Thursday, December 26, 2024
Electric VehiclesLatestNews

Motability Foundation and Designability partner on inclusive design

The Motability Foundation and design charity Designability are working together to demonstrate how inclusive design can ensure disabled people are not left behind by the transition to electric vehicles (EVs).

User engagement research from Designability with grant funding by the Motability Foundation discovered disabled people face significant challenges when making journeys in their vehicles.

Challenges included difficulties when getting in and out of their cars, lack of space, seating that doesn’t meet their needs, and problems using controls.

Issues with accessibility mean that disabled people can’t always make the journeys they choose, sometimes completely avoiding driving or travelling altogether. This can be due to experiencing discomfort and pain whilst driving or feeling unsafe or vulnerable in their vehicles.

Designability will now be showing how these issues could be addressed in standard production vehicles through inclusive design.

This project is part of work being carried out by the Motability Foundation and Motability Operations to drive an accessible transition to EV. Ultimately if the transition to electric works for disabled people, it will work for everyone.

Chelsea Fleming Innovation Manager at the Motability Foundation said:

“We want to ensure that all disabled people can make the transition to EVs, but for this to happen accessibility needs to be at the heart of standard production vehicle design.

“Designability’s extensive user engagement with disabled people has highlighted the issues they currently face and how car travel could be improved for them. We’re excited to be working with them on the next phase of this project to show what is achievable through inclusive design.”

Matt Ford, Director of Design & Innovation at Designability said:

“Through a deeper understanding of the needs, requirements and barriers that disabled people face, we aim to create a new, inclusive vision for the way cars are designed in the future.

“We’re seeing rapid advancements in vehicle technology with many exciting innovations including electric drive systems and energy storage in electric vehicles, to safety systems across all vehicle types. We believe that inclusive design benefits everyone, and we’re looking forward to collaborating closely with the leading manufacturers in the auto industry.”

Image courtesy of The Motability Foundation and Designability

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