12:23 AM, June 24, 2017 / LAST MODIFIED: 03:37 PM, June 24, 2017

Driving on a wheelchair

Driving on a wheelchair

An elderly gentleman celebrating the purchase of his Elbee mobility vehicle. COURTESY: Elbee Mobility

Many men have boyhood dreams of building their own car. The vast majority grow out of the idea. But Ladislav Brázdil and his two sons made sure their dreams came true: Elbee Mobility, their family business in the small town of Loštice in the Olomouc district of North Moravia, the Czech Republic, is now manufacturing its own cars. The Elbee vehicle opens from the front, and you don't climb in, but ride straight into it with a wheelchair.

The front-end opening of the car is an innovation that enables a new kind of independence for wheelchair users travelling by car.

Ordinary vehicles adapted for wheelchair users simply do not resolve the problem of what to do with the wheelchair. If wheelchair users don't have enough strength to stow their wheelchairs themselves, they need someone to help. A major advantage of front-end opening is that wheelchair users can park the car face-on to the curb and can ride out of the car safely among pedestrians on the sidewalk, instead of onto the roadway.

The current price is CZK 600,000 (almost USD 25,000), and although the effective purchase price can be cut by two-thirds thanks to various subsidies and reliefs, it is still cheaper for wheelchair users to modify a normal car. Indeed many have already drawn on all the available subsidies to do this. Despite this, dozens of Elbee cars are now on the roads of Europe.

The Elbee automobile marks a major breakthrough in travel for the disabled. According to Ladislav Brázdil Jr, "We've had reactions from people saying that thanks to the Elbee they're now learning to drive and they are regaining strength and ability. In our small way, we're restoring their lives."

http://www.elbeemobility.com/

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