[Test Ride] Electric Wheel Chair!!Yamaha’s Electric Technology Brings Smile to People

27/09/2016
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[Webike News Editor]

Did you know that Yamaha Motor manufactures electric wheel chairs?

I bet a lot of people also might have seen their sport style electrically power assisted bicycles “YPJ-R”, which were derived from their original one, at some motorcycle shows. I bet a lot of people also might have seen their sport style electrically power assisted bicycles “YPJ-R”, which were derived from their original one, at some motorcycle shows. Also, snow mobiles manufactured by Yamaha Motors must have been seen in the ski resorts in the north part of the country.

[Yamaha Test Ride Reviews]

*[Test Ride & Review] Electric bike PAS by motorcycle manufacturer. It delivers a smile.

*[Test Ride & Review] Review on Yamaha YPJ-R; excited about unexpected design and performance to electric bikes!

Mr. Iwasaki from Yamaha Motor’s public relation department asked us if we want to try the electric wheel chair they are working on. It’s embarrassing, but we did not know Yamaha Motor was dealing with electric wheel chairs, so we replied back to them with a surprise.

The ones Mr. Iwasaki brought to us were an electrically power assisted wheel chair, JW SWING, and an electric wheel chair，JW ACTIVE PLUS. Both of them are foldable and easy to carry along.

After having a general instruction from him, we started the test ride.

Modern Wheel Chairs with Safety Equipment All Over

First, the chief editor, Sagawa tried the electrically power assisted wheel chair, JW SWING. He turned the power on and spinned the wheels with unpracticed hands. Instantly he could feel it was assisted by electricity. He also could feel “assist” when going down the slope, but the slope from the office on the first floor to the basement parking lot was steep enough for him to have help from the behind.

In that situation, be could not help having “wheelie” which means the front wheel is raised off the ground. However, a stopper called “wheelie bar” was installed in the rear of the wheel chair to prevent its front end from raising too high or flipping over. Sagawa tried to have Wheelie, but the stopper worked and the wheel chair did not flip over.

Also, the footrest has a belt to prevent the legs to get involved with wheels. If the feet get caught in the wheels while moving forward it may cause a serious injury.
It is very dangerous for lame users to have their legs get involved in unexpected area.

The electrically power assisted wheel chair is designed to control the speed on downhill, so you can be in the wheel chair without worries. This assist system is based on Yamaha PAS’s “Power Assist System” and meant to support the force to row.

Power of Assist Draws Smile from People

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Other editors took a test ride and were all surprised by its natural assist. They gradually became familiar with it, then the surprise was turned to be a smile.
“JW SWING” will assist disabled people who hope to move around or go out more by themselves.

Especially for women with less strength this assist is very useful. Women who took a test ride also could move around freely without worrying slopes.

Yamaha Motor has meeting events for female users of these electric wheel chairs, “YAMAHA JW Girls Meeting2016”. When it comes to product developments, they adopt advanced designs such as spoke covers with graphics and changeable color caps for assist motors.
We believe those attempts will be very grateful for female users.

「YAMAHA JW Girls Meeting2016」 Report Movie

>>Yamaha Motor is releasing the movie the female users meeting, “YAMAHA JW Girls Meeting 2016”

Electric Wheel Chair You Can Control at Hand

Next, we tried an electric wheel chair, “JW ACTIVE PLUS+”

You can control the wheel chair with the joy stick at hand to move forward, backward, turning and inversion freely.

You can travel approx. 30km with an lithium ion battery and approx. 15km with a nickel-metal hydride battery. The possible travel distance might vary due to the speed you have, but it can cover enough travel distance considering the walking distance of a person per day.

The one we tried this time has an optional panel which a helper can control. You can grab a lever and push buttons to control the wheel chair.

It can make use of a electric wheel chair even in the situation which could be a burden for a helper such as being on a hill.

We were all convinced by this useful function. Both of a passenger and a helper can be smiling since they can maneuver a heavy wheel chair without any hustles.

Output Control Corresponding with Each Demand

You can adjust the sensitivity of the joy stick, acceleration and deceleration, or torque control by using the proprietary soft ware, “JW Smart Tune”.
You can change it in your favor like an injection controller when it comes to motorcycles.
It is very important that you can customize your wheel chair as you intended since you use it everyday.

smart

What a Surprise!! Can be folded Easily!!

The wheel chair has a 100kg load carrying capacity. However, it was so easy to fold to carry along.
The center of the seat can be split and folded from there to make the widths of the seat as small as 33cm for JW Swing and 35cm for JW ACTIVE PLUS. They can be fit in a trunk of a compact car.

Yamaha Produces Something to Lighten Your Everyday Life

Coincidentally Rio De Janeiro Paralympic started while we are still in our excitement over Rio De Janeiro Olympic. We cannot help being impressed and surprised by the performance which are done by people with disabilities.

We, as those who never dealt with wheel chairs could experience not just inconvenience of the daily life in a wheel chair, but also the comfortability of electric, and electrically power assisted wheel chair.

Both electric bicycle and electrically power assisted wheel chair are products which stand by you to lift up your daily life. We believe Yamaha Motor will expand greatly not only in the engine field in the near future.