battery length on evc

[huckster]

hello once again me the worrier again
i am rented an ECV fornm walker the ranger standard size we go all day till prk closes , will the battery last that long? they said something abouyt an on board charger not sure what they ment any how any rent and have battery last from open to close of parks thanks again ps i am pooh sizes but well below the weight limit of 300lbs

 

[RaySharpton]

hello once again me the worrier again
i am rented an ECV fornm walker the ranger standard size we go all day till prk closes , will the battery last that long? they said something abouyt an on board charger not sure what they ment any how any rent and have battery last from open to close of parks thanks again ps i am pooh sizes but well below the weight limit of 300lbs

Hi, huckster. I recall several months ago a really good thread about mobility scooter battery questions, but I will try to help answer your questions

As far as if your your scooter will last all day depends on several criteria.

1. Weight of passenger: less weight will use less battery power.
2. Extra weight from backpacks: less weight will use less battery power..
3. Battery size: smaller battery will last less time and most scooter companies just use passenger weight instead of stating battery size.
4. Hills: going up hills uses more battery power.
5. High speed usage: high speed will use more battery power.
6. Leaving the power on all of the time versus conserving power when not needed will help you last all day.

I wouldn't worry, have a good time.

A lot of scooters will give an estimated passenger weight for each scooter that they rent.

The larger the battery the longer the scooter may last all day for that particular scooter.

But, if you leave the power on or the key in the scooter all day, this will severely decrease how long your scooter will last all day.

Just remove the key or turn off your power when you are parking, sitting watching a parade, or anytime that you will not be driving around.

Also the speed that you drive around will use up the power. Just find your comfortable speed to drive around. I try and use the other walker's speed, and never the highest speed on the dial of the scooter.

Hills will drain the power of the scooter just like the weight of the passenger or any added backpacks.

Someone that weighs half my size will certainly be able to drive around much longer on my scooter with a larger battery.

But if I drove on their smaller scooter with a smaller battery, I would not make it all day like they might. The smaller battery might not let me make it up certain hills, too.

If the scooter has a built-in battery charger, then you can just pull it out and plug it into any electrical outlet to recharge at your resort roomh, near a restaurant outlet while dining, against some walls along a parade route or show when you will not be using it.

My scooter has a separate battery charger that I just carry in a bag that is attached under my seat. I usually do not have to use it, but just in case; I have it just incase a battery that needs recharging.

But if I know that my battery is almost drained, and I am dining at at restaurant, I may charge my battery for an hour.

Or if I am at a parade, I may keep an eye out along my travels along the paths for a covered, outdoor, electrical wall outlet to plug my scooter in while I am waiting for a parade to start.

I usually don't need to do this, and I would never park so that any one would walk behind me and trip over the power cord. You'd be amazed how many places have electrical outlets around and yet, still have a good spot to watch a show or parade

Sorry for rambling, but I hope this helps.

Don't worry.

Just charge your battery when you get back to your resort room for the night. Every night.

And you should be fine.

Conserve your speed and power usage during the day and should be just fine.

Just take the key and put it in your pocket if you are not going to be driving around.

Have a great time.

 

[POOHsie]

Your batteries should last all day at the parks. I found the most challenging park for scooter batteries is Epcot. Look at your battery meter from time to time, to see how your batteries are holding up. Be sure that when you leave your scooter to go on a ride or a meal, that you turn off the power to your scooter, to help save the battery life. Take the scooter key with you when you are parking your scooter out of your view.

You are given a charger that plugs into a wall outlet. This is for you to charge your scooter overnight in your hotel room. It is small and can fit in the bottom of your scooter basket. I would advise you to put the charger in a plastic grocery bag and bring it with you to the parks, just in case of a low battery emergency, however unlikely. The term onboard charger means your batteries aren't removed from the scooter when you charge them. On some scooters, you can just remove the battery box so you could leave the scooter somewhere else, such as outside your hotel room door. Your scooter will have to be near the wall outlet to charge the batteries.

Your scooter rental from Walker is one thing you won't have to worry about. They are completely reliable. Keep their phone number with you, just in case something is wrong with your scooter (sometimes things happen). Walker is very quick to respond to customer problems. There is an outside chance that you might decide the scooter you ordered draws too much battery power because of your weight vs. scooter weight limit. You can call and order the next bigger model. Walker has plenty of experience with people not being sure what to order, then changing their order during their trip. Enjoy your Disney visit!

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Disagree a bit.

An onboard charger is internal to the ECV and has a power cord that connecgts directly from the ECV to the wall outlet.

Most ECVs have a separate charging unit which plus into the wall and plugs into an outlet on the ECV or, for the lightweight ECVsa directly into the batter pack.

But the standard ECVs, which Walker rents, have batteries that are good for about 25 miles. I had times that I left the ECV in the rental car overnight and had enough power for a second day in the parks.

 

[maroo]

I June of this year I rented an ECV from Walker (heavy duty because I wanted long battery life) and it did not hold a charge well. I charged it each night and during the day at restaurants and kept the speed low.

I actually lost so much power that I could not go anymore at the MK and had to stop at the Noodle Station and just sit there an hour while it charged some more.

I called Walker and they didn't really do anything to help me. They could not send anyone out to help and they still charged me full price for the rental.

I won't use them again.

My advice to you is to make sure you have your charger at all times (I learned that here on the DIS and it was invaluable info!)


I know many have had good experiences with Walker, though - so I hope yours is great!

 

[Bete]

Most of the time there's more good news on this count then bad, but when you are on the receiving end of a scooter problem it feels horrible. You can feel helpless. Outside companies cannot be as quick to react on a problem as renting a scooter from Disney which is a factor in your renting process decision.

The best thing you can do is charge your battery every night and even every day if you take a break. Watch your gage for battery usage; check it every three hours. You may be able to spot trouble sooner that way like a scooter that won't charge well. Outside scooter companies will probably react better to a problem if you are at your resort with your scooter. Conserve your usage by shutting it off when you're watching a show, parade, fireworks, eating, etc. If you take these precautions you should be all right. Taking your charger to the parks is key; you don't won't to get caught with having to push your scooter on manual drive.

I will tell you for a long time we rented through Disney at the parks just to be safe. I know it costs more, but you will have your scooter replaced in no time if something where to happen. We had a problem once out of about 25 rentals with Disney and within a half hour we had a new rental scooter from Disney. A CM brought it back and forth for us to get a new one. This is one of the reasons you pay more. You don't have the hassle of bringing your scooter on the bus and you don't have to get it in and out of your room, nor do you have to charge it all the time. You pay for all of these conveniences. The downside with Disney is first come, first serve on their scooters. Park hopping can be a little tedious, too with renting from Disney. As a compromise if I rented from an outside company and something went wrong with the sccoter you can always rent another scooter at Disney for the time at hand. It's not right to pay for two scooters, but I rather do it that way then wait all day for someone to fix it or replace the broken scooter.

You don't want to put a strain on your battery. The faster you go the more juice you use. The heavier you are the more the battery runs down. Extras like a camera, backpack, etc. adds to weight and therefore drains the battery. Inclines put a strain on the battery, too. All of this has been said on previous posts.

With a better scooter we have done 14 hour days at the parks, but we do everything right with them to make sure they last.

 

[POOHsie]

You don't want to put a strain on your battery. The faster you go the more juice you use. The heavier you are the more the battery runs down. Extras like a camera, backpack, etc. adds to weight and therefore drains the battery. Inclines put a strain on the battery, too.

Very nice post. Well said! I just wanted to comment on inclines. Places like the ramps to the monorails, and the ramp to The Land at Epcot. My family pushes the back of my scooter chair when going up these ramps, while I give the scooter power. The scooter is pretty easy to push up the ramp once it gets going, and pushing it keeps the battery in the "high green (full)" area, instead of the "almost red (low)" area. This idea depends on having younger people in your party.