Callum takes revolutionary eVITA concept to the road

When design house Callum first revealed the eVITA concept in 2024, it felt as though – for the first time in a long time – the industry was addressing a genuine mobility challenge.

Pain points are often rather exaggerated in the car industry, but the eVITA goes beyond filling a gap between the full-size and mid-size SUV, or a merging of other typologies to create a “much needed entrant” in the market. While useful, they are not necessarily life changing for their prospective owners. Callum's project is very different and could turn car travel into an empowering, joyous experience for those with mobility challenges.

Leaning on a wealth of experience from the UK-based organisation Motability, which represents disabled motorists, the eVITA aimed to completely redesign how a wheelchair-accessible vehicle works. Not only that, but how it is perceived by both user and onlooker. For far too long, WAVs have simply been modified vans – commercial vehicles that are originally built do a job. The desirability factor has always been low to say the least. Modifiers have done their best with what is available, to be fair, but Callum wanted to see what was possible with a fresh approach and a new mindset.

Launched initially as a digital concept, the project has come far in a short space of time and a working prototype is now doing a UK tour. We noted the tasteful approach to CMF on a first peek at MOVE in London this summer, decked out with bright orange (CDN approves) leather seats. On a visit to the Warwickshire studio, Car Design News was given a walkaround with founder Ian Callum and project lead Ruben Lansley to get a bit of a deeper understanding of what went into this. 

From the off it is clear that aesthetics were in mind. Styling is not a word we will use here as the project is absolutely function over form, but it has the stance and presence of something much sportier. Callum notes that the team did of course look at existing vans on the market and generally came away quite underwhelmed, so wanted to remedy that. 

"We realised that the whole ethos of the vehicles being modified was never perfect by nature, so what if you could start afresh, effectively with no compromises?" says Callum. He does not agree with our assertion, but from certain angles there is a hint of 'Supervan' about the eVITA. Pictures do not quite do this justice, you'll have to get out and see it in person. 

That is not to say it is overly muscled with a glaring face. It is curvaceous and approachable — more Elise than F-Type if we are to draw comparison with Callum's more storied designs — with details that will only become obvious up close. 

A speckled effect that runs through the floor of the car is repeated on the rear bumper (employed to prevent the paint from being damaged when the integrated tail ramp is lowered to the ground) and so the team decided to continue that through the side sills and into the front bumper too. We particularly enjoyed the uprated struts that lift and lower the rear door, flanking either side of the car like steel pillars. The lights are modern but not garish, and there is no horizontal light bar to speak of. 

Accessible design can be both functional and good-looking

"The integrated tailgate ramp is a real standout feature for me," notes Sukhi Clark, head of accessible vehicles at Motability, who worked closely with the team during its development. "Our customers have told us this too. If this sort of feature were in mainstream production, it could be game-changing and a cost-effective way of incorporating an electric ramp into vehicles. It shows that accessible design can be both functional and good-looking."

Initial engineering work included taking a stock Vauxhall van and paring it back pretty much to a bare chassis. From there, the interior architecture was mapped out and tweaked using a physical buck, positioned not far from where the 'finished' prototype is during our visit. "Everybody's different, so there is quite an eclectic mix of challenges and opportunities to keep in mind," says Lansley. "But we built up an understanding of what was needed across the board, with no restrictions."

A key goal was to create space and improve visibility, but also to more deeply consider the positioning of the wheelchair user (and their support assistant if needed) who would usually sit directly over the rear axle. The experience is less than ideal, absorbing the bumps and vibrations that come through from the road. By sitting further forward at the centre of the car, the ride is dramatically improved. 

Another major improvement is visibility, with a repositioned and re-shaped side window that cuts upward toward the C-pillar. It might seem counterintuitive — slightly obscuring the view — but the feedback was that existing window treatment was simply a portal to stare at the road or the lower half of the car next to you. 

"I remember we were going down to Bristol where Motability is based and the visibility was quite horrific," explains Lansley. "The issue with a typical WAV is that you're sitting so high and the cant rail is in the way. You end up just looking at the moving road. That's all you see. With the eVITA we deliberately lifted the waistline and the cant rail, so the line of sight from the side glass is now at the correct point, even if that looks higher than normal."

Indeed, none of these design cues have come through assumption. Callum's designers spent plenty of time travelling in existing WAVs and fed their own experience into the design process alongside focus groups with wheelchair users and feedback from Motability. Ingress and egress were obvious considerations alongside the in-vehicle experience, and the architecture of the cabin has been reworked such that wheelchair users can flare their elbows without catching the sides of the car — real issues flagged by real people, remember. 

It's a great example of what happens when we stop designing with compromise

"I was lucky enough to be involved throughout the design and engineering phases, so I had the inside track. But when I saw the finished concept for the first time, it definitely didn’t disappoint," notes Clark. "The design brought all our customer insights to life in a smart, eye-catching way, both on the inside and out. It felt like a concept that genuinely could meet the real-world needs of wheelchair users and we’re confident the features could be incorporated into future electric wheelchair accessible vehicles (eWAVs)."

Storage has never been particularly well resolved in WAVs on the market today, and so care went into providing the same creature comforts one might expect in the front row but also additional spaces to store bags and clothing on board. No dumping in a heap here. Deep storage bins sit toward the rear, angled for easy access but steep enough to prevent items flying out while driving. 

A wide instrument panel takes centre stage, complete with wireless charging pad and more spots to hang or store items where convenient. That same square unit, nicely upholstered in line with the rest of the interior, also carries dials for independent air conditioning and music control. Just as a driver would have. 

"In a typical WAV it feels like you do not necessarily have access to things you'd normally have, like cup holders or phone charging. It's just empty space around you," explains Lansley. "With eVITA, it was more about making it feel like a car interior with your own cockpit. There are things around you that you can control and it generally makes you feel more secure within the vehicle."

"The word 'empowered' has come up a lot," adds Callum. "When we showed it to wheelchair users who'd been with us through the whole process and they were absolutely delighted with it. They wanted this car and one lady even said "at last!". We learned this is something they would feel proud to have, and something they feel would genuinely enrich their lives."

As its prefix suggest, this is an electric vehicle and so care has also gone into the process of charging it up. Ports are mounted at both the front and rear — and mounted slightly lower down — to ensure parking is one less thing to worry about. 

All things considered, this is an effort that should be applauded on many fronts as it seems to have balanced core functional targets with a product that many would desire for reasons beyond a wheelchair. It is objectively cool and we can see scope for a true multi-purpose vehicle that eliminates the need for a two-car solution at home. 

It is poetic that Ian Callum began his journey in design with a project that considered a very similar issue. "When I did my degree at Glasgow School of art back in 1977, I won a Royal Society of Arts bursary for designing a wheelchair lift to go on the roof of a car. 

"We didn't build it, but in the process I went to see a few wheelchair users to see how this would work, including the Duke of Buccleuch, who lived nearby and was a wheelchair user. All this takes me back, although it is a little odd that 50 years later it is still a broader issue that's not really been resolved."

For now, the aim is to continue the roadshow and gain valuable real-world feedback. The viability of such a dedicated project remains a little hazy, and it is important to point out that this is still a concept, not a production-ready vehicle. But as Clark emphasises: "The prototype shows what’s possible when you think about accessibility at the concept stage and is a great example of what happens when we stop designing with compromise."

As a side note Callum does point out that this is also a wake up call to the rest of the industry who could feasibly better service the many wheelchair users who would benefit from more of a tailored, ground-up approach. In the UK alone, Motability says 1.2 million people currently use a wheelchair. That is no small market to address.