When I first sat in the Strutt EV1, I wasn’t expecting to feel like a passenger in a self-driving Waymo taxi. But that’s exactly what it was. Instead of ferrying me around the roads in an electric car, it was navigating tight corners indoors.
It’s an electric wheelchair, but this isn’t like any wheelchair you’ve seen before. It’s more like the self-driving car version of mobility tech, packed with sensors, wrapped in a smart design, and still intuitive enough to just get in and go.
At the heart of the EV1 is what Strutt calls the evSense system. It’s kitted out with LiDAR, cameras, ultrasonic sensors, and even time-of-flight sensors. The result is a 360-degree view of your surroundings, interpreted in real time to avoid obstacles, navigate tight corners, and automatically stop if something’s in your way. Yes, it’ll put the brakes on for you if your cat strolls past. Or a toddler. Or, more likely, some bloke on his phone not looking where he’s going.
It’s got a four-wheel active drive system that glides effortlessly over different terrains. Indoors, outdoors, carpet, gravel, you name it. It turns on a 1:1 movement from the joystick, handles slopes like a champ, and made me realise just how primitive traditional wheelchairs still are. The joystick placement is spot on, and the armrests adjust in ways that actually make sense for people of different shapes and sizes.
There’s also a refreshing lack of tech-show gimmickry here. Strutt hasn’t gone for bells and whistles, they’ve gone for dignity. Every design choice has clearly come from people who’ve actually spoken to mobility users rather than guessing what they’d like. And the team behind it isn’t shy about that. Tony Hong, the founder, spoke about bridging the gap between world-changing tech and the everyday barriers people face. It’s less “look at our shiny gadget” and more “this might actually change your life.”
While I got the chance to see the Strutt EV early, it’s now been officially launched at $7499. Strutt is also exploring finance options and partnerships with health insurers. If you need more convincing, you can book a test drive before you order.
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