Children’s Hospital Uses Electric Cars To Uplift Children & Ease Their Stress During Treatments

By Ameera Rosli  •  04 Jan 2022 in JUICE ♥

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Electric cars have become all the rage across the globe, especially due to the skyrocketing success of Tesla.

However, as we all know, these cars can cost a pretty penny and while it’s available on the market, it’s not quite accessible to the everyday Joe and Jane in Malaysia.

While that may be the case here, it’s a completely different story in the States, most notably at Children’s Health of Orange County (CHOC).

When we think of cars, most of us would not picture a child behind the wheel but CHOC has managed to utilise this electric vehicle for a brilliant cause – Project Courage.

Electric car, Shogo – made by Honda – has been used for children between the ages of 4-9 years old at the children’s ward as a means of entertainment.

Similar to the brightly coloured toy cars seen in shopping malls, these vehicles are used to ease the stress of these children who are awaiting treatment.

The car moves at a maximum speed of 8 kilometers per hour and it has a designated slot that fits an IV bag as well as a cargo for stuffed toys.

As a safety precaution, the car can also be controlled by adults with an emergency button to stop it just in case.

Another cool feature is that the registration plate can be changed to the patient’s name, making each child feel special.

See it in action below:

At CHOC, you can see children zooming through the hallways en route to their treatments and it is all an effort to build courage in children so they can brave through their illnesses.

According to Hundy Liu, manager of national automobile advertising, American Honda Motor Company, “Creating Shogo to help support these patients during what can be a stressful time in the hospital has been a labor of love for our passionate team of Honda associates and we’re especially proud to introduce Shogo during this holiday season at CHOC.

“To see the joy on the faces of these young patients when they get behind the wheel of Shogo is truly rewarding.”

The team also aims to make hospital trips a more joyous experience thus erasing any fear that could inhibit the children from wanting to continue their treatments.

While electric cars are not yet a commodity in Malaysia, we are glad to see it being used for such a positive effort in other countries.