Portable EVC / Battery life

[Simply Sue]

Weighing our options.

Will be at OKW Nov 28 - Dec 3. We will have a "full size" car rental. Usually this is a Ford Fusion or similar. We need to rent two EVC's and do not want to be tied to the Disney bus system. Multiple questions to address.

1) can 2 portable EVC's fit in a full size car utilizing the trunk and back seat?
2) I understand the purpose of a portable unit is to make it more compact and light weight but it seems the battery size or ability to hold a charge suffers. I also understand how long the EVC will go before needing a charge will depend on a lot of different factors (rider weight, usage. terrain, etc). With the ever changing improvements in battery capability are there any portables rental EVC that will hold a charge for a full park day of moderate usage without needing to find someplace to charge it?
3) other than maneuverability is there an advantage/disadvantage of a 3 wheel vs 4 wheel?
4) Have looked at Buena Vista, Gold Mobility, Walker, and Scooter bug. Anyone else we should consider?

 

[Bete]

First, I want to say if you want a full day then get a scooter that has two batteries. One example is a Pride Victory 10. Those scooters are work horses. These scooters are bigger and heavier; so, it will be a tight fit if it's even doable with a Ford Fusion. I think you would be better off with a larger SUV. You can call the rental places and see what they suggest for car size on two bigger scooters. Keep in mind on the bigger scooters some rental places make it impossible for you to break them down, now.

In 2016 we had a Lincoln Town Car and we did fit two larger scooters but the Town Car trunk is huge in that car. We stilled used the back seat, too. You really need two people to get the base of the scooter into the trunk. At the end of the day it was tough doing this after a day in the park.

If you go with a smaller scooter which will have one battery then you have to be very conscious of turning the scooter off every chance you can. If the ride queue is standing still for a while then shut the scooter off. If you are watching a show shut the scooter off. If you are watching fireworks then shut the scooter off. Watch your guage for battery power. If you are dining at the park that's usually a good time to recharge the scooter a little even though you prefer not to do it.

Another alternative is maybe renting one scooter at the park. This will cost more. Maybe, the two people using the scooters can share one scooter and take turns walking from the parking lot to the park; until you can get the second scooter in the park. At least they wouldn't have to walk all the way.

 

[Evita_W]

I can tell you two Victory 10s easily fit in the back of a Dodge Caravan with the back row folded down. No need to disassemble the Scooters even. We did take the arm rests off and left them off because we weren't using them anyway and it made it easier, but doable with them.

I wouldn't go with the rent one in the park, as they may run out before you get there and that could be problematic.

 

[SueM in MN]

I can tell you two Victory 10s easily fit in the back of a Dodge Caravan with the back row folded down. No need to disassemble the Scooters even. We did take the arm rests off and left them off because we weren't using them anyway and it made it easier, but doable with them.

I wouldn't go with the rent one in the park, as they may run out before you get there and that could be problematic.

Many of the rental agencies have both Dodge Caravans and Chrysler Pacifica vans.
If do, you want to choose the Caravan.
We recently changed our personal van from a Caravan to a Pacifica. The space behind the back seat is smaller in the Pacifica and the back window/hatch is more slanted, making less free space.

 

[AprilsZoo]

If you go with a smaller scooter which will have one battery then you have to be very conscious of turning the scooter off every chance you can. If the ride queue is standing still for a while then shut the scooter off. If you are watching a show shut the scooter off. If you are watching fireworks then shut the scooter off. Watch your guage for battery power. If you are dining at the park that's usually a good time to recharge the scooter a little even though you prefer not to do it.

Even more important: as much as possible, avoid stop-start-stop-start type scootering. Turn the dial to a speed that allows you to feel comfortable without continually having to stop-start. Every time you activate the lever, and hear a click, you are using up battery power. Also, do not squeeze the lever only partway in order to go slower, that will also add more strain. Remember, you don’t have to move up every time the line moves a step or two … wait until the line moves several (8-10) feet before you move up. Tell the folks behind you that this strategy will keep your scooter from running out of juice & stranding you somewhere, and thank them for being patient.

In my experience, I haven’t noticed a big difference just from turning off the key in the queue (unless there’s a breakdown & we aren’t going anywhere for a while — waiting for the shows & fireworks & while eating, yes… but in the lines, I’ve found just keeping my hands away from the controls until I’m ready to go has just as much benefit. That’s because the tendency is to partly squeeze the lever when you want to inch up… or click-clicking in tiny bursts to move a bit at a time) Instead, in queues, turn the dial to all the way down to turtle… and then hands off unless you are actually moving. No inching! (refer to previous paragraph. ).

 

[Evita_W]

Even more important: as much as possible, avoid stop-start-stop-start type scootering. Turn the dial to a speed that allows you to feel comfortable without continually having to stop-start. Every time you activate the lever, and hear a click, you are using up battery power. Also, do not squeeze the lever only partway in order to go slower, that will also add more strain. Remember, you don’t have to move up every time the line moves a step or two … wait until the line moves several (8-10) feet before you move up. Tell the folks behind you that this strategy will keep your scooter from running out of juice & stranding you somewhere, and thank them for being patient.

In my experience, I haven’t noticed a big difference just from turning off the key in the queue (unless there’s a breakdown & we aren’t going anywhere for a while — waiting for the shows & fireworks & while eating, yes… but in the lines, I’ve found just keeping my hands away from the controls until I’m ready to go has just as much benefit. That’s because the tendency is to partly squeeze the lever when you want to inch up… or click-clicking in tiny bursts to move a bit at a time) Instead, in queues, turn the dial to all the way down to turtle… and then hands off unless you are actually moving. No inching! (refer to previous paragraph. ).

Interesting, never knew that pushing the lever partway used more power than turning the speed knob down.

 

[mamabunny]

Interesting, never knew that pushing the lever partway used more power than turning the speed knob down.

It depends on the type of "throttle" being used.

For example, on my personal device, there is no power loss or gain to using a different speed, because there is no electromechanical braking involved. The throttle is directly connected to the hub motor, and what you ask for is exactly what you get. I have actual mechanical hand-operated bike brakes to slow or stop me (and they are effective; you can about go over the handlebars if you brake too fast!)

On most rental ECVs (and their "real life" counterparts) there is a form of electromechanical braking involved. That's the "click" sound that you hear when you start and stop using the throttle on those devices

Creeping slowly with one of these *can* mean that the brakes are engaging to slow the device down - if it is headed downhill, and is trying to exceed the speed that the throttle asked for. If it is headed uphill, the braking will kick in to help hold the position on the hill as you creep upward. So, yes - under certain circumstances "creeping" could cause the unit to use more power.

*Generally* speaking, the queue sections at WDW where you will want to "creep" are flat and should not cause the electromechanical braking to kick in. Having said that, if you are practicing what we preach here in this little corner of the DIS, and turning off the unit when you are not moving anyway... it should not "cost" you any more battery life (overall). When you turn off the unit in line, the brakes automatically set and you no longer have the "cost" of the electromechanical brakes to your battery life, and the "click" you hear when you turn it back on is just the electromechanical braking system.