Overview of our requirements
We are looking for a power add-on for an ultralight rigid frame wheelchair (probably a TiLite ZRA). It will primarily be used outside at the house in the garden and shed, around the neighbourhood, at the nearby nature area, going to stores, visiting friends and while doing hobbies like painting and theatre.
It will also be put into the auto so it can be used to visit family and friends and going to events, and when traveling by airplane. We think it will be used inside the house some of the time also, and at places like restaurants and pubs where a manual ultralight wheelchair on it´s own is better to get around.
Our requirements are
- Range around 30 kilometers / 18.5 miles (more is good, but not necessary)
- Speed around 2-7 kilometers per hour / 1.25-4.3 miles per hour (more is good, but not necessary)
- Easy to self ride with one hand, due to hemiparesis, weakaness in one side of the body.
- Not a big footprint to be able to negoiate around obstacles, doorways and crowded places.
- Ease of use (not complicated) with all of the instruments and brakes on one side.
- Cost in combination with an ultralight manual wheelchair that is lower than a power chair.
- Easy to self connect/disconnect, or with minimal assistance from others, with no use of tools or heavy parts to move.
- No heavy adapter/mounting system when it is not in use, so that the manual chair is not weighted down when self propelling.
- Do not want modifications to the manual chair that compromise it’s use when being used manually
- Abiliity to handle ramps, inclines, and small curbs with safety mechanisms for brakes, tips and lights,
- Built in suspension to help with bumps to avoid seizures, and the ability add a SmartWheel that connects to the front frame, to minimize bumps from the wheelchair front casters. .
- Ability to be separated from the chair for places that are not fully accessible, which is common in Europe.
- Easy to leave unattended and locked so it does not get ripped-off if we leave it outside.
- Easily transportable to take in the auto or on airplanes, with charging possibilities in other countries (Europe, UK, US, etc.)
- Easy to maintain with parts that can be replaced easily and cheaply online, without needing to order through dealers or wait for repair people.
- Latest technology with light weight long running batteries, preferably Lithium-ion polymer (li-po) as of the date of this research.
- The ability to add a rack in front to be used when shopping and lights for driving at night.
- It would also be good if the power add can also be used with a TiLite 2GX folding ultralight wheelchair.
Our requirements are not
- Other Power Add-ons with fixed mounts on the chair like AAT max-e, Benoit Solutions Light Drive, because they are not easily connected with one hand and too heavy to leave on the chair when not in use.
- A Power Handbike because we are looking into this separately.
- A Power / Manual Assist, like Decon E-Move, Alber e-Motion or e-Fix, NuDrive, Wijit, Rio Mobility Pivot, etc, because these either need to be operated with one hand (due to hemiparesis) or they can not be easily removed or are too heavy when wanting to self-propel.