PARAVAN VW Caddy 5 Maxi: innovative solution with electric side entry

Many customers with disabilities miss the good old underfloor ramp solution, which can no longer be integrated in many vehicle models. The PARAVAN mobility tinkerers have taken a close look at customer wishes and found a solution for the VW Caddy 5 Maxi – the interior folding ramp now with electric drive. PARAVAN GmbH can thus offer its customers another attractive mobility solution – as a driver or ride-sharing solution. Visitors could test seat at REHACARE from September 13 to 16 at the outdoor area, right next to Hall 6.

The PARAVAN VW Caddy 5 Maxi features electric side entry with an entry height of just under 1.40 meters. At the push of a button, the door opens and the interior ramp extends. This gives the driver the option of parking alongside the road and then entering the vehicle from the sidewalk, for example, either directly in front of the steering wheel or in the passenger seat. "We have made the experience that many customers prefer to enter from the side," says Joachim Glück, mobility consultant at PARAVAN GmbH. With the VW Caddy 5, the advantages of a vehicle can thus be offered that can drive into any underground garage without any problems, without the self-driver in a wheelchair having to forego comforts such as headroom and maneuvering freedom in the car, and with a comfortable interior height of a good 1.50 meters.

To create the necessary headroom, the floor has been lowered from the A to the C-pillar. An integrated air suspension system, which lowers the vehicle when the door is opened, ensures a flat ramp entry angle that is also easy to negotiate with an active wheelchair. The wheelchair can be moved directly in front of the steering wheel and then securely fixed directly to the floor with an appropriate docking station (for example, with the PR50 e-wheelchair as the driver's seat of the associated docking station from PARAVAN), or on the passenger side. In addition, the rear row of seats remains available for additional passengers.

The VW Caddy Maxi 5 can be adapted to almost any disability. The installation of various driving and steering aids is possible, from a simple hand-held device to the complete drive-by-wire system Space Drive, where for gas, brake and steering can be controlled via with individually adapted input devices, such as, for example, joystick, mini steering wheel or gas brake slider. A PARAVAN touch system and voice control can also be installed to operate secondary vehicle functions. Due to the way it is constructed, the VW Caddy also boasts generous ground clearance, which provides protection against damage to the vehicle when negotiating edges and bumps.

REHACARE.com; Source: PARAVAN GmbH