Callum eVITA EV caters for wheelchair users
Ramp access and flexible seating arrangements are just some of the ways British design firm hopes to improve accessibilityEx-Jaguar design boss Ian Callum’s new consultancy has pulled the drapes off a new all-electric Callum eVITA concept that is claimed to be the first electric vehicle created with the needs of wheelchair users in mind.
Developed in partnership with British charity Motability, the eVITA is a purpose-built mid-size people-mover alternative to adapted cars and vans that are, more often than not, compromised in terms of driver and passenger comfort or practicality.
Measuring 4520mm long and 1908mm wide, the electric Callum MPV is around 80mm shorter than a Toyota RAV4, but slightly wider (+53mm) and substantially taller at 1800mm (+110mm), providing the headroom it needs for a wheelchair user to move around freely within.
Said to be the result of extensive research carried out by Callum and his team, the eVITA mounts its battery – a 50kWh pack that should provide a range of more than 320km – under the front seats, rather than between the front and rear axle like other EVs.
This approach allows for a much lower floor that sees a wheelchair user in the rear sitting at a similar level to the driver and passenger in the front row.
The lower rear floor improves ingress and egress for the wheelchair user, while on the move the lower positioning should provide for more stability and reduce the chances of travel sickness, which some people suffer when perched up high in vans.
Other handy features include the rear cabin area’s twin sliding doors and unusual split tailgate that’s said to provide some weather protection.
There’s also a ‘utility bar’ that gives the rear passenger their own touch-screen for the climate control and media unit, while the simple design of the cabin is said to enhance the on-board serenity and reduce the chance of irritating rattles that plague many van conversions.
The unique packaging of the eVITA could also be applied to other applications, including a campervan or delivery vehicle.
Callum Design says it will partner with any manufacturer willing to bring it to reality.
“We did a lot of research with wheelchair users, and a lot of feedback we got was that people who use the [more traditional] converted vehicles feel they stand out a bit,” said chief designer Aleck Jones.
“So, we were really conscious that the overall aesthetic of this was something that not only a wheelchair user would look at and go, ‘Wow, that’s my car’ or ‘I want that thing!’”
Ian Callum added: “The nice thing about it is, now we’ve designed this, if we wanted it to be a vehicle that might not just be a wheelchair user’s vehicle, we could create something that maybe even appealed to uses such as pushbikes or motorbikes or camping or something like that.
“We certainly don’t want to give people the notion that it only has one practical use. We really believe if we design it properly, we will attract people who use it for other things.
“Because we’ve resolved the issue of the battery being in the wrong place, therefore we’ve opened up the back for a lot more activity.”
Related: Wild Callum Skye all-terrain EV revealed
Related: Production Callum Vanquish 25 by R-Reforged revealed
Related: Rules are ruining car design, says Callum
For everything you auto know about EVs, listen to carsales' Watts Under the Bonnet: the electric car podcast
Please see our Editorial Guidelines & Code of Ethics (including for more information about sponsored content and paid events). The information published on this website is of a general nature only and doesn’t consider your particular circumstances or needs.
