- PR 50 in connection with PARAVAN docking station and floor assembly certified according to VO 214/ 2014 in connection with UN/ECE-R14, R16 and R17
- Holistic solution for the car driver with wheelchair
- Stefan Ludwig, Head of Wheelchair Systems and Medical Products at PARAVAN GmbH: "Being mobile in this way means great relief and independence for many people"
- Gian-Luca Arca: "The PR 50 mastered a more severe accident with me as co-driver without any problems. I was able to drive out of the docking station unhurt."
PFRONSTETTEN-AICHELAU, 27. Mai 2020. Driving with the electric wheelchair directly in front of the steering wheel in the car, firmly anchored via the docking station, starting the vehicle and driving off - for many people with physical disabilities this has become part of everyday life. "Being mobile in this way means great relief and independence for many of our customers," says Stefan Ludwig, Head of Wheelchair Systems and Medical Products at PARAVAN GmbH. "Particularly in today's world, it is more than clear how important it is for this clientele - who almost exclusively belong to the risk group - to be mobile without outside help and contact with third parties.
With the electric wheelchair PR 50, PARAVAN GmbH with the PARAVAN docking station has a tested system that meets the requirements of the Road Traffic Licensing Regulation (StVZO) § 35a, in conjunction with Regulation 214-2014, UN ECE 14, 16, 17 and ISO 10542-1-2012 as a driver's seat. "In 2019, the PARAVAN PR 50 power wheelchair with the associated docking station was tested again at the DEKRA test centre in accordance with the current European standards as a driver's seat in vehicle class M1 and successfully passed the test," Ludwig is pleased to report.
The seats, safety belts, restraint systems and restraint devices were tested in this context. The PARAVAN PR50 electric wheelchair with seat König K630-GF was certified on the PARAVAN vehicle floor, anchored via the PARAVAN docking station. "We are pleased to be able to continue to offer customers a tested system that fully complies with the current European test guidelines," says the wheelchair manager. "This makes us the only provider able to offer more safety. Customers can drive their PR 50 behind the steering wheel with peace of mind and rely on a tested system".
"If possible, the tests according to the EC type approval regulation are to be applied by the technical service. These are above national law in the legal system", writes Olaf Kretschmann, Head of the Automobil Test Center in Klettwitz am Lausitzring, of DEKRA Automobil GmbH.
This makes the PR 50 the only wheelchair which, in combination with the PARAVAN docking station, is approved as a fully-fledged driver's seat in accordance with the current EC type approval regulation VO214-2014. With a width of only 64 centimeters, the electric wheelchair is very maneuverable. It is individually adapted to the customer's needs down to the last detail. It is also prepared for the installation of respirators, including special headrest and separate power supply. The PR 50 has an integrated 3-point or 4-point belt system, depending on customer requirements. The armrest is adjustable and adaptable up to twelve times.
Up to 50 degrees tilt backwards and 20 degrees forwards are possible. The PR 50 also has a lift function up to a height of 80 cm. This allows the user to meet his counterpart at eye level and to reach higher objects independently, optimal for use at the workplace. The electric wheelchair is equipped with two 300 watt drive motors and is available in six or ten km/h versions. The battery has a range of approx. 30 kilometres. Instead of a joystick, a chin or special control unit can also be fitted. Head control is also possible. With a simple plug-and-play concept, the control unit can be coupled to the existing RNet control unit and can thus be retrofitted. The wheelchair can thus be moved with the smallest of head movements.
"The PR 50 offers me safety, because it has been tested in connection with the docking station Crash" says Boris Nicolai. Since 2013, Para-Boccia national players have been using the electric wheelchair for driving and in everyday life. Before that he had a different model. "This one was much more unstable. You had to compensate for many movements of the wheelchair on the joystick. It is a great advantage for the driver that the PR 50 is constructed more rigidly," he says. "The PR 50 as a driver's seat is really great. It has mastered a more severe accident with me as a passenger without any problems," reports Gian-Luca Arca. "Afterwards I could simply drive out of the docking station and leave the vehicle without any injuries," he reports. "No matter if I drive 30, 50 or 220 km/h, he stands firmly there and you feel safe." Arca has been using the electric wheelchair and his V-Class since 2014. Luca Mussoni has also been driving his PR 50 in a car for a good one and a half years. "My PR50 sits very well on the docking station, even on bumpy tracks it doesn't wobble," he reports. "I think you have a very safe driving experience." The 19-year-old trainee is on the road all day in his E-Rollli, whether driving, at work or in his leisure time.
"Thanks to the large lift function of over 40 centimetres, I can also get into a standing position well, which is not possible with many other manufacturers," adds Boris Nicolai. "In the beginning I missed the springs a little bit, but you get used to it quite quickly", reports Gian- Luca Arca. "There is no such thing as not working. The e-chair is practically my legs, so it is used everywhere, whether in the terrain, mud, beach, forest, snow, ice or a halfpipe. I've had various power wheelchairs, but the PR50 is by far the most powerful."
Way to get wheelchair approval
If a wheelchair as a driver's seat is part of the mobility solution for a customer, the customer needs a corresponding note in the traffic engineering suitability certificate according to §11 of the Driving Licence Ordinance (FeV), Annexes 4 and 5. Under key position 43, it must then be noted: "Seating position of the driver: Tested wheelchair as driver's seat firmly lockable (§ 35a StVZO) with docking station. This means that a wheelchair with the appropriate certification can be approved.
