It’s common knowledge that our cars are a huge contributor to climate change, which is why all manufacturers have made an effort to introduce hybrid and pure-electric models to their range. But it’s not just the car industry that is changing. The research and development that has gone into electric cars have been adapted for countless other modes of transport...
One example of this is the Nikola Wav - an electric Jet Ski which has been inspired by the design of superbikes and powered by the force of electricity. This water-mobile is being pitched as the ‘future of watercraft’ and it features a massive 12-inch 4k display in the dashboard, which is obviously fully waterproof, and the jet-ski even has cruise control and LED lighting.
Image Nikola motors
This looks like one of the coolest pieces of electric-powered tech we’ve seen in a long time but there’s still plenty more to see. Wav haven’t mentioned any pricing or specs just yet but they are expecting to ship their first models in the early 2020s and they are already taking reservations…
Another example of electrified mobility again comes from Wav - but this time it’s for a land-based vehicle. It’s a four-wheeled electric off-road vehicle called the NZT and its sort of like a closed-off Quadbike but with an interior that’s not too far off a passenger car. So there are two digital displays and a proper steering wheel, as opposed to handlebars. The NZT is said to have a monumental 590 horsepower on offer and an all-electric range of 150 miles.
Image Nikola motors
The NZT is due to go on sale in 2021 but it comes with a pretty substantial starting price of $80,000 - so consider this more of a rich person's toy than a genuine consumer product.
And last but not least is a product which is going to prove an awful lot more valuable out in the real world. Its a stair-climbing wheelchair with self-balancing technology. The staircase has always been a wheelchair user’s worst enemy, and often wheelchair users are forced to find an alternative route to their destination or go the long way round via a lift.
Image Tuvie
Not anymore - Scewo, who are a Swiss design and engineering company based in Winterthur - have launched their wheelchair which uses a self-balancing brain, much like a segway, to operate on two wheels. The wheelchair uses a belt-driven mechanism to lean back and climb up staircases.
This epic piece of kit will start from £26,000 and you can preorder now with a £786 deposit, but to test drive on you’ll have to go all the way to the National Museum in Zurich.
So - as everyone makes an effort to go green, there is plenty of interesting new technology in the pipeline, but what are you looking forward to the most? An electric jet-ski, an electric off-roader or an electric stair climbing wheelchair? Let us know in the comments!