Do you have a mobility scooter that is not taking you as far as it used to? Has it been a year or more since you replaced your mobility scooter batteries? If so, it is likely your mobility scooter needs a new set of batteries. However, it is good to know how to test your batteries to ensure they need to be replaced before calling a technician and buying a new set.

Today we will explain how to run some simple tests on your batteries so that you can be sure they are in need of replacement. Before doing any of these tests make sure that your mobility scooter is completely charged over night.

Locating Your Mobility Scooter Battery Indicator

First of all, you will need to locate your battery meter that shows you how much juice your battery has. As you are on the scooter operating it come to a stop with the mobility scooter key still in the on position and look for your battery gauge. The battery indicator can be digital LED lights or an older amp meter with an orange needle.

Now that we have identified where the battery indicator is we can tell how weak the batteries are we can start to run a few simple tests.

Testing Your Mobility Scooter’s Batteries

At a stand-still, take notice of where the battery indicator needle is or how many LED lights you have lit up on your LED meter. It should be fully charged while testing your batteries in this process. While stationary, press or push the levers that make your mobility scooter run. Be sure to be on a flat level surface for best results. If the needle or LED lights decrease rapidly as you begin to move, then your batteries are weak and need to be replaced.

Another effective way of measuring the strength of your mobility scooter batteries is to ride the mobility scooter up a slope grade that is 75% of the mobility scooter capability. A simple 6 degree grade would be ample for almost any mobility scooter. We will want to take notice of how many LED lights or what percentage the needle is on the indicator then ride up the ramp. If your battery indicator is near full and then drops to below half way, this is another good sign that your batteries need to be replaced.

Testing Your Batteries With A Multimeter:

The absolute best way to identify the power left in a mobility scooter battery is to test them. A local mobility scooter store will be able to help you test them if you’re able to find one. If you do find one nearby, hopefully they will be fair with you and offer a good price on a set of new batteries. You might be able to replace them on your own to save some money.

If you have a simple multimeter you can get a good idea of where your mobility scooter battery level is. A multi-meter is a tool used to measure electrical current and continuity in many different type of electrical wave lengths. Mobility scooter batteries are 12 vDC each. Most mobility scooters contain two batteries combined to operate on 24 volts. Using a multimeter set the dial to vDC. Next you will want to locate the charging port and place the red and black leads in to the left and right holes. It does not matter which lead is placed in each hole. You should get a reading of 24-25 DC. Anything below 23 volts is considered to be not good with mobility scooters. Now to test the load you will want to turn the scooter on an operate the mobility scooter with the leads in place as they were. The volts will dissipate as you are riding the mobility scooter. If the voltage drops more than 2-3 complete volts your batteries should be replaced.

At O’Sullivans Mobility Aids we always aim to improve customer satisfaction.

We hope this blog helps you understanding you mobility scooter batteries.

Please feel free to contact us 025 24656, info@osullivansaids.ie or on facebook, twitter or using our live chat option on our website.