A Vehicle in Which Performance Is Measured by Wheelchair Access
June 25, 2010
Production of the MV-1 is expected to begin in the fourth quarter.
A Miami company that had come to the New York auto show in 2007 to unveil a new taxi that had seating for four in the rear and room for a wheelchair, is about to tour the country to show off a similar vehicle, but this time wheelchair access is taking center stage.
The vehicle, the MV-1 (for the first mobility vehicle), has been designed and engineered to offer easy access for wheelchairs. It features a manual access ramp (designed to withstand heavy power wheelchairs); an anti-slip floor and ramp surface; and a restraint system to secure the wheelchair. It also includes a spacious entry way and interior, which allows the wheelchair or scooter user to easily maneuver to be able to sit in the front, next to the driver.
On Monday, the vehicle will make its official debut in Philadelphia, the first stop on a 27-city road show that includes New York on July 2-4 and ends in San Diego in mid-September. The MV-1 will be shown at rehabilitation centers, assisted living centers and hospitals, giving fleet operators, caregivers and consumers a chance to check it out.
“None of the vehicles available today are designed for people with disabilities” even though this summer marks the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, said Dave Schembri, chief executive of the Vehicle Production Group of Miami, makers of the MV-1.
“It exceeds ADA vehicle guidelines by almost every measure,” said Marc D. Klein, executive vice president of business development.
Production is scheduled to begin in the fourth quarter of this year at the AM General assembly plant in Mishawaka, Ind., the former home of the nonmilitary Hummer, which is no longer being produced, Mr. Klein said.
Originally called the Standard Taxi, which was never sold, the name was changed and the vehicle redesigned once the company realized it had a market beyond commercial use. Many consumers asked “‘if it’s not painted yellow, can we use it, too?’” Mr. Klein said. The company said the MV-1 can still be used as a taxi.
The company received about $160 million in financing from Perseus L.L.C., a merchant bank and private equity group. About $20 million of that is from T. Boone Pickens, split between private funds and through his Clean Energy Fuels Corporation, according to the Vehicle Production Group.
The price is expected to be under $40,000 for the base vehicle. More than 4,000 advance orders have been placed, Mr. Schembri said. About 40 percent of the orders are for vehicles that will use a compressed natural gas fueling system.
Currently, consumers who want wheelchair accessible vehicles must first buy a vehicle and then arrange to have it retrofit.
But Peter Schenkman, former assistant commissioner for the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission, said “there are some safety concerns with modifications taking place,” which are not overseen by law.
He said he has no such safety concerns for the MV-1.
“I have been to the factory. They are taking all appropriate precautions and doing the right things to test the vehicle,” Mr. Schenkman said. “But from a mechanical standpoint, from a visual standpoint and from a business model standpoint, there are a lot of mistakes,” he said. The vehicle is too large to be widely used by taxi fleets on the streets of New York, and the fact that the company is marketing directly and not through more traditional mobility dealerships may pose customer service issues for the consumer, he said.
But Eric Lipp, executive director of the Open Doors Organization, a nonprofit group in Chicago serving disabled people, said the car has “the support of just about every disabled organization in the country. If these types of vehicles become more widespread, people with disabilities would gain a freedom like never before,” he said.
Source; New York Times - wheels.blogs.nytimes.com
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