Translogic checks out the made-for-wheelchairs Kenguru EV

The people behind the subway-friendly, all-electric Kenguru have experienced many of the ups and downs that other start-up EV companies are all too familiar with. In fact, when you first go to the Kenguru website, it doesn't ask if you want to buy a car, it says "Investors Wanted!"

But that drama hides a simple idea that is executed so well here. The Kenguru is basically a battery-powered, car-shaped wrapper for a wheelchair. That idea, to help people with mobility difficulties achieve a new level of independence, is elucidated nicely by Stacy Zoern, CEO of Community Cars (the company now behind the Kenguru; the vehicle was originally designed by Rehab, Ltd in Hungary) in a new video by our friends at Translogic. Watch it below.

Based in Pflugerville, TX, Community Cars assembles the Kenguru by hand, but it currently doesn't have enough money to make and sell them (see: call for investors). The latest hiccup isn't stopping Zoern, who says that a joystick-driven model is coming next. This will be a big deal for her, because, as you can see in the video when she shakes hands, she does not have the upper-body strength to drive the current version. She has driven a car before, a converted "normal" car that cost $80,000, but ended up getting into an accident, making the cheaper Kenguru – at $25,000 – both personal and practical. We think that the Kenguru is also a perfect candidate for wireless charging.

The RWD, fiberglass Kenguru has but one door – in the back to allow a wheelchair to roll on in – and has a top speed of 45 kilometers an hour (28 miles per hour) and a range of somewhere between 70 and 110 km (43-68 miles). It also qualifies, in some areas, for both green vehicle credits as well as vocational rehabilitation incentives. That just might make it the best kind of hybrid. See for yourself in the video below.