Size of the market

According to the statistics of the World Health Organization (WHO), wheelchair users form 1% of the world population.

In developed countries, the most common causes of being confined to a wheelchair are high age expectancy, extreme sports and diabetes (70 % of leg amputations is caused by diabetes; worldwide, the number of patients with this diagnosis has increased six-fold over the last generation). Experts refer to the increase in the number of wheelchair users in the USA as a „rocket“ one.

The lack of health care, polio and armed conflicts are the most frequent causes in developing countries.

Overview of the size of individual markets

Contributions and subsidies

In the world, persons dependent on a wheelchair can receive support from the state. In the countries of the European Union, the maximum amount of the contribution for acquisition and adaptation of a vehicle ranges from EUR 10,000 to € 20,000.

In some countries of the world, the costs of vehicles for the disabled are completely born by insurance companies or by the state.

Combination of the technically unique object and social project

These factors make the Elbee vehicle an ideal representative for the support from the European Union funds. Elbee Mobility have already successfully used several subsidy programs, and more are planned.

Specifically, for example, a pre-approved project application „Development of the joystick-controlled drive-by-wire system and its integration into a vehicle for wheelchair users“ has been prepared. The development of the electric drive and electrical components is part of the project.

Another real possibility focused on the global commercialization is the program Horizon 2020 SME Instrument Phase 2.

Also the promotion of electro-mobility is an interesting modern trend.

A tool for global promotion

Technical news with social enjambment is an ideal topic for media. The Elbee project is a unique tool to come into the limelight and perform a very successful PR promotion. Media attention can be used not only to raise awareness about Elbee, but also to promote the owner, the parent company or related products.

What was written about us

Awards across all disciplines

Responses in social networks

Personnel marketing in an easier and more efficient way

To build a team of loyal professionals and passionate enthusiasts is easier than it may seem.

Perfect solution for mass production

Currently, Elbee is the only commercially available vehicle designed exclusively for drive-in of a person on a wheelchair.

Modifications of cars to drive-from-wheelchair vehicles are very costly, human labour intensive, with a very limited possibility of automation. When the automaker launches a new generation of a car, for a modifying company it means a completely new development of the entire modification.

In contrast, Elbee offers the ideal solution of automated serial production, with the possibility of transition to a production line.

Cost comparison with a technically similar solution

A survey was carried out to determine the possible cost price of the Elbee vehicle in the serial production. The survey consisted in the analysis of the market of vehicles of the same category – vehicles like Aixam, Ligier or Microcar for underage drivers. The size of this market is approximately 25 thousand vehicles per year; the annual production of individual producers is in units of thousands of vehicles.

Based on the analysis of the annual reports of these companies, it was concluded that with annual output of 2,500 Elbee vehicles in optimized production, the production cost of one Elbee vehicle can be reduced under EUR 7,900 in the conditions of Western Europe.

Drive-by-wire

The shift in legislation and technological progress enabled the birth of the drive-by-wire system to be integrated directly in the serial version of the Elbee vehicle. Such a product would become a most affordable solution of mobility not only for those with a higher degree of disability.

Thanks to the necessary transition to the CAN-BUS control system, which is not yet in use in the Elbee vehicle and which, apart from other things, allows programming, diagnostics and user settings, the control of secondary functions of the vehicle can also be more easily integrated in the system in the future.

Moreover, the drive-by-wire system is a preparation of the Elbee vehicle for the development of autonomous driving.

Electric engine

The electric motor drive is a trend that is increasingly demanded by the people interested in Elbee. Due to the variability and power output range of the electric motor drive, there is an opportunity of extending market potential and entering other world markets.

In the future, the integration of the electric motor drive can eliminate investment in the approval according to the EURO standards. These standards are getting stricter and therefore more costly to meet.

Additional market potential

There is, for example, an evident growing interest on the part of health insurance companies that welcome the low purchase cost of the vehicle compared to that of modified conventional cars. For example, in Switzerland and Germany, the current purchase cost of the Elbee vehicle is 4 times lower than that of a modified van.

Thanks to the development of the universal fixing of the wheelchair, the Elbee vehicle can become a worldwide standard for car rentals that will be able to take advantage of the continually growing trend in wheelchair user travelling.

The universal fixing of the wheelchair can also open the segment of sharing which both cities and private companies around the world are interested in.