How much ECV Battery life will I need for WDW?

[lovetoscrap]

I am looking to buy an ECV. I figured by the time I rent one 2x this year for WDW at $200 each time I may as well as buy one, I really could use it at home also. I posted some questions on the general disABILITIES chat.

Right now I have it narrowed down to a few choices but one of the biggest decisions I need to make is how much battery life do I need to have have to reasonably get around WDW for a day on one charge? That would be the longest range I would ever need it for. Most that I am looking at have about 7-9 miles. Of course that varies by weight and battery condition and all but is that going to be enough for an average day at Disney?

If anyone has any comments or reviews of the Pride GoGo Elite or the Active Care Medical Spitfire I would love to hear them.

 

[wilde_oscar]

I am guessing for you, something that can go for about 9000 miles... you have too much energy.

For our trip three weeks ago, I sat down to figure out convenience factor vs. rental cost. My grandparents are in their 80's and have mobility issues. We considered taking their zippy carts, vs. renting zippy carts. Their zippies are good for about 4 -5 miles of continuous use. I drove them around the block many times to learn this, so there was the possibility their carts would poop out during the day. Gauge this against, The rental cost (at the park), that they last all day, if anything goes wrong they give ya a new one... And it just seemed like the rental in the parks route was the way to go.

this all worked very well, we took it easy with the walkers to and from the buses... and by the end of the day they were fresh and i was exhausted from chasing them. I realize this isn't the answer you are looking for, but it worked well for us.

 

[WheeledTraveler]

Unfortunately, this isn't answering your question either, but I just wanted to point out that 7-9 miles is on completely flat surfaces with no bumps and probably at one of the lowest speeds. I have a scooter that's supposed to have a 4 mile range. Even when it was in its best shape, I didn't really trust it to go one mile around my college's campus because it is all up and down hills with not really smooth sidewalks, etc.

 

[mechurchlady]

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=778716&highlight=plug

There are many attractions and restaurants where you can recharge your ECV or other equipment. Contact a CM and they will help you find a place to plug in.

FAQS has a ton of info.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

I have found that the "full-size" scooters with the two large batteries (such as the rentals) can run all day at maximum weight and speed and still have polenty of power left over.

However, my secondary scooter is a Pride Go-Go and the batteries were last replaced in September, and I only used it for a few days on the Cruise. Anyway, last month some friends were visiting from out of town and the wife (who weighed much less than the capacity) needed a scooter, so I loaned her the Go-Go. We started at Epcot at about 10:00, and by about 6:00 the scooter was completely out of power. Luckily I had brought the charger with me. We had been at The Living Seas and I could not find any outlets, other than behind some fixtures at the shop (and those could not be moved).

I ended up putting her scooter in freewhell and pushed her (with my larger ECV) all the way over to the building where the character meet and greet is, and we found an outlet inside.

I think that the distance listed on the scooter literature is for someone less than the capacity of the machine and driving at "turtle" only.

In theory, the range of the larger scooters is about 25 miles, and the smaller ones is about 10.

 

[lovetoscrap]

Hmmm. I really won't be able to recharge in the parks. It will be me and my 2 kids by myself. Of course I will be moving pretty slow in it since I have to move at the speed of 7 year old. I guess I will just have to keep a close eye on it and we will just have to plan to do the parks in the am and go back to the resort in the afternoon to swim and recharge if necessary and then go back in the evening. We are going in April when it will be pretty busy so probably not a bad idea anyway!

I rented the full size one last time and had no probs with the battery life, but if I bring my own and it dies I will be in a bad spot. I can't walk well enough to get it back out of the park by myself--I couldn't get MYSELF out of the parks if it died! I will make sure to bring the charger cord in case of emergency though. Fortunately my kids are well behaved and can be bribed with Mickey bars in an emergency. I am a little over 200lbs and the scooters I am looking at have a max of 250 or 300. I am leaning toward the 300 one just so it would have a bit more endurance.

I have to pay for this OOP and don't need it full time so I am trying to keep my budget for it around $700. And I have to be able to assemble and disassemble it by myself and get it in and out of my van by myself. The whole goal of it is to get back my independence so I can quit having to be dependent on other people to push me around in a wheelchair for me to go places.

 

[Andrew Bichard]

.

I ... don't need it full time so I am trying to keep my budget for it around $700. The whole goal of it is to get back my independence so I can quit having to be dependent on other people to push me around in a wheelchair for me to go places.

Is your need for a scooter going to increase with time?

You should be buying the scooter that you will need in three to five years time. Buying a lower powered wheelchair today, might be a false economy in the long term.

I have read somewhere, that the average visitor to a Disney park walks about seven miles in a day.

My Father in Law had a lightweight scooter with compact batteries under the floor. The batteries were small enough to carry a spare set.

You can even get scooters that don't need batteries at all, though they do need a very, very, very long power cord if you want to ride more than five or six feet from the outlet.

Andrew

Andrew

 

[SueM in MN]

You can even get scooters that don't need batteries at all, though they do need a very, very, very long power cord if you want to ride more than five or six feet from the outlet.

Andrew

Andrew

 

[lovetoscrap]

Is your need for a scooter going to increase with time?

You should be buying the scooter that you will need in three to five years time. Buying a lower powered wheelchair today, might be a false economy in the long term.

I have read somewhere, that the average visitor to a Disney park walks about seven miles in a day.

My Father in Law had a lightweight scooter with compact batteries under the floor. The batteries were small enough to carry a spare set.

You can even get scooters that don't need batteries at all, though they do need a very, very, very long power cord if you want to ride more than five or six feet from the outlet.

Andrew

Andrew

My hope is actually that my scooter need will decrease over time since my dr. is still holding out hope for some miraculous recovery. I am still skeptical but remaining optomistic. But for now, the budget is what it is and we are just looking more for the short term of a year or two.


If I could get one that would run on AA or even D's that would be great! Heck even a few 9V I could handle

But I think I tried one of those of those batteryless scooters at Walmart the other day . . .

 

[lovetoscrap]

Just thought that I would update that I put a deposit on a Used Scooter today. I ended up with none of the ones I was looking at! I went to a local store and didn't realize they had a lot of used ones and they had just gotten in one that was much nicer than the small ones I was looking at and because it was used was in my budget! In fact it was normally quite expensive but I got a hugely great deal!

So hopefully next week I will get to bring home my Rascal Fold and Go. All the features I wanted but thought I couldn't afford.

But Andrew, as of right now it has the opposite problem--this is a cordless model! It has a battery, but the power cord is missing. So I can go about 10-15 miles but that may be it!


Sadly as is usually the case with these used models it is there because the owner passed away. His wife has dementia and can't remember where the power cord is. Or the arms to the seat. I can do without the armrests, but the family is apparently going to search for the cord this weekend.

This has a longer range, they said about 10-15 so hopefully I should be good to go for Disney. This one also folds almost "flat" and you can stand it up vertically and store it like in a closet so I am thinking that I may even be able to take it on our Disney cruise. I wasn't planning to take a scooter because we don't have a HC room so space would be an issue. But since we can fold it and stand it up I think it may be able to fit!!! Sometimes, even when the situation isn't ideal things do seem to fall into place nicely.

 

[wilde_oscar]

so if i get this right, you are going to hope for the best that the batteries will die in fantasyland so you are stuck there for ever?

 

[SueM in MN]

But Andrew, as of right now it has the opposite problem--this is a cordless model! It has a battery, but the power cord is missing. So I can go about 10-15 miles but that may be it!

Well, there are disadvantages to those cordless models!

But, your story does bring up a good point.
A lot of times, dealers will have used ECVs that are being sold for various reasons. Many of them are 'gently used' and may be much less expensive than new ones with less features.
The reason yours is being sold was sad, but I'm sure the family is happy that someone will be getting use out of it. I know I would be.

so if i get this right, you are going to hope for the best that the batteries will die in fantasyland so you are stuck there for ever?

 

[Andrew Bichard]

I put a deposit on a Used Scooter today.

I am sure the store will provide a power cord if you ask them nicely!

Also, have the batteries checked. They don't last forever, especially if the scooter has been unused for any time. Alternatively, make sure you put it through a few ride around/recharge cycles before going on vacation.

I replace mine about once every two years, usually when I am having my pre-Disney vacation service. I can usually tell when mine need changing because my range starts to reduce considerably as the batteries age.

Which reminds me... I no longer have tread on my tyres (tires to you lot over there!!!) and can see canvas through holes in the rubber so maybe I need a new set before before my next visit.

Andrew

 

[Cheshire Figment]

I would suggest that you contact Rascal (which does a lot of direct sales) directly to see about buying arms and/or other accessories.

 

[lovetoscrap]

so if i get this right, you are going to hope for the best that the batteries will die in fantasyland so you are stuck there for ever?

NO! Cause with my luck I will be parked in the IASW building when the battery decides to die! And that is where I will have to live out the rest of my life They will make me the biggest, fattest doll in the collection!

The store is authorized repair site for Rascal so they have promised they will get me a cord even if they have to order one. But since I don't HAVE to have the scooter for another few weeks I had no problem letting the family have a week or two to try to find it. And I really don't need the arms--I ususally leave them in the up position anyway. It is actually easier for me to get in and out without them. Mostly they are just to hang a cupholder on If they don't find them I will think about ordering them from Rascal if I decide I want them.


We did find out about the service history on the scooter. The battery is actually brand new. The family actually had brought it in for servicing a month or so ago because the battery had been left to run all the way down in charge (it was not used much at all) and couldn't be recharged so it had to be replaced. They actually had about $300 worth of work done on it and while it was in for the service was when the man passed . That is why the cord is at the house and the scooter is at the store. The tires are barely even dirty and have all their tread. The scooter was bought in July 2007 so it is even still under the 1 year warantee. I have no idea why they would really even let it sell for as little as they did, but I am sure greatful to them. It really is very sad to realize that so often they get so little use, but I will give it a good home and it will get a lot of use with me.

I just can't explain how relieved I feel and how much I feel like I am finally getting some freedom after being stuck in my house for the last year, and so dependant on others. I guess many of you here can understand it. So many of my friends and family don't. Fortunately my husband does. I have always been an extremely independent person and also a control freak. This last year has been hell. While I hate that it has come to this, I feel so fortunate that at least I have this option. I want my life back.