Even Carts Have Gone Electric — Litheli’s Powered Wagon Makes Uphill Easy

Hi, fellow camping lovers — I’m Hide, tech journalist and part-time house-husband. Now even folding wagons are electric.

This is exactly the kind of thing I’d been looking for. I got to try it ahead of its general release. That said, I’ll lay out the pros and cons with no sugarcoating.

The thing is, wagons like this often end up carrying kids. In places that aren’t too crowded, they’re super convenient, and they free you from the dread of a tired kid starting to fuss in a big open space (lol).

My go-to spot, the Toyohashi Zoo and Botanical Park back home, allows wagons like this, so I always bring one. Showa Kinen Park is the same, right?

In places like this a wagon is super handy, but going uphill takes a lot of energy. That’s where the W1 Pro lets you cruise along without getting tired.

A removable battery is a big plus

Electric gadgets like this often have a built-in battery, but the W1 Pro’s is removable, so charging is easy. Bringing the whole wagon inside every time to charge would be a pain, so I really appreciate this.

On top of that, the battery has ports, so you can use it to charge your phone or laptop. I loved that you can use the battery on its own day to day even when you’re not using the wagon.

Another thing that made me like Litheli as a maker: they have a big lineup of products that run on the same battery.

This battery is the U-BATTERY Plus, and it works with lawn mowers, power tools, garden tools, and more. Their lineup is a bit different from MAKITA, the big name in Japan, which made me even more interested.

Right now it looks like only the slightly smaller U-BATTERY series is available on Amazon Japan, but I hope the W1 Pro is just the start and they keep bringing in more products.

In particular, the Eclair 1000 portable power station has 921 Wh in the main unit and can charge two U-BATTERY Plus packs at once — a perfect charging station for the W1 Pro. Plus, handing out the removable U-BATTERY Plus packs makes it easier for everyone to charge stuff when camping, so I’m really hoping it comes to Japan.

## Even on pavement, being electric makes a difference at curbs

I used it in all sorts of places, and there were moments on pavement where I liked it too. With a heavy load, you usually build up momentum to get these wagons over a curb.

With all that weight, the impact is pretty big — stuff falls off, and if a kid is riding, they hate the jolt.

With the electric wagon, that doesn’t happen at all. Bring the wheels right up to the curb, squeeze the handle, and powerful wheel spin slowly takes you over. The tires are thin, so I was worried about moments like this, but it was smoother and more powerful than I expected.

You can turn the motor on and off and adjust the speed from the handle, and in my case, the fastest setting matched my walking speed.

Next to the battery there’s a pin to prevent accidental activation, so pulling it out when you don’t want the wagon to move keeps things safe.

When you set the brakes on the wheels, it stays firmly in place, so you can use it as a table with peace of mind. There’s also an optional tabletop that goes on top.

I was also surprised how nice it is that the back opens. It helps when loading a lot, but portable power stations are really heavy, so not having to lift them high is convenient.

As a wagon it’s plenty functional, and it’s electric on top of that — so of course it’s convenient.

Almost there — I’d like to see these improved!

What bugged me was how loud the motor is. Loud enough to really stand out if you used it in a supermarket. I’d love to see it get quieter. For now, I think you can work around it by only using the motor in certain situations, like going uphill.

The battery seems to be good for about 3.4 km (just under 30 minutes), so it seems designed for using the motor at key points rather than running it the whole time. But as I said, the battery is detachable, so with several fully charged batteries, you could run it electric the whole time. That’s exactly why the noise is such a shame.

I’d also like options beyond the table. When carrying kids or pets, a roof would make it useful year-round. For example, a roof option with a built-in solar panel would let you charge too — super handy. I’m hoping for that in the future.

Lastly, there’s the weight. At 15.2 kg it’s pretty hefty, so for someone like me who has to carry it up a few flights of stairs, it was a hassle. I assume the weight comes with the powerful motor, but if a carbon frame or something could make it even a little lighter, I’d pick that even if it cost more.

There were a few things that bugged me, but I haven’t seen any other electric folding wagon, and it’s definitely convenient. I especially liked that the battery can be used for other things and that it’s so versatile going forward.

I want to keep using it and put it through its paces.

**Official site: Litheli

Where to buy:** W1 Pro

This story was originally published (in Japanese) on Yahoo! News Japan Expert.