August 29, 2023
If you want your mobility scooter or power wheelchair batteries to last as long as they can, you can do a few things to dramatically extend their lifespan. Battery maintenance best practices are different for sealed lead acid (SLA batteries) and lithium-ion batteries.
Pride Mobility devices use both SLA and lithium-ion batteries; however, most Pride Mobility scooters are equipped with a sealed lead acid (SLA) battery. The best way to know which type of battery your scooter has is to check your user’s manual or the specification sheet on Pride’s products page.
5 Tips to Extend Your SLA Battery Life
1. Charge up your SLA Battery after each use.
If you’re a daily rider, plug in your mobility scooter or power wheelchair after each use. This will provide you with a full battery for the next day, and also help extend your battery life.
2. Never store an empty SLA battery.
If your mobility scooter or power wheelchair is not going to be used for a few weeks (or months), first charge the battery to full capacity and then plug it in and charge it up every two weeks.
3. Use the right charger.
A charger might fit, however that doesn’t mean it’s the right one for your battery. Make sure the charger voltage matches the battery. Overcharging – or using a charger with higher voltage than your battery specifications, can lead to overheating and can potentially ruin your battery completely.
Likewise, undercharging with a charger with a lower voltage will put undue strain on your battery and cause faster battery deterioration.
4. Disconnect the charger when your SLA battery is fully charged.
Once your battery is fully charged, disconnect the charger. At the very most, disconnect your charger after 24 hours.
5. Avoid extreme temperatures.
Temperature of the room you charge your device matters. Low temperatures will result in batteries not charging efficiently. You can destroy your battery, or cause permanent damage, by letting it freeze.
Higher temperatures can cause charging to be so efficient that there is a threat that it will heat up and damage the battery.
The extreme temperature warning doesn’t just apply to charging. Avoid very cold and very warm temperatures when storing your SLA battery. Ideal charging and storage room temperatures are between 10 – 30 degrees Celsius.
5 Tips to Extend Your Lithium-ion Battery Life
1. Avoid running your lithium-ion battery dry.
A lithium-ion battery that is never completely depleted will last longer and they have never had a full discharge cycle. Charging a lithium-ion battery before it has been fully drained will help increase the potential number of charging cycles you get from that battery.
2. Don’t charge your lithium-ion battery to 100%
Similar to the undue stress depleting your battery causes, so does keeping it at 100% for prolonged periods. Best practice is to check the charge status of your battery or look at smart devices that initiate a slow charge with near 100%.
3. Avoid generic rapid charges.
Fast charging a lithium-ion battery is hard on it and will lead to faster deterioration. A standard charger won’t wear so hard on the battery. Good news, the charger you received with your Pride Mobility lithium-ion device will charge the battery at the optimal rate to preserve battery life. We always recommend using the original charger that came with the mobility scooter or power wheelchair.
4. Store your lithium-ion battery at less than half percentage.
If you are not using your lithium-ion battery and keeping it stored for a prolonged period. Keep the battery at 40% charge or a close as you can. At this level of charge your lithium-ion battery is under the least amount of stress.
5. Don’t store or charge your lithium-ion battery below freezing.
A lithium-ion battery won’t charge below 0 degrees. It is also best practice to not store the battery below freezing either. So if you do live in a colder area and store your Scooter in a shed. We suggest you pull the battery and store it inside.
As a side note, just like a SLA battery. Storing or using lithium-ion batteries in extreme warm temperatures will also speed up degradation.
Take-aways
Both SLA and lithium-ion batteries don’t like to be fully depleted. And while it’s ok to fully charge an SLA battery, a lithium-ion battery should not reach a full 100% charge.
Taking proper care of your batteries means they will last longer and work better. You may not notice your batteries improved performance right away, however over time it can provide significant benefits.
Live Your Best with Pride Mobility!
For over two decades, Pride Mobility has been an industry leader in the design, development and manufacture of mobility products. Pride helps thousands of people live their lives to the fullest by offering the best personal mobility aids and delivering the highest levels of customer satisfaction in Australia and beyond.
For more information, call us at +61 3 8770 9600 or contact us here.
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