It’s usual to see car brands talking about mobility and how they work hard for a better future, but for real, most part of this is only speech. It’s rare to see a concrete act that can bring real change.

In this case Ford joined design and technology in an innovation that transforms its beliefs into a tangible piece capable of changing people’s lives.

It’s a new way to think mobility combined with the powerful of design and technology innovation.

In Brazil, there are 46 million people with some type of disability. 7% of them have a motor disability. Despite a wheelchair user being capable of driving an adapted car, when they go to the streets, they must face the overwhelming lack of accessibility, even in the main cities.

For a long time Ford brand strategy have being based on the idea of promoting mobility and helping people moving freely. The Accessibility Mat came to transform these beliefs into a tangible piece. A portable tool that can help people moving freely, even when they are outside of a Ford car.

The challenge was to create something light and resistant at the same time and with a cheap technology to make it more feasible.

It is a car mat redesigned to work as a portable accessibility tool for disabled drivers. A piece of design, made of a very light and resistant material, created from a part that already exists inside the car, the trunk mat. The driver just needs to get the Mat in the trunk, fold it, put in the back of their wheelchair and use it whenever they need to.

The Mat also has sensors and a microprocessor that sends Bluetooth signals to the wheelchair user’s mobile phone and an app with a map point the exactly place it was used. That way we create a precious databank that we can share with local authorities in order to help building accessible cities.

Ford Ecosport was chosen for this project because it is the best-selling Ford vehicle for disabled drivers.

October 2017 - The first prototype was created. With an ordinary material, heavier and without the technology and some of the design details.

November 2017 - The first prototype was presented to Billy and Michele, the wheelchair user’s partners of the project.

Between November 2017 and March 2018, 5 more prototypes were created, improving the material, the design and adding the mapping technology.

23 October 2018 - Billy and Michele tested and approved the prototype finalized.

20 August 2018 - The final prototype was presented to Ford, to the marketing and engineer team.

5 September 2018 - The prototype was tested and approved by the Ford engineer team.

10 September 2018 - The patent was registered.

13 September 2018 - Ten more prototypes were created.

23 October 2018 - The Accessibility Mat was launched to the media.

The Accessibility Mat is a car trunk mat redesigned to work as a portable accessibility tool for disabled drivers. A piece of design, made of a very light and resistant material, created from a part that already exists inside the car, the trunk mat. The driver just needs to get the Mat in the trunk, fold it, put in the back of their wheelchair and use it whenever they need to.

Before putting the mat on the obstacle, the person just need to use the Velcro fastener in both sides to create an ergonomic handle that helps its removal.

The Mat also has a pressure sensor and a microprocessor that sends Bluetooth signals to the wheelchair user’s mobile phone every time it is used. The Mat app installed in the phone indicate in a map the exactly place it was used. Anyone can check this information using the app, specially disabled people trying to avoid non accessible places.

That way we create a precious databank that we can share with local authorities in order to help building accessible cities.

A film was produced to present the project to the public and it was promoted on Ford’s website, Facebook and Youtube. More than 50 million people were impacted and the campaign had more than 17 million earned media.

It started a precious conversation online, so we could collect a huge amount of data with different opinions, ideas and feedbacks about the prototype.

It also promoted a debate about accessibility and equality of opportunities in the media, even Brazil’s president himself, Michel Temer, paid a visit to Ford’s stand at the 30th Sao Paulo International Auto Show to understand better about the Accessibility Mat.