Power Wheelchair Batteries: How Does the Battery Work?

Article Written By: Nan Bobby

If you or someone you know uses a power wheelchair, it is important to understand how the batteries work. Power wheelchair batteries need to be replaced every so often, so understanding the battery will help you to select the best battery for your chair. The wheelchair battery plays a large role in the way that your power wheelchair performs.

Usually, power wheelchair batteries are "deep cycle" lead-acid batteries, which means that they are designed to use most of the available capacity during each discharge cycle. The 3 main characteristics of deep-cycle lead-acid batteries are capacity, current rating, and cell type.

The capacity of the battery determines how long the battery can function and is expressed as ampere-hours (Ah). Most deep-cycle lead-acid batteries have a capacity ranging from 30-90 ampere-hours, or about 3-9 hours of continuous use for a wheelchair that runs on 10 amperes. Most people however, do not use their wheelchair continuously.

Battery current, or the rate of electron flow, is expressed in amperes (A). Basically, the larger the current rating, the greater the ease for the power wheelchair to travel over rough terrain and obstacles.

Cell type indicates whether the power wheelchair battery is wet-cell or gel-cell, the two main types of wheelchair batteries currently available. Both may be used in a power wheelchair, although manufacturers typically recommend gel-cell batteries due to maintenance and environmental concerns with the wet-cell type.

Despite this, wet-cell batteries will usually have a larger capacity, and so can provide more power. They usually cost less than gel-cell batteries as well. Because of these reasons, wet-cell batteries are often the battery of choice for many. They come in two versions, vented, and sealed:

* Vented wet-cell batteries must be regularly maintained by adding water to the battery on a regular basis, since the water tends to evaporate over time. This can be challenging, as the person doing the maintenance is exposed to acidic materials every time the battery case is opened to add the water: chemical burns can easily occur, and chemical spills can also corrode the wheelchair.

* Sealed wet-cell batteries do not need to have the water level maintained, since they are a closed system. But the possibility still exists for chemical spills, due to cracks in the battery case or the battery boiling over. Neither type of wet-cell battery is allowed on aircraft.

Gel-cell lead-acid batteries were developed to be maintenance free with no chance of chemical spills, and so are able to be easily transported on airplanes. The main disadvantage of gel-cell batteries is that they typically have about 10-20% less capacity than wet batteries, and are more expensive. Still, unless the user regularly travels long distances, they are likely to be the first choice for most power wheelchair users.

When purchasing new power wheelchair batteries, consideration must also be given to the battery charger, to make certain that you have the correct charger for the type of battery. Using the wrong battery charger can cause permanent damage to the battery. Since a wheelchair battery is a "deep cycle" battery, it is meant to drain nearly completely, and then be recharged. Most batteries can be recharged up to 300 times before losing the capacity to hold power.

Understanding power wheelchair batteries can greatly help in deciding which is the best replacement battery to purchase, and will make certain that your wheelchair always operates at peak performance.

About the Author

Looking for new power wheelchair batteries? Before you do, check out Nan Bobby's tips on power wheelchair batteries. As the caregiver and advocate for her aging parents for nearly ten years, she experienced the many challenges of adult children caring for aging parents, now provides a learning center on eldercare and disability issues at Aging Parent Conversations

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