Ford Last Mile Mobility Challenge has received proposals for over 600 electric personal assistant devices from Ford employees around the world for moving people or goods in urban areas. The objective is to develop electric personal assistant devices that will help to make transportation better in areas where vehicles are not permitted or practical, and which help people to get to their final destination from their car.
Among the 633 proposals for personal mobility solutions is the Carr-E, developed by Kilian Vas, a Ford systems engineer based in Cologne, Germany. The Carr-E can transport people or objects up to 120kg, has a range of 22 kilometres and a top speed of 18km/h. The four-wheeled device is designed to complement the use of a vehicle and support commuters during the final part of their journey, between parking space and destination. The Carr-E can also be used to transport heavy objects. Users simply place the object on the device and it will follow an electronic transmitter they keep in their possession.
The innovative transport solution is shortlisted for the innovation challenge finals alongside the TriCiti, a folding electric tricycle that can be easily adapted into a shopping cart, stack trolley or golf buggy; and the eChair, an electric wheelchair concept that can be autonomously loaded into a vehicle.
The TriCiti – developed by James Neugebauer, Torsten Gerhardt and Robert Spahl, all working within Vehicle Architecture, Ford of Europe – is also designed to be both a rideable device and all-purpose carrying assistant. The foldable transportation solution can be adapted to carry shopping or items such as golf bags, and can easily be taken onto public transport or stored in a vehicle. The TriCiti has a range of 30 kilometres and a top speed of 20km/h.
The eChair – developed by Gunther Cuypers, Robin Celis and David Longin, all engineers at Ford’s Lommel Proving Grounds in Belgium – is a lightweight electric wheelchair with a self-loading solution, designed to offer greater independence to people with reduced mobility.
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