Driving Office Chair
There are currently cases of office chairs on the market that can be “driven,” but most are limited-edition or marketing-oriented products and have not been widely adopted.
Volkswagen once produced an electric office chair capable of being driven, launched by Volkswagen Norway. This office chair features a design inspired by car seats and integrates automotive components such as a touchscreen, headlights, and a “reverse” radar imaging system, making its functionality closer to that of a small vehicle. Its power system is driven by an electric motor, with a top speed of up to 20 kilometers per hour. It can travel approximately 12 kilometers on a one-hour charge, offering limited range but sufficient for short-distance mobility. Additionally, it is equipped with features such as seat heating, music playback, seat belts, reverse camera, radar detection, storage compartments, and a towing hook, essentially transplanting car configurations onto an office chair. However, only one such product exists globally, and it has not entered mass production. Its primary purpose is to support Volkswagen’s marketing activities for commercial vehicles, attracting public attention through its fun design.
Another example comes from a collaboration between Toyota Boshoku, a subsidiary of Toyota, and the Japanese office furniture brand Itoki. Together, they transformed the electric front seats of the Toyota Crown model into office chairs, included in the “Crown Premium Selection” series. The modified office chairs retain the original car’s electric adjustment, lumbar support, ventilation, and heating functions, while replacing the seat belt buckle with a USB charging port, balancing practicality with office needs. Priced at 495,000 yen (approximately RMB 21,000), only 70 units are available for sale globally, exclusively at Toyota Crown’s dedicated store in Japan, “THE CROWN.” If the number of applicants exceeds the limit, purchasing eligibility will be determined by a lottery, further highlighting its rarity.
From a technical perspective, both products are based on the mature design of car seats, achieving mobility or functional expansion by integrating electric motors, batteries, and electronic control systems. However, due to cost, safety, and market demand constraints, such “drivable office chairs” lean more toward conceptual displays or high-end collectibles and have not yet achieved规模化生产 (mass production). If technology matures and costs decrease in the future, more practical mobile office devices may emerge, but for now, they remain a niche innovation.
