Project D3

New Designers 21 Nov 2012

Project D3 is a study of an electric city car designed to be driven by paraplegics and tetraplegics directly from their wheelchair. The authors are Thanos Pappas and Konstantinos Malandrinos from Greece.

Compared to other vehicles in this class, the D3 can accommodate one more passenger, which is really important as a many tetraplegics need a personal assistant with them all the time.

“Besides that”, as the authors explain, “people in wheelchairs have the same need of companionship as everyone else so it is wrong to keep them isolated in a vehicle.”

The vehicle has a unique suspension system designed by Korres Engineering that gives the vehicle a balanced ride.

It can also adjust the riding height so that the back can lower to the ground (or to sidewalk level) which turns the vehicle’s floor into a ramp.

Both the driver and the passenger enter the vehicle from the rear door.

The passenger sits on a folding seat, located on the side of the vehicle in order to maximize space and make access and egress from the read door easier.

The car can fit almost every wheelchair that is available on the market (electric or not).

The driving controls could be a joystick system for tetraplegics, but there will also be other versions with handlebar for paraplegics.

Project D3 is a heavy quadricycle. Power comes from 4 hub motors producing a total output of 6kW. The energy comes from two 240A batteries visible from the outside, one on each side of the vehicle.

The estimated range is 100km on every charge. The total weight of the vehicle is estimated to be 450 kg without the passengers.

The dimensions of the car are: 2550mm length, 1350mm width, 1700mm height.

The lower part of the vehicle could be used as a common platform for other types of vehicles too – like a convertible city car.

The project is still under development and there are plans for a full-scale working prototype.

About the Designers

Konstantinos Malandrinos (exterior and interior design) and Thanos Pappas (research, exterior and interior design) worked on this project for Korres Engineering in Greece.

Thanos Pappas is a final-year student in the Department of Product and System Design (University of the Aegean) in Greece.

Konstantinos Malandrinos has been involved in the creation of several prototype projects in Greece and he has experience in the automotive design field.

Korres Engineering is a small private company based on the collaboration of a number of experienced Engineers with a wide spectrum of activities (structure relocation/ consulting, subcontracting and specialized design on large infrastructural projects, vehicle design) .

During the last 10 years they have been evolving a special vehicle with a unique suspension design that is almost ready for production and will be presented soon.