Handicapped Scooter Question
 

We are going to Europe this spring, and one of our family members uses a motorized scooter to get around (here in USA). To re- charge it, he plugs the battery into a 3-prong 110 outlet for a few hours. We have a standard traveler's converter/adaptor kit (Samsonite). Will this be all he needs to recharge the power pack on his scooter? Does anyone have experience with this while traveling in Europe?

I can't believe I've forgotten how to convert voltage and amps into watts but it's been over 25 yrs. Anyway perhaps someone can do the math and figure out if a converter can handle this charger. I did a quick search and it seems that these scooters (traveler double check this info) use 2 12V batteries in series for 24V to the motor. The charger draws 3amp @ 110V, now what is the wattage and will a standard converter handle this load? Traveler have a "Plan B" if in Europe the converter fails buy a European (220V) car (12V @ 3amps or more&gt; it's ok) battery charger and charge each battery seperate meaning disconnect the - negative to + positive wire between them. Of course if you can easily disconnect the - to + wire and with 2 wires with clips on them go - to - and + to + you could charge both batteries together because now they would be in parallel and 12V. HTH Regards, Walter <BR>

Traveler.. <BR> <BR>This may be stupid question, but have you checked with the airline about their willingness to carry the scooter, as they are often quite heavy, and they may have a problem with the type of batteries you are using. Just a thought.

Not to mention that most places in old europe are not not handicap-friendly. <BR>Its gonna be a bigger problem than you think.

If all else fails, - have you thought of hiring? I'm not sure about other European countries, but here in Bath, for example, it's possible to hire motorized scooters and manual wheelchairs, - and I'm sure that's true of other major cities in Britain. <BR> <BR>If you're planning to come to the U.K. I can send you more info on this if you wish, - let me know if I can be of any help. <BR> <BR>Steve James <BR>Bath, U.K <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> Are you planning to come to the U.K?

Folks who are posting, but just so you know, it is NOT a problem to bring a scooter on the plane! Particularly if you are discussing US airlines, they are mandated by law to accommodate wheelchair (and therefore scooter) users. Unless you have sealed gel batteries, however, they will make you remove the batteries and pack them separately in a special box. Some airlines may not accept liquid cel batteries for overseas flights at all. It's true that accessibility in Europe is more limited in Europe than in the US (curb cuts, ramps, lifts, etc.), but how bad/good it is depends on where you're going. I suggest going to www.newmobility.com/archives and looking for travel-related articles, www.globalaccess.com, and www.access-able.com for help answering your recharging question. My hunch is that thw 12-volt batteries used in power chairs and scooters might overwhelm standard converter kits, but I don't know.

Watts = Volts x Amps. Therefore 3300 watts. (really higher math right?) About double what the biggest hairdrier uses. Just plugging that puppy into a wall outlet could blow the breaker. Battery chargers are available as low as 1 amp. I vote for buying a 220 volt charger for the trip.

Rand: I should have said I didn't remember the mathematical equation:). But 110V X 3Amps is 330 Watts which I thought was the equation but it didn't sound high enough, 3300 Watts does sound right though. What am *I* missing here:). Regards, Walter <BR>

Walter you are right, it is 330 watts not 3300. My brain is more fried than usual (Friday afternoon syndrome). Now 330 watts divided by 220 volts is 1.5 amp. Any reasonable converter/adapter should be able to handle that. Most car battery chargers are 6 or 12 amps so these scooters use small chargers for their smaller batteries. Motorcycles are charged with a 1 amp charger.

Actually, most scooters and power wheelchairs use batteries very similar in volts/amperage to car batteries.