Volkswagen’s latest electric-powered invention is a lot smaller than its usual offering and has a capacity of only…one. But it does have five wheels, although much smaller than you’d expect.
The automaker has been, like many of its counterparts, rapidly expanding their EV line-up. In what is really just a marketing gimmick, their Norwegian commercial division recently designed a high-tech office chair that lets you ride around the workplace.
The chair embodies all the important design features that you can expect to find in one of VW’s work vans, especially with the high-anticipated ID. Buzz, an updated all-electric version of their beloved microbus, expected to go on sale in Europe next year.
The concept is succinctly named “The Chair”, and is essentially one of their heated car seats. Armrests have been added and it is secured onto a base with five wheels. The design includes many familiar VW elements, include metallic finishing, 4-inch solid aluminium rims and the VW logo embroidered on the headrest.
An electric motor powers the chair to a top speed of 12 mph, enough to get you to your meeting on time and knocking one of your co-workers over en route if they ignore the honking of the built-in horn. On your break time, you can blast some tune from the embedded loudspeaker, controlled by the touchscreen media system.
The company didn’t reveal any details on the battery, but that it has a range of 7.8 miles.
Other features that you never knew you wanted in an office chair but now you do are LED headlights to light your way in dimly lit corridors, 360-degree camera to make sure your boss is not looking over your shoulder, a small “boot space” for documents and laptops, and a trailer hitch if you have to move a lot of heavy files. Of course, if the office is a bit chilly, you can turn on the seat warmer.
Unfortunately, The Chair is not for sale. But it is available for a “test drive” in selected local dealerships; in other words, not coming to a place near you, which makes us want one even more.