Wheelchair users need help to be safe against COVID-19\. Centaur can adapt its vehicle and vehicle users' experience to meet new needs of highly vulnerable customers at risk of disease transmission.

COVID-19 disproportionately affects disabled and older people, particularly those who receive care. As a result of COVID-19, 20,000 residents of care homes and 22,000+ disabled people have died, two-thirds of all deaths from March to May (ONS). Deaths in this population have been linked to poor infection control by carers working in multiple locations (DHSC).

As a result of the DHSC report in April, vulnerable people in all settings worry about disease transmission and reduced/eliminated care visits. Additionally, carers worried about contracting COVID-19 and went into isolation leaving little or no care for homebound vulnerable people.

Wheelchairs increase the risks of users contracting COVID-19 due to difficulty keeping it free of airborne or surface based droplets containing the virus. In addition, as a result of being below the height of most standing individuals, wheelchair users are at increased risk of having saliva droplets land on them or the equipment, where they can remain infectious for up to eleven days (Imperial College, Journal of Hospital Infection).

Government leaves wheelchair users to fend for themselves - The Coronavirus Act received Royal Assent in March 2020\. It limits statutory care requirements only to where "urgent care needs are met, and defer meeting some other, less acute or pressing needs." In other words, vulnerable people (wheelchair users included) only receive urgent care and activities of daily living are often being left to the individual.

Many wheelchair users are therefore wishing to maximise their independence to reduce care support requirements and manage with reduced support available.

Currently, wheelchairs do not offer COVID-19 infection control features. Centaur's current design has fewer joints than and, therefore, is far easier to clean than other wheelchairs. Antiviral materials may offer an element of protection to users but the main focus of innovation will be on Centaur's design, both its features and service design. Centaur will review its design to further reduce any disease hosting crevices, improve cleaning service reminders and evaluate available paints/lacquers plus 'virucides'.

Centaur will test and deliver COVID-19 infection control product and service specifications and update our existing prototype antiviral materials, if possible and safe.

The project team consists of world class partners with backgrounds at Ford as Global Design Chief, Director of Design Age Institute (former COO of Independent Safeguarding Services), MD of Open Inclusion - global leading inclusive design agency, and RLE's leading advanced materials specialist.

Centaur's PEVs aim to become zero carbon emissions through multiple means, including:

* Using new "rugged plastic" materials that are easier to recycle than existing wheelchairs
* Modern batteries are more environmentally friendly
* New batteries are made out of recycled materials
* The maintenance plan will provide for battery recycling