Important Information on Electric Wheelchair

An electric wheelchair has a stronger frame to support the battery and motors, which make it becomes heavier than a regular wheelchair. There are different types of electric wheelchairs including standard battery only, with joystick, and a sophisticated one with a microprocessor that can offer various capabilities. The price is of course different depending on the level of sophistication. The most advanced electric wheelchair is called iBOT, which can climb stairs, pass curbs, glide through gravel, and elevate a person to reach certain height.

The iBOT also can be operated on two or four wheels and can stabilize itself without user interference, which means it follows the weight shift of the user. This is indeed state of the art equipment. Normally, the average price of an electric wheelchair is around $6,500. If you want to get the iBOT, you should spend around $30,000. This is only for someone who has a considerable amount of money to spend.

If you want to buy an electric wheelchair, you should make sure that you choose a reputable supplier. The supplier should have necessary license so you can get customer service support if needed. It is best not to buy a second-hand electric wheelchair because it may have various defects, such as cracks, short-lasting battery, and problems with the motors.

Operating an electric wheelchair is varied because you can choose several modes. The first one is real-wheel drive, which is the most common one. This mode makes the wheelchair move fast, although it will reduce its turning capability as compared to other modes. The second mode is mid-wheel drive, which is considered the best option for turning. However, it feels a bit shaky on starting and stopping as well as it is not suitable for rough surfaces. The last mode is the front-wheel drive. It is slower, but it is also steadier and has a good turning capability.

There are many types of batteries that can be used to power an electric wheelchair. Wet batteries give power through chemical reaction between lead and sulphuric acid. They need to be filled up with distilled water, which is considerably light, but can bring leaking problems. Wet batteries are cheap as compared with other types and they are less susceptible to overcharging. They will give good service as long as maintained properly.

Gel batteries are another option and they contain sulphuric acid, fumed silica, pure water, and phosphoric acid to create a thixotropic gel. These batteries do not contain any liquid, which eliminates leakage issue. Another good advantage is that it does not require any maintenance.

The last type of batteries is AGM batteries, which contain absorbed glass mat placed between plates and saturated acid electrolytes. This battery type has uniform distribution along the plates that can reduce the risk of battery damage, although it tends to susceptible to overcharging. This is a relatively new technology and has a higher price.

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