What is a lowered floor minivan and how does it work?
A A lowered floor minivan starts off just like most other minivans you see on the road. It is sent to a conversion company which performs about 40 alterations to the vehicle to make it accessible. Most of these items cannot be seen, but the most significant change is the lowered floor. The old floor is completely removed starting at the front of the van and back to the front edge of the rear bench. A new and stronger floor is installed which is 10 inches lower. The lowering of the floor allows for higher clearance, both entering the side door and inside the vehicle. This allows enough clearance for an individual to remain in their wheelchair inside the vehicle. The other noticeable changes make it so that you push one button on a remote control which opens the side door, deploys a ramp and lowers the van so that it is easier to enter the vehicle. This is all fully automatic. Once in the vehicle, the wheelchair can be secured in either the driver, passenger or in the center of the van.
