How to include wheelchair users in the EV transition

Inclusivity should be at the heart of design and engineering and nowhere is this more urgent than in the transition to electric vehicles. Unique customer insights from 760,000 disabled customers across the U.K. underlines that more needs to be done to represent their lived experiences of EVs. The insights they can offer provide valuable lessons for the wider industry and policymakers.

There are tens of thousands of users of wheelchair accessible vehicles (WAVs) who could be left behind in the transition to EVs if the automotive industry does not act to design and manufacture inclusive vehicles.

The architecture of most EVs, featuring floor-mounted batteries, poses challenges for electric wheelchair accessible vehicle (eWAV) conversion and accessibility for wheelchair users. In many EVs, battery placement reduces internal height and space within the cabin and limits available payload. These challenges can force people in a wheelchair to opt for larger vehicles than they need when switching to electric.
 
As Automotive News Europe guest columnist David Mitchell points out, work is being done to cater for the 87 million Europeans who live with some form of disability. Most notably, finding solutions to manufacturing issues such as battery placement and wheelchair hoists in EV vehicles.

However, with the move to EVs fast approaching, is the wider industry doing enough? How does the automotive industry find solutions for passenger WAV users to make the transition to EVs?

What do wheelchair users want and need from a future eWAV?
 
The first thing is accessible design, which is not being considered enough. Research shows that 82 percent of WAV users would prefer a small to midsize eWAV, rather than a midsize to large eWAV.

Interestingly, as ANE guest columnist Julia Poliscanova writes, more than four-fifths of all European drivers opt for cars in the small and compact segments. But close to half of EVs on offer today are large, premium cars.

Other priorities passenger WAV customers are:

• Electronic or automated tailgate and access ramp controls
• Good visibility of surroundings when seated in the vehicle
• Rear heating and air conditioning, with easily accessible controls
• Easy access to features in the rear such as infotainment controls and screens, device charging ports
• Flexible storage
• To feel included in the cabin and closer to the driver and other participants, to aid in communication and connection with others throughout the journey.

The WAV industry is incredible for giving freedom to wheelchair users. Knowing what wheelchair users want from a future-forward eWAV increases the chances of vehicles being fit for purpose and meeting their functional needs. But only if they are designed and engineered with insight from the very start of the development cycle. The incorporation of inclusive design and engineering principles are paramount to the industry developing and manufacturing flexible vehicles for all.

Steps have already been taken to outline what an eWAV with inclusivity could look like.

The eVITA concept is an accessible and versatile EV that incorporates all the key functionality requirements of a passenger eWAV with a compact vehicle footprint, designed from the ground up.

It's developed around a 50-kilowatt-hour lithium ion concept battery that is packaged in such a way that it is completely flat, enabling access into the cabin for wheelchair users. It's a glimpse at what's possible in giving wheelchair users what they want and need — and deserve.

If conversations and collaborations start now across the entire industry — among automotive manufacturers, convertors, the tiered supply chain, government and policymakers — to ensure inclusive design and engineering principles are adopted, everyone could have access to an EV that is just right for them.