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The World’s First Road-Legal Power Wheels Car Is Both Amazing and Terrifying

Who said the kids should be having all the fun? For the grown men and women who are still very much in touch with their more immature side, there’s always the possibility of taking ride-on kiddie cars and turning them into legal toys for the grown-ups.
This is the world's first road-legal ride-on kiddie car, capable of carrying 2 adults at 22 mph 7 photos
Photo: YouTube/Car Throttle
This is the world's first road-legal ride-on kiddie car, capable of carrying 2 adults at 22 mphThis is the world's first road-legal ride-on kiddie car, capable of carrying 2 adults at 22 mphThis is the world's first road-legal ride-on kiddie car, capable of carrying 2 adults at 22 mphThis is the world's first road-legal ride-on kiddie car, capable of carrying 2 adults at 22 mphThis is the world's first road-legal ride-on kiddie car, capable of carrying 2 adults at 22 mphThis is the world's first road-legal ride-on kiddie car, capable of carrying 2 adults at 22 mph
That’s what James, who goes by Stitch76 on social media, did. He’s a family guy from the United Kingdom who, out of boredom during the first lockdown, bought himself a ride-on kiddie car and then toiled until he’d converted it into a road-legal EV. It was featured on the most recent episode of Car Throttle, where a disbelieving Alex took it for a ride around town.

The base car is not a Power Wheels toy, but it’s similar: it’s a Super Sport XXL, which is also marketed as a Super Car XL or a YSA-021 ride-on toy car. It initially came with a 24V 180W motor that James upgraded to a 48V 650W brushless one, has dual disc brakes on the rear, and a battery pack that keeps it going for 4 miles (6.4 km) or some 45 minutes of driving. The top speed is 22 mph (35.4 kph), which is definitely not a lot for a road-legal car, but it sure feels like it in this tiny thing that’s completely open to the elements and has no suspension.

The Porsche-resembling EV rides on pneumatic tires and has everything you need to be legal for the road in the UK: turning lights, brake lights, horn, and doors that open. It has an aluminum spoiler and a carbon fiber hood. It can hold two people, but it’s a very tight squeeze if you travel this way. It even has neon lights that pulsate and change color, and a stereo with an audio system, in case you want to block the sound of surrounding traffic.

That brings us to the second part of the headline: this tiny EV is terrifying precisely because it’s road legal. As Alex finds out, there’s something to be said about the creativity and the skill James put into the project: this tiny EV is amazing. But using it in traffic comes with major downsides, including breathing in fumes from other cars and causing congestion. The biggest would be that you wouldn’t want to be in this thing in a collision with a full-size vehicle.

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About the author: Elena Gorgan
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Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends.
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