ECV battery life & dining questions

[MelPel]

Hi,

We will be visiting during the Christmas season this year. My mother will be using a rented ECV for our 8 night stay. Can you tell us, can the batteries on these things last all day from 7:30a to 11p? Also, do any of the ECV rentals come with a back-up battery? What is the longest amount of time you have gotten from the battery?

As far as dining, can you tell me are these ECV's welcome in all restaurants? How does it work for a person in and ECV in the restaurants? Are they required to transfer to w/c?

Thanks,
Mel ºOº

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Hi and to disABILITIES!

A standard ECV with batteries in good condition can do 25 miles. Most people at WDW do 8-12 miles per day. There really is no need for a "back-up" battery. Especially since most standard size ECVs tend to use two batteries that are about 24 pounds each and almost the size of a car battery.

As far as dining, most of the restaurants will be very difficult for an ECV. I know I will always park mine in the lobby and then walk to the table. If your mother has a real problem walking short distances, they may be able to get the ECV to a table but then ask you to have her transfer to a normal chair and someone take the ECV back out to the lobby.

If you click on where it says "disABILTIES" at the top of this page it will take you to the Index. One of the top items is the "disABILTIES FAQ" which will gives lots of useful information. Post #2 has lots of mobility-related information.

Or, if you want an easier route to the FAQs, click on the link in my signature.

 

[MelPel]

Thanks for the info. Now Can you tell me what happens "if" the battery dies while we're in the park? Can these things be pushed? Is it hard to push them?

Mom can walk short distances with the assistance of her cane. So dining shouldn't be a problem if she has to leave it in the lobby. I was hoping we wouldn't have to leave it outside.

Thanks again,

Mel ºOº

 

[Cheshire Figment]

If the battery dies in the park the first thing to do would be call the vendor. Normally they will be able to meet you within an hour and replace the ECV.

If there is indication the charge is running low and you can get it to one of Disney's rental locations they can hook it up to a charger for you.

When I was using an ECV with a short battery life I carried the charger. When I would go into a restaurant I would find an outlet in the lobby and plug in the ECV while eating, to add a 30 minute to hour charge to the battery.

And there is a "freewheel" lever on all ECVs which disconnects both the motor and brakes. They are not really difficult to push as there is no resistance.

 

[MelPel]

All of this information is very helpful to us. You can see that this will be our first experience renting one of these things.

Wish us luck

 

[MelPel]

Cheshire,

Can you tell me which scooter companies you have used in the past and which are your favorites? I'd like to mkae the reservation soon.

Thanks,

Mel ºOº

 

[Cheshire Figment]

I would rather not say which one I used when I rented ECVs before I moved down here and purchased because it was intiially a random selection and I then stayed with the company as a repeat customer.

However, over the years down here I have met and talked with the owners of several of the off-site companies. I have found all which we have in the list on Post #2 of the FAQs to have good equipment at reasonables prices and good service. All have had their rough spots from time to time but they have consistenty been good and easy to work with. I would say that any on the list are worthwhile to use.

And I would say the one I used was no better or no worse than any of the others.

 

[stitchlovestink]

Cheshire,

Can you tell me which scooter companies you have used in the past and which are your favorites? I'd like to mkae the reservation soon.

Thanks,

Mel ºOº

.

 

[Debbie-TN]

My cousin has rented from Walker Mobility for several years. She uses it from early morning to late at night. We always ask for a small battery charger so we can take it with us. She's never had a problem until this last trip and we had to stop and recharge it at Epcot. And actually when I thought about it later, I wondered if it was because she had the headlight on so much. Our next trip, I'm going to tell her to not leave it on so long. If we had called them though, they would have brought us another battery. We have had a couple of problems in the past and they have excellent service.

And about dining. You can take the ECV into most restaurants. At the TS restaurants you may have to park it away from the table, or you could drive it to the table and someone else could park it. One I know for sure that you have to leave it outside is 50's Prime Time.

 

[mickeysaver]

FYI - As a pooh sized person, I must caution any of my fluffy cousins that if you are a larger sized person, just getting a heavy duty scooter may not be enough. While the scooter may be advertised as being useful for up to 450 lbs, you can weight much less and still drain the batteries in a day. That is why I always book through Walker Mobility, because they have a heavy duty scooter and they have an extended range heavy duty scooter. I have never been disappointed or left with dead batteries with the extended range scooter, but after a day at Epcot, the regular heavy duty is crawling like a snail.

Another consideration, there is a variable speed switch on most scooters. You get far more battery life going at medium speed than you do at jack rabbit. I try to use the fastest speed only when going up hills.

When you are not actively going somewhere, switch the scooter off. When you are dining, there are many models of scooters that can be plugged into the wall without any charger boxes and special cables, if you have one of those, most CS dining establishments have an open outlet or two around and usually don't mind if you charge the scooter while you dine. As always, ask before you do this so as to not inconvenience anyone.

My cousin has rented from Walker Mobility for several years. She uses it from early morning to late at night. We always ask for a small battery charger so we can take it with us. She's never had a problem until this last trip and we had to stop and recharge it at Epcot. And actually when I thought about it later, I wondered if it was because she had the headlight on so much. Our next trip, I'm going to tell her to not leave it on so long. If we had called them though, they would have brought us another battery. We have had a couple of problems in the past and they have excellent service.

And about dining. You can take the ECV into most restaurants. At the TS restaurants you may have to park it away from the table, or you could drive it to the table and someone else could park it. One I know for sure that you have to leave it outside is 50's Prime Time.

Yes, headlight use will drain the battery too. When you don't need it, turn it off.

 

[MelPel]

Thank you everyone for your quick responses. This information will surely help mom decide which one to use.

Wish us luck

Mel