French carmaker Citroen, which is owned by automotive group Stellantis, has revealed a prototype designed for people with disabilities which aims to make life a bit easier for those who have lost the use of one or both of their lower limbs.
Called “Ami for All,” the project is based on the diminutive Citroen Ami electric quadricycle and has been made in collaboration with the French company Pimas, which specializes in converting vehicles for Persons with Reduced Mobility.
The prototype was presented at the Autonomic trade fair in Paris, France, and features an increased door opening angle, a board and straps to transfer from the wheelchair to the seat, mechanical and manual controls for accelerating and braking, and a solution to transport the wheelchair inside or outside the EV.
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The idea behind the conversion is that there’s no need for a second person to help with the loading and unloading, thus empowering Disabled Persons to lead an active life without depending on a third party or using public transport.
“Ami for All is perfectly in line with the Ami philosophy: to offer a practical response to access to mobility for all, said Thierry Koskas, Citroen CEO. “Ami has reintroduced ease of movement to micro-journeys and given more independence to teenagers, the elderly, and those without a driving license. We are delighted to present this technical solution to support the mobility of Disabled People and we are working to make this project achievable in the short term.”
To get inside, customers have to place the wheelchair parallel to the passenger compartment after opening the driver’s door. Then, a retractable shelf is unfolded to allow the person to be transferred independently from the wheelchair into the passenger compartment with help from a strap that’s fixed to the top of the interior door frame.
The wheelchair itself can be transported inside the Ami, but the wheels have to be removed and secured in the footwell using a specially designed strap, while the folded wheelchair fits on the passenger seat and is secured with an additional seatbelt. Alternatively, if there’s someone to help, the wheelchair can be secured on an aluminum luggage rack fitted on the back of the Ami.
To drive the converted electric quadricycle, the driver has a knob on the steering wheel to make it easy to grip and a mechanical lever that controls both the acceleration and braking by pushing or pulling it. At the same time, the pedals are still present and operational.
The regular Citroen Ami was revealed in 2020 as an urban mobility solution with a clever design that makes use of simple ideas to make it affordable and easily serviceable, such as the two identical doors, as well as the identical plastic moldings for both the front and the rear.
It features a 6-kilowatt (8-horsepower) electric motor powered by a 5.5-kilowatt-hour battery pack tucked under the floor which enables a WLTP range of 47 miles (75 kilometers) on a single charge. To top up the battery, a regular 240-volt household outlet can be used to fully charge it at a rate of 2.3 kW in around 3 hours. Top speed is limited to 28 mph (45 kph), making it legal to drive it in Europe for teenagers who are 15 or older. Following the launch of the Ami, Stellantis revealed the Opel Rocks-e and the Fiat Topolino, both of which are based on the same underpinnings as the French variant.
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