WheelchairDriver.com  

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Updated:  10-May-10

Welcome

1. POWERCHAIR ONLY:
Detailed Full PowerChair Related ONLY Menu HERE

2. VEHICLE ONLY:
Detailed Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles ONLY menu HERE

3. EVERYTHING ELSE:
Detailed Menu of Everything else HERE!


MY OWN VEHICLES:
Dodge Grand Caravan


VW Caravelle VR6

MY HOME BUILT ULTIMATE POWERCHAIRS:
My SLIGHTLY Modified Improved Powerchair

Part 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

My VERY Modified Off Road & All terrain DO ALL Powerchair!
Part 1 | 2 | 3


MISCELLANEOUS POWERCHAIR RELATED:
What Goes Wrong Power Wheelchairs

Powerchair Tyres

Drive your Powerchair by Radio Control

Powerchairs & Range


Off Road DO ALL Indoor & Outdoor Powerchairs

Off Road ONLY Outdoor Powerchairs & 4x4
Page 1 | 2

Manual or Electric Wheelchair?

Why ALL Powerchairs NEED  to be Off Road Capable!

Choosing  a Suitable Powerchair

Wheelchair Width


BATTERY AND ELECTRICAL (POWERCHAIRS & SCOOTERS + MOTOR VEHICLES):
Batteries for Both Vans & Power Wheelchairs


Inverters & Chargers

Very flexible charger!


Charging Batteries

Fast Charge Your Power Wheelchair

Which batteries to buy


"DRIVE FROM A WHEELCHAIR" VEHICLES:
Dodge Grand Caravan 1

Dodge Grand Caravan 2
Dodge Grand Caravan 3
Dodge Grand Caravan 4

Latest 2008 2009 2010 Disabled Converted Dodge Chrysler And Voyager Minivans
 
Chrysler Voyager Entervan Diesel

Suzuki Wagon R

More Here

Mercedes Vito - soon!
Kia Sedona - soon!


INSURANCE:
Modified Disabled Vehicle Insurance

Breakdown Cover

USED VEHICLES & OTHER EQUIPMENT:
Disabled Adapted Cars

WHEELCHAIR TRANSPORT
& DRIVE BY TRANSFERRING:


VW Caravelle

Dodge Grand Caravan can be used to transport up to 4 Wheelchair Seated Occupants

Fiat Doblo

Renault Kangoo - soon!
Citroen Berlingo
- soon!
Citroen Dispatch
- soon!
Kia Sedona
- soon!
Volkswagen Sharan
Mercedes Vaneos
Toyota Hiace
Fiat Multiplas
(Wheelchair
passenger travels in the front)

Kangoo ASSIST
(wheelchair
passenger transfers & drives)


ESSENTIAL DISABLED
EQUIPMENT STUFF:

Understanding


Grabbers


Puncture proof tyres

Run Flat tyres

Tyre Weld Aerosol

Fuses!

Spare Key


Wheelchair Ramps

Small Generator

Tools!


VEHICLE ADAPTATIONS:
Control Systems etc
Hand Controls Manual
Hand Controls Electronic
Van / Car Door openers
Van / Car Wheelchair Tie Downs

 


OTHER STUFF:
Used Disabled Equipment for sale

How to lose weight  FAST!

Email about modifying powerchairs

Keep it looking new 1 2

My Accident!


Climate Change

Electric Cars are a Joke!

Disclaimer & About Me

Site Map

Contact

Links

John Williamson


Typical cost of Powerchair Ownership, Cost of Charging, Cost of Powerchair Maintenance.

I get many email questions from "professionals", as well as end users with the questions about cost daily. I had never really though much about it before so decided to do a typical breakdown (me!) of costs. It is quite surprising!

Full PowerChair Related Menu

Running costs of a Hi end Powerchair (of the type a busy active user would require).

Typical Purchase Price: £6500  Varies - Use your own figure!

Depreciation over 3 years (typical) lifespan:
£6000 - Many used powerchairs are sold for around 500 on eBay for e.g.  If you wear them out faster, or make them last 5 years then adjust accordingly. But 3 years is typical for an active user.

Spares over typical 3 years (real costs with receipts):
Tyres 9 sets front caster tyres & 4 tubes £250
Tyres 5 sets rear tyres £300  Of course if you barely use your chair this will be less - Only you can know this from experience - adjust cost to suit.

Charger replacement £229 (typical price, but I actually bought 3 expensive chargers for different situations - not included here - after the original failed)

Upholstery, Arms, various worn / damaged parts £700 (I actually spend £1700 every year completely rebuilding one of my 3 powerchairs but this 700 is a typical figure for an average users bill.
.
Motors 1 set £600 Again, this is a typical; figure. Some users will never wear out a motor. I wore out 11 sets in 13 years... In 4 different chairs and three different brands. If you are very active you will wear them out! If you sit at home all day they will outlive you.

Batteries £400 per year. or £1200 over 3 years  Scary eh? Well its true. As a busty ACTIVE user I need new batteries every 10 to 12 months. The very best batteries at £400 a set can give 500 x 80% deep cycles. In a lab with smooth constant currents and optimised charging and temperatures. In real world use you get 300 to 350 cycles or days use and recharge. If you use the chair like my grandma, and sit at home and don't really use its range you may get 5 years! Or if you are worse than I am and flatten the batteries pretty much daily then you will not get 6 months.  

Charging costs every night:
70Ah @ 24V (your batteries usable electrical store) is electrically the same as 7 Amps at 240v for 1 hour. Its the same amount of power/energy. But charger and battery are not 100 percent efficient so 10 amps for 1 hour is approx equivalent at 240v mains power when recharging. That is 2400 watt hours. at a typical UK price of 9p per kW/hour. so just £0.21 daily. or £6.48 Per month. That was cheaper than you expected wasn't it? Well it surprised me!

Total costs for a typical heavy active user (including depreciation and charging) is:
£9512 over 3 years. (every 3 years...)

That's £264 UK pounds per calendar month. Being Disabled is not cheap. And these are very real figures rounded up and down slightly for simplicity. Supported by 13 years worth of receipts.

In actual fact the real cost is higher still when you consider the damage done to carpets, door frames, etc. And that you need a special stupidly priced vehicle to get about in that is typically twice or three times the price of an able bodied persons car. And that it is hard to insure and does half the miles to the gallon!  

And then consider that to be sensible you NEED a back up chair as well since you cannot manage if one chair fails.

MORE: Detailed PowerChair Only Menu

 

 

 

 

 

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