Are you a person in a wheelchair who has been operating a manual wheelchair for years? If so, it may be time to change to an electronic wheelchair. A person may believe that this type of wheel chair will reduce their quality of life, but in fact, it just may give a person more mobility and freedom to do the things in a wheelchair that they want.

A person operating a manual wheelchair may find themselves avoiding doing simple tasks that they used to do in the past. For instance, if a person who operates a manual wheelchair is going to the grocery store less and less because they find it difficult to maneuver the isles, it may be time for an electronic wheel chair.

If a person has a helper who sometimes pushes a their wheeled chair and that helper is having a difficult time keeping up with their duties, it may be time to move into an electronic chair. For example, perhaps a mother is a person’s helper, and pushes the wheelchair when the person in the chair gets tired. But maybe this is over-taxing the mother or is beginning to affect her health. In a situation like this, the person who sits in the wheeled chair must consider the other person’s health and energy level, in addition to their own.

Finally, if the person who is in the wheel chair is experiencing aches and pain from manually having to push the chair with wheels, they should definitely consider purchasing an electronic chair. A person may feel that an electronic wheeled chair may limit their life, but actually, if the person in the chair were to free up some energy by not having to push themselves, they would be more likely to be able to spend time doing the things that they wanted to. They would be less reluctant to try new activities that might require extended exertion, and they would be able to participate in conversations easily if they weren’t winded from working hard to keep rolling.

If a person is ready to change from a manual chair to an electric wheelchair, he can always keep his manual chair as a backup for days or activities when he’s ready for some exercise.

Electric wheelchairs make use of a rechargeable wheelchair battery as a power source. This battery is often a lead acid battery and has the capacity to make the wheelchair travel a distance of approximately 10 to 20 miles. The distance the wheelchair can travel on a single battery charge depends on a variety of factors including the wheelchair user’s weight, slope of the ground, smoothness of the terrain, and air temperature.

Very often manufactures do not include a battery with a motorized wheel chair. In this case you have to buy it yourself but make sure to get the specifications of the battery from the wheelchair authorized dealer. The battery is usually charged once a day and must supply large amounts of electricity while it is running. For this reason, these batteries must be a special type called deep-cycle batteries. This means that the battery can be almost completely discharged without causing damage. If a car battery is used for a wheelchair, it will soon fail.

While choosing a battery for your wheelchair, consider the following characteristics: Convenience, Long Service Life, Long Shelf Life, Durability, and Flexibility.

Technically there are two types of wheelchair batteries available. Deep discharge wet cell lead acid batteries and deep discharge gel-cell lead acid battery. It is best to look for a gel battery. They are far safer than the acid batteries, which require greater looking after and have an increased risk of leaking acid in case of damage.

A wheelchair battery used regularly will, after going numerous charging and discharging cycles, lose its capacity to retain charge and hence has to be periodically replaced. How quickly this deterioration occurs depends on how much you use your wheelchair. Generally a battery easily lasts for around one year. The cost of a new battery ranges anywhere from $160 to $300 depending on the capacity of the battery.

Choosing a good charger is also very important to ensure the long life of your battery. Overcharging batteries using “dumb” chargers will not only shorten battery life but also can cause serious over-heating. Most modern battery chargers are designed to automatically switch off when your battery is fully charged, which will prolong the life span of your battery. A standard price for a decent battery charger is around $350, although you might need to pay as much as $500 depending on your battery.

Batteries for wheelchairs don’t last forever, but the proper research before making a purchase will ensure you have a battery with the capacity to meet your needs and reach and exceed it’s expected life span, with strong performance along the way.