Being submersed in the mobility industry I have seen a lot of trends, fads and gimmicks in the mobility world. That being said, one thing I can say that has changed is, gone are the days of the big power chairs, the lifts, ramps and van conversions. In this fast paced world that we are now living in people just want to go. They want easy, they want light, they want portable, they want to travel and the scooter makers are listening.

With the introduction of the folding scooter, things changed. Scooters got lighter, they got smaller and they became travel friendly.

Then came the Freerider Luggie. They took the folding travel scooter to a whole new level of portability. With the Luggie’s brilliant design they made it possible to never have to lift up the full weight of the scooter. You can slide it into your car, you can roll it up over steps and therefore most people can do this themselves. You don’t need help. You are now independent. You can go to the mall when you want. If you feel like hopping on a plane and taking a river cruise through Europe, no problem. Just fold the Luggie up, slide it in your car and off you go. It’s that easy!

Another major breakthrough that Freerider helped to introduce to the mobility world with the Luggie is Lithium Battery technology. Weighing only 4.5 pounds, the size of a book, and with its universal charger it has the ability to charge anywhere in the world without a wattage adapter. So feel free to take this to South America, Asia or Europe. It will be no problem at all.

Another amazing thing about the Lithium Battery technology is how fast it charges. It takes only two hours to charge it from no charge at all to a full charge. Therefore, there is no need for a spare battery. If you see the charge on the battery getting low, just pull into a coffee shop, order a Cappuccino, plug it in and you’re good to go. When travelling, less is more and the ability to now travel with only one battery is great.

You can see more and more scooter makers now offering the Lithium Batteries and I think five years from now most mobility scooters will come standard with them.

What’s next? With new materials now becoming available they are becoming more durable, more stable, while still becoming lighter. The new 2014 Luggie Elite is the perfect example of where the industry is going. It’s the same weight but has a weight capacity of 320 pounds, a solid frame and still slides into a car.

I love where this is going. I think it’s so great that this technology is creating so much independence for people that previously were at the mercy of their caregivers. I have never seen one particular item make such a positive impact on so many people. I’m excited to see where this goes. How many more doors this will open up for people, get them out of the house and able to see the world.