Urban Transport

Carbon Black might just be the coolest wheelchair on the block

View 12 Images
The Carbon Black wheelchair is designed to offer a practical and aesthetically pleasing transport option for users looking to ride in style
The ultimate aim of Slorance's Carbon Black wheelchair is to offer a practical and aesthetically pleasing transport option for users looking to ride in style
The ultimate aim of Slorance's Carbon Black wheelchair is to offer a practical and aesthetically pleasing transport option for users looking to ride in style
The ultimate aim of Slorance's Carbon Black wheelchair is to offer a practical and aesthetically pleasing transport option for users looking to ride in style
The wheelchair weighs 8.5 kg (18.7 lb) and is built almost entirely from carbon fiber
The Carbon Black wheelchair is designed to offer a practical and aesthetically pleasing transport option for users looking to ride in style
Slorance is committed to building each Carbon Black bespoke for each customer
The ultimate aim of Slorance's Carbon Black wheelchair is to offer a practical and aesthetically pleasing transport option for users looking to ride in style
There's also the option of integrated LED lights operated by a switch built into the seat for night time riding
Slorance is committed to building each Carbon Black bespoke for each customer
There's also the option of integrated LED lights operated by a switch built into the seat for night time riding
The ultimate aim of Slorance's Carbon Black wheelchair is to offer a practical and aesthetically pleasing transport option for users looking to ride in style
Slorance is committed to building each Carbon Black bespoke for each customer
View gallery - 12 images

Since suffering a broken back at age 14, Andrew Slorance has imagined reinventing the wheelchair. Now, more than 30 years following his spinal injury, the broadcast journalist-turned entrepreneur is finally setting the wheels in motion. Slorance's Carbon Black is a sleek, minimalistic design aimed at giving wheelchair users an efficient and stylish new way of getting around.

The clunky old wheelchair has experienced its fair share of innovation in recent years. We have seen everything from the integration of solar-power, rugged vehicles for heading off-road and even wheelchairs of the electric folding variety.

Slorance's vision doesn't involve a major overhaul, or attaching bells and whistles to broaden the vehicle's functionality. The thinking behind his Carbon Black wheelchair is to offer a practical and aesthetically pleasing transport option for users looking to ride in style.

The wheelchair weighs 8.5 kg (18.7 lb) and is built almost entirely from carbon fiber. Slorance describes the major benefits of the material in a wheelchair design as improved energy efficiency and comfort, through an ability to better absorb vibrations from the road. He claims that as a user pushes with the arms in a traditional, metal wheelchair, much of the energy is lost throughout the structure. Carbon fiber, he says, provides the user with much more value for each push, pointing to its widespread use in motorsport and aerospace engineering.

The ultimate aim of Slorance's Carbon Black wheelchair is to offer a practical and aesthetically pleasing transport option for users looking to ride in style

Its monocoque design sees the seat with adjustable backrest form an integral part of the wheelchair. The Carbon Black is modular, meaning that its components easily come apart and feature rounded edges, intended to be thrown in the back of a car without damaging its interior. There's also the option of integrated LED lights operated by a switch built into the seat for night time riding.

Slorance is committed to building each Carbon Black bespoke for each customer. While the wheelchair went on sale last November in the UK, he is now looking to bring it to the US market, though he must first win approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). He has turned to Kickstarter to raise cash for the application process and fund his expansion into the US. Different pledge levels will get supporters different Carbon Black components (assuming the funding goal is met), although unfortunately no prices are listed for a complete wheelchair.

You can hear from Slorance in his pitch video below.

Source: Carbon Black

View gallery - 12 images
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Flipboard
  • LinkedIn
6 comments
Rokdun Johnson
It's really a beautiful product.
Mel Tisdale
I find it sad that it costs money to certify a wheelchair.
That said, it does look beautiful. I could find no reference to a parking brake, so that sitting at a table or getting on and off it is as convenient/safe as it can be.
With modern electronics and the low energy consumption of LEDs it might be possible to have them powered by the rotation of the wheels and in the process make their use automatic.
I suppose the next stage will be a powered version; it certainly looks like it is meant to go fast.
Aruvqan Myers
No matter how I rummaged around on their page there was absolutely no information on how much one of the damned things costs, and all the pledges on the kickstarter campaign are for bits and pieces. How the hell can I decide if I want one if I have no idea how much one costs [other than the joke if you have to ask for a price you can't afford it] or even figure out if I can squeeze the purchase of one out of Tri-Care? Hell, I had trouble getting another glucometer out of Tri-Care a few years ago because I already had one ... [that the Navy medical system did not carry the test strips for...]
Thomas Lewis
I realize ,the advantage of a lightweight wheelchair,but the insurance companies refuse to pay[most of them].Why cant we build a light weight folding,wheelchair for the masses,combine that with a 3 speed bicycle hub[planetary transmission and two levers[lever propulsion] standard mountain bike rims and tires.why not.We have systems available,the costs are way out of line .A light weight folding wheelchair with lever propulsion[3 speed] would cost you = 4,000 USA dollars just for the lever propulsion + the cost of a light weight wheelchair that folds 2,000-3,500 USA dollars ,your ,I'm sorry,but even in American,those cost are way out of line.Most patients,sit home and go without and that is wrong.
Thomas Lewis
12,000 USA dollars,Ridiculous !!!few will ever see this product.Good technology is simplified,affordable and efficient.12,000 dollars,it doesn't even have lever propulsion,you still have to push on the rim or wheel.I see nothing but more people sitting home,unable to get out and about.We could build a affordable light weight folding chair,using mostly off the shelf parts,3 speed bicycle hub[electronic,planetary]two rachet lever's[lever propulsion]standard light weight mountain bike tires,etc for a fraction of the cost.That would be a good use of technology,putting the wheelchairs in the hands of those who need them.
black-eagle
This thing really sucks. The single heaviest part weighs 4kg and the total weight is 8kg. That's even heavier than some lightweight metal chairs of $3000. And the Panthera X which is also made of carbon weighs 4kg in total with a transfer weight of 2.1kg, and costs $5000. So u are paying 13k just because it is supposed to look better. And what a shitty video with that woman that said she could not do a car transfer before the carbon black, the carbon black isn't even that lightweight. And what a horrible scene of the owner on the difficult terrain surface. I've seen guys go 10 times as fast on those surfaces. Just because they have a chair that can be equipped with a freewheel and all-terrain wheels. So if I can give any advice to a wheelchair user: do not buy this unless your just a braggart who likes to show off with useless gadgets.