The wheelchair van industry uses many terms that are not widely heard outside of transportation circles. If you are new to purchasing a mobility vehicle solution, some of these may be new to you. VCI Mobility has put together a glossary of common terms to help you understand what you will read on this site, and others, and hear from mobility dealers and consultants.
Chassis and Conversion
In the wheelchair van business, we refer to the wheelchair van in two major components. The primary component is the full-size van or minivan that we start with — the Toyota Sienna or Honda Odyssey — for example. We often refer to this as the “chassis.” The next major component is the “conversion. “ The conversion is the work done to modify the original van or minivan to turn it into a wheelchair van or lowered floor minivan.
Find out more about the types of conversions we can do in our equipment section.
Luxury Conversion Van
Luxury conversion vans also consist of both a chassis and a conversion. While the majority of conversion vans available are on the full-size vans available from Ford or Chevrolet, there are still some companies providing luxury conversions on certain minivans. In the case of a luxury conversion van, the conversion is geared at making the interior more comfortable and aesthetically pleasing in order for it to be more suitable to travel. Optional features such as raised roofs, TV’s, sofa beds, and captains chairs are often part of this luxury conversion. More often than not, this conversion van style would also have a custom exterior paint job.
Standard Passenger Van
Ford and General Motors produce vans that come from the factory equipped as a passenger van. As such, they already have seats, seat belts and interiors and they are ready to transport people immediately. For these passenger vans, the focus is more on practicality and a lower cost than on creature comforts and style. The result is still a very acceptable mode of transportation, but without the luxury — and the cost — of a luxury conversion van.
The differences between standard passenger vans and luxury conversions are available here.
Wheelchair Van or Mobility Conversion
The wheelchair van conversion consists primarily of increasing the interior height by either lowering the floor or raising the roof of the van or minivan, and then installing a wheelchair lift or ramp. All wheelchair conversions will also include wheelchair tie down systems or docking systems to secure the wheelchair during transport. The wheelchair van conversion is performed by companies that specialize in mass production modifications and meeting all DOT guidelines. In some cases, these are large companies like Braun and VMI who make conversions by the thousands and sell them through local dealers. For others, like converting luxury conversion vans, smaller companies like VCI Mobility work with you and your local car dealer to provide a custom conversion just for you.