Mary, because battery range is so subjective -- from your environment to pneumatic versus flat-free tires to the quality of the batteries to charging habits -- you can see huge variances. I can tell you that the Q6 Edge 2.0 and M300 get 15 miles, but that doesn't truly tell what you get.
Beyond your environment, there are two major factors that effect range.
1. Flat-free drive tires are great, but they decrease range by 20% on any Group-3 chair. They have a lot of rotational weight, so they require more energy to propel; they have a flatter profile, which increases rolling resistance; and, they're rarely truly round or they have flat spots. By contrast, pneumatic drive tires have far less rotational weight, so they require less energy; the tread crowns when inflated for less rolling resistance; and, they're round for less rolling resistance.
2. Over the past year, much of the industry has switched from quality batteries to very low-quality, ultra-low-cost Asian sourced batteries. If you use any of the major national providers, they've all switched from MK Gels to Asian "8-month" batteries that can dramatically reduce range. In independent lab testing, the "new industry-standard" batteries show good range for around 30 cycles, then plummet, where range tanks. For the average user, this means that your chair's range is dramatically diminished. By contrast, MK Gels start with great range and maintain it for, typically, 500 cycles. Great batteries are becoming hard to get, so demand quality and know what's in your battery box.
Therefore, for any user wishing to optimize range, pneumatic drive tires and quality batteries can maximize your Group-3 power chair's range by literal miles.
Lastly, if I could scream one thing to the complex rehab community, it's CHARGE YOUR CHAIR!
Amnot wrote:To Burgerman:
I went to the Odyssey website and could find no reference to wheelchair batteries whatsoever. I know that you only made reference in your post to "sports" and "performance" Odyssey batteries, but I'm a bit fuzzy on how to translate from one use to the other. Could you add some detail on how I could select an Odyssey battery for my wheelchair?
To all readers: I wanted to clarify that my old batteries have a 75ah rating
The nub of the question is about some time later, after the typically misconfigured for GEL Mobility chargers have created voids in the electrolyte and increased the internal resistance, just wondered if anyone had any real world experience to show if this causes a crossover in performance later? Or do the MKs take so long to increase internal resistance by that 20% that both sets of batteries are knackered and need replacing anyway? Meaning no possible advantage.
Burgerman wrote:You also cannot simply measure capacity. I have a set of old MK batts here that are 7 or 8 years old. They measure 69Ah. On my hobby charger, down to 10.1v @ the 20 hour rate. That's just 4Ah down on new.
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