Here I am, once again, the voice of reason. This time I’m voicing a reasonable concern over “the world’s first” solar-powered wheelchair, invented by Haidar Talib Erabeh, a disabled man from the United Arab Emirates (it‘s not the first, btw. This is). Erabeh debuted his invention at the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi last week.
Before I rail into it, you should know that it does work. It’s been tested to drive continuously for 10 miles on solar energy. As long as the sun shines, theoretically, it should never need to be charged (traditionally), which is a BOON for all of you peeps who forget to plug-in your wheelchairs at night (you know who you are). So if you live in a sunny climate like Arizona, Southern California, Florida, or in a desert somewhere like Erabeh, this design would “technically” be a suitable product.
But what a second - there’s a roof. A solar panel-covered roof erected right above it. It attaches to 
the sides of the wheelchair and looks about 4’ feet wide. And the peak of the roof must go at least 2’ - 3’ feet above the chair. Simply put, the thing looks like a giant pair of futuristic bat wings. And this is a design for a wheelchair, a piece of equipment that’s supposed to enter buildings? With these crazy wings the only buildings you’ll be entering are warehouses and stadiums.
If the roof was made removable (which would be totally impractical with this design. You can‘t set something this big down outside when you go into the grocery store), the solar panels would also be gone. And there goes your main power source, as there‘s no solar panels anywhere else on the chair. And even if you could easily remove the roof, you‘d then have to reply on your batteries whenever you‘re indoors. Not a realistic solution for something you’d be using inside more than outside anyways.
Conclusion: While it’s a sound design and great to see people with disabilities in the Middle East becoming more involved in society, this design is NOT a winner. It would however be the perfect wheelchair for disabled desert nomads. Completely perfect.
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