Like many customers, Svenjas main concern is to drive a car that equips her for the automotive future.
"I drive an electric car because it was important to me that I have a vehicle that is future-proof," says Svenja Gluth quite proudly as she takes delivery of her PARAVAN Skoda ENYAQ. "I want to do something good for the environment, and besides, it's a great driving experience." Svenja's new car is equipped with the PARAVAN Space Drive system. She will control her new Skoda with 2-way joysticks. With her right hand she steers, with her left hand she operates the gas and brake.
The 28-year-old has been dependent on an active wheelchair for many years, from which she transfers to the car. With the help of the Robot 3.000 wheelchair loading aid, she can easily stow the wheelchair in the trunk. This is Svenja's second car and first PARAVAN. She operates the vehicle's secondary functions - such as the sun visor - by voice control with PARAVAN Touch or Voice Control. In addition, a switch is installed on the steering's right joystick. "On it I have a button for all the important functions, such as turn signals, windshield wipers or horn." This means the young mother is completely independent on the road - without having to rely on outside help.
The Skoda Enyaq is one of the first customer projects of a battery-powered vehicle (BEV) in combination with Space Drive. "But demand is picking up significantly and orders are also increasing - if it's possible," says PARAVAN mobility consultant Maurice Möritz, who accompanied Svenja on her way to her new car. "There are still some obstacles, such as the permitted total weight. With electric wheelchairs and cassette lifts, we quickly reach technical limits there with larger vehicles."
The conversion hardly differs from that of an internal combustion engine. The on-board power supply is 12 volts, as in internal combustion vehicles, and Space Drive is operated via this supply. Energy consumption is minimal, unlike conventional steering. In addition, there is also the backup battery, in case the power supply is ever disrupted. The only peculiarity: the electric car does not have a starter motor. "A special software in the Space Drive control unit sends an appropriate signal to the system," says PARAVAN technician Daniel Haberbosch. "There should be no loss of range due to the steering."
However, the wheelchair loading system in the vehicle also draws power from the battery. For Svenja, however, that doesn't matter in everyday life. The loading aid ensures that Svenja Gluth not only gets from point A to point B, but can also get in and out of the vehicle on the move without assistance from others and can fall back on her wheelchair at any time.
She has now been on the road with her Skoda Enyaq for a good two months. She has already covered almost 3,000 kilometers. She currently uses the vehicle for everyday errands, but soon the clerk and head of her hometown will be on her way to work again, 40 kilometers away. "I'm very happy to be mobile again," she says. "The choice was a good one, the electric car is very pleasant to drive and I also get on very well with the Space Drive system. The transition was very easy."
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