Text and Pictures: Peter Palm. Article from the November 2013 issue of CAR Magazine.

Thanks to ingenious customisations, being disabled doesn’t mean you can’t drive a car.

Thanks to a combination of electronics, pneumatics and hydraulics, blended with generous helpings of ingenuity and technical acumen, a vehicle can be modified for a physically disabled person to drive. A company that performs such modifications is EasyDriveWC (www.easydrivewc.co.za) in Somerset West. Headed by Johan Cilie, the company manufactures its own equipment and also imports specialised components from Guidosimplex Sri in Italy and Sirus Automotive in the United Kingdom.

The options

Not all disabilities are the same and therefore solutions are tailored for individual customers. Some might have lost the use of their legs, and others an arm. Limited strength or partial use of any limb adds even more complexity to the design. Individual solutions may include:

Transmission: automatic is the way to go, but some van-style vehicles are supplied only with manual gearboxes, in which case a pneumatic or hydraulic clutch-actuator conversion may be required.

Accelerator: handles (either via rods, cables or rheostat and circuitry) can be ring-mounted in front or behind the steering wheel, or adjacent to the wheel.

Brakes: they’re usually operated by means of rods and levers. Increased servo assistance may be required.

Steering: modifying the spool-valve torsion bar can reduce effort. Electrically assisted racks can also be adjusted.

Ancillary equipment: Lights, indicators, wipers and audio controls can be condensed into a single pod with multiple function buttons.

Wheelchair storage: this can be on the roof via a lifting apparatus, or for in-car storage via a side-mounted or rear-mounted ramp.

Adaptation: a bonus is the system’s ability to disconnect the aids, allowing other family members to drive the car. This adds significantly to the costs involved.

Which Car?

Experts can adapt most vehicles, but certain cars are better suited to conversion. You should look for vehicles with doors that open wide, have van-like interior space, low loading heights, automatic transmission and light power steering.

The two vehicles recommended by Sirus Automotive (sirusautomotive.co.uk) are the VW Caddy 1,6 TDI and Fiat Qubo 1,3 Multi-Jet. Sirus Automotive has various modifications that allow a wheelchair- bound driver to wheel up the rear ramp into the car and then either drive the car from a wheelchair or transfer from wheelchair to driver’s seat. The Qubo (tested in October 2013) has the advantage of an extremely low load height of just 510 mm.

Conversion costs

Any car can be converted, but some, especially the latest luxury cars, are very complex and items such as airbags and features all have to be disconnected, adjusted/transformed and then reconnected.

The basic push-pull system modification (hand controls to brake and accelerate) costs around R7 000. At the top end, a brand-new, fully imported vehicle with a modified rear platform and suspension, plus basic hand controls, costs in the region of R780 000.

Case study: Richard’s story 

Richard Heath has been a quadriplegic for over two decades (although he has retained strength in his arms). After driving a modified US Ford Ecoline 5,8 V8 LHD, it was time to modernise and save on the heavy fuel bills.

EasydriveWC’s Johan Cilie set about putting a plan together that started with enquiries in the UK. There, disability grants allow for the replacement of special vehicles every three years, which means there are several right-hand-drive, used vehicles for sale. One such car – a 2010 VW Caddy TDI DSG automatic – was bought at an auction house, imported to SA and then further modified.

Sirus Automotive had already completed the main customisation, which allowed the wheelchair to ramp up the back of the vehicle all the way to the driver’s seat. The rear seats were removed and the floor was lowered and a docking station was fitted that holds the wheelchair in place.

Richard needed lighter steering with a hand clamp, but a standard push-pull accelerator/brake system was adequate.

Hydraulic pumps and actuators take care of the operations, and opening the hatch and lowering the ramp is done with a remote key.

The vehicle can house two passengers and another seat can be folded down from the right-hand panel. This Caddy with 2 000 km on the clock was imported and customised at a total cost of about R450 000.

Source:  carmag.co.za