Mobility scooters have made the life people with mobility issues easy and convenient. Mobility scooters are lightweight, easy to operate and can be used indoors as well as outdoors. However, like all electric vehicles, they need to be charged regularly to keep them running efficiently. You can chargeit at home, but it’s important to know how to charge a mobility scooter safely.
To charge a mobility scooter, you will need a charging cable that plugs into a standard electrical outlet. The charging process typically takes between 6 to 8 hours, depending on the size of the battery. During the charging process, it’s recommended to keep the battery in a cool and dry place, away from direct sunlight or extreme heat.
Also, always use the original charger for your scooter and avoid overcharging the battery. It ensures proper charging without any electrical failure.
If you’re one of the many people who rely on a mobility scooter to get around, it’s important to know how to charge it safely and effectively. So, keep reading to learn more about the dos and don’ts of charging your mobility scooter at home along with the entire charging process.
How to Charge a Mobility Scooter with Charger
The scooter manufacturer usually includes a user manual that lets you know how to charge the mobility scooter properly. Unfortunately, most people don’t check it out and charge the battery in the usually known procedure. If you are unable to check the user-manual then you can rely on the below guide for charging the mobility scooter:
- Start with turning off the scooter if it is on. Charging the scooter while it is on may lead it to circuit damage.
- Then connect the charger plug of the scooter to the charging port of the mobility scooter. Make sure it is correctly connected to the port.
- Now plug the power cable of the electric charger with the power outlet. Turn on the switch of the power outlet if necessary.
- Now check the LED color on the charger. Depending on the variation, the color can be either red or orange to indicate that it is charging.
- Usually, it needs around 6 to 8 hours to charge the battery. However, the time can vary depending on the model and capacity of the charge. In some cases, you may require waiting for 10 hours to fully charge the battery.
- The LED on the charger will turn in to green when the charging cycle completes. You should stop the charging process when the LED color changes to green.
- To stop the charging, remove the charger from the charging port of the scooter. Also, remove the power outlet from the power source.
- If you are riding the electric scooter daily, make sure to charge it every day following the same instruction.
You can make use of the method for any mobility scooter type, including outdoor mobility scooters and others.
Charging the Mobility Scooter Battery without Charger
There are some procedures for charging a mobility scooter without a charger. Though these ways are not recommended long-term, you can utilize the techniques in case of an emergency. You can use a portable car jumper or a Universal Power Adapter for charging the battery without the charger. Check out the procedures from below:
Charging With Portable Car Jumper
The car battery jumper is like a powerful power bank that stores high voltage. You can use the tool for charging the mobility scooter battery. Here is how to do it:
- At first, detect the battery compartment in the scooter and find out its positive and negative terminal.
- Now connect the red cable from your jumper with the positive terminal of the scooter battery. Then attach the black wire with the negative terminal of the battery carefully.
- Turn on the car jumper to start the charging procedure. Leave the battery and charger for around twenty minutes to complete the charging cycle. Make sure that you are not detaching the cables which can interrupt the battery.
- Now check the battery level in the scooter. If the charge is not completed, leave the battery in charging for a little while.
- After the battery becomes full, you can detach the cable. Start with turning off the vehicle jumper and then withdraw the negative cable. Then remove the red wire.
Charging the Battery with Universal Charger
A universal charger is an electric tool that you can use for recharging a variety of electronic devices. The universal charger may also help you to charge the battery of the mobility scooter. If you have access to a universal charger, you can try charging the mobility scooter battery with it in case of an emergency.
- Power off the electrical scooter and other features like radio, lights, and other scooter components. Doing so will help you to speed up the charging process.
- Now connect the battery port with the universal charger. And, also connect the universal charger with the power source.
- Leave the connection for a while to let the battery charge. Remove the charger when charging completes. The charging procedure using the technique may take a while.
- Disconnect the charger when the charging completes. You may be able to start using the mobility scooter after that.
Mobility Scooter Charging Tips for Long-Term Performance
Depending on the included battery in the mobility scooter, you can use it for a few years typically. However, you can quickly expand the lifespan of the mobility scooter battery by taking proper care. Check out some of the effective tips to enhance mobility scooters performance:
- Keep the battery away from the exposal of sun and direct heat. Also, clean the battery regularly to resist dirt buildup. These things are harmful to any battery.
- While changing the battery, make sure that you choose the original one so that you don’t need to change it again quickly.
- Make sure to disconnect the charger after completing the charge. Leaving the battery unattended will cause overcharging and weaken the battery.
- If you are not using a scooter for a while, make sure to exclude the battery and stock it in a cold place.
- Charge the mobility scooter battery at least once in a month, even when you are not using it. It will help to preserve battery life.
- Don’t ride the scooter with a faulty battery. If the battery breaks or shows tear, then using it may cause an accident.
- Select a suitable mobility scooter depending on your riding environment. Such as, if the road condition is not very good in the area, go for an allterrain mobility scooter. These are also tagged as “mobility scooter for offroad.”
Conclusion
The mobility scooter can be the best friend of any disabled or older person to enjoy a little more freedom. Hopefully, the article on how to charge a mobility scooter will ensure long-term performance.