Modified van

A van that can be fully controlled with a joystick - suitable for people with severe disabilities
User drives his car with space driver
User drives his car with space driver

The user drives a Mercedes Vito with its floor lowered. He uses his right hand to steer the van using a joystick that has three functions: steer, accelerate and brake. The gearbox is controlled with a touch button that sits in front of the joystick. He also has a joystick for his left hand to operate the turn signal, high and low beams, windshield wipers and cruise control.
The van is modified with a ramp in the back. When the ramp is lowered, the van is also lowered hydraulically; the ramp is partially recessed into the van. In order to drive, the user moves from his electric wheelchair to the driver’s seat, which has a Recaro seat. The van seat can rotate, the height is adjustable, and it can be moved backwards to make it easier to transfer between the van and the wheelchair. The electric wheelchair is anchored and locked in place behind the passenger seat.

Model: Space drive from Paravan, paravan.com (control module), last checked January 2021.

Users comments
In the beginning the user had some problems with the space driver, but after several complaints and adjustments it now works fine.

Made by
Modified by: BEWA intraf, vehicle technology, bewaintraf.com (in Swedish), last checked January 2021.

Paid for by
Swedish Social Insurance Agency

User drives his car with space driver (close-up)
User drives his car with space driver (close-up)
Driver’s seat moved backward; foreground shows anchor for wheelchair
Driver’s seat moved backward; foreground shows anchor for wheelchair
User drives into his car
User drives into his car

Author: Lars 1

Lars arbetar heltid, bland annat som handikappkonsulent i Lysekil Kommun. Han är skadad sedan 1991 och har en hög inkomplett tetraplegi. Han har personlig assistans 10 timmar per dag.

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