satigny. Scrasa said the ZX470LCH-5 plays a key role in the excava
  • A fresh breath of air
    July 16, 2012
    With a new wave of exhaust emission regulations coming shortly, engine manufacturers are well on track to develop new solutions as Mike Woof reports A wave of technological advances has made the current generation of diesels the cleanest industrial engines ever produced. Driven by tightening controls on emissions, manufacturers have had to develop an array of innovative solutions that will help cut particulate and NOx being emitted from the tailpipe. When the phased reduction in exhaust emissions was first