Porsche: A different way over hill and dale
WHEELCHAIR AS OFFROADER It doesn't always have to be the Dakar. The self-help organization Procap and Porsche are working on barrier-free hiking in Switzerland. The Protrek trekking wheelchair is one of the projects.
As part of the Join the Porsche Ride initiative, Porsche and Procap are driving forward one of their projects in Switzerland: the further development of a trekking wheelchair for people with disabilities. The Protrek all-terrain wheelchair, which is designed for group hikes, was originally constructed by the University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland and is to be further improved.
To this end, a project group visited the Porsche training center in Zuffenhausen. With Alber GmbH in Albstadt-Tailfingen, the world market leader in the field of mobility aids for wheelchair users also contributed technical input.
Four times a year we go to the mountains
The Protrek enables people with limited mobility to go on outdoor excursions in rough terrain. During an excursion, four to six companions push, pull and carry the wheelchair together with the person sitting in it. Despite an electric drive, excursions with the Protrek require a lot of strength and endurance from the companions. The wheelchair weighs 33 kilograms, can be folded and can also be used in winter thanks to a snowboard. The two-day group hikes are entitled "The Mountain Calls" and take place four times a year.
The tours are accompanied by experienced alpinist Heinrich Hofer: "The Protrek is a wonderful piece of equipment. I'm a trained machinist, and most of the equipment I work with I first rebuild until it fits me. However, the Protrek worked great right from the start."
Experience with two wheelchair projects
The Protrek exists in a small series of around 15 units - with and without e-drive. The Porsche Engineering Group already has experience from two wheelchair projects. The subsidiary in Weissach designed the full-suspension chassis of the Alber Adventure A10 e-wheelchair, which was produced from 2003 to 2014. The other development is the prototype P'Gasus, another electric mobility aid that rides similarly to a Segway.
