A Low Cost Self-Driven Electric Three Wheeler with Foldable Ramp for Physically Challenged Persons

The mobility of physically challenged persons has always been a concerning social issue. A wide range of power wheelchair models and contemporarily modified scooters are available for them as a method of road transport. However, these models offer limited mobility, not safer and not ergonomically designed, do not provide any protection from adverse weather conditions and also, they need other people's assistance to board on to them. This paper proposes a development of low cost and user friendly electric three wheeler for physically challenged persons to commute themselves. The most important part of the design is the boarding and alighting from the vehicle without anyone’s assistance and comfortable to ride. This is achieved by designing a foldable ramp that allows a physically challenged person to be wheeled up or down along with the wheelchair and mounted onto the vehicle easily by self. This paper discusses the modeling of chassis frame with foldable ramp followed by analysis. MATLAB simulation is also conducted for sizing of powertrain elements and to estimate the driving range. The developed model is capable of running at a top speed of 25 km/h, can be rode without a driving license, vehicle registration and insurance as well. Hence, the proposed low cost self-driven electric three wheeler with foldable ramp addresses the unique needs of physically challenged persons and easy means of commutation to improve their quality of life.