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Are you looking for new wheelchair batteries? I had to learn about the electric wheelchair battery types when looking for new batteries for a wheelchair my grandma had used for a long time.
Each battery type works differently so that I couldn’t get any.
I’ll share my discoveries about the types of wheelchair batteries with you. Read along!
Table of Contents
4 Types of Wheelchair Batteries
Different types of wheelchairs use different types of rechargeable batteries. But all types of batteries do the same work: provide power for personal wheelchairs.
Take a quick look at this table of the four types of wheelchair batteries.
| Battery Type | Main Advantage | Main Disadvantage |
| AGM Battery | Affordable | Pretty heavy |
| Lithium-ion | Light and long-lasting | Pretty expensive |
| Spillable Wet | Long-lasting | They’re a nightmare to transport |
| Gel | Slow discharge over an extended period | Pretty expensive |
1. Absorbed Glass Mat Batteries
AGM batteries are non-spillable wet-cell batteries with an immobile electrolyte. The electrolyte probably won’t leak out of its secure casing, even being damp.
AGM batteries are excellent at charge storage and charging speed (1). That’s what puts them ahead of most other wheelchair batteries.
Check out the other benefits of absorbed glass mat batteries in the video below.
2. Gel Batteries
Gel batteries are sealed lead-acid batteries. They discharge slowly, even if you don’t use them for a long time, which makes them perfect.
The silica in the battery transforms battery acid into a thick liquid that looks like a gel.
This type of battery became popular with wheelchair manufacturers because they are easy to maintain or transport.
The main disadvantage of gel batteries is that they’re pretty expensive.
3. Lithium-ion Batteries
Battery advancements raised the popularity of lithium-ion batteries. You can find them in various gadgets from smartphones to power wheelchairs.
These are the longest-lasting options among wheelchair batteries. Their advanced battery technology also makes them lighter than the average wheelchair battery.
4. Spillable Wet Wheelchair Batteries
With spillable wet batteries, you need to pour in the electrolyte through openings on the top of the battery. Then, you just need to connect the battery terminals.
The spillable electrolyte makes these batteries hard to transport, so they aren’t popular.
But they are longer-lasting than gel batteries, as explained in this video.
AGM Batteries vs. Electric Wheelchair Lithium Battery: What To Choose?
Both AGM and lithium-ion are fantastic wheelchair battery recommendations. But if I were to pick one, I’d choose the lithium battery. I chose them after finding the answers to some questions.
How long do wheelchair batteries last? Do any of these two have a high battery capacity? What kind of battery service do I expect from them?
Well, AGM batteries are considerably cheaper and safer to use than lithium-ion batteries.
But they are quite heavy, so you can’t move fast in your wheelchair with a battery pack of AGM batteries.
Them being heavy also means the battery strain on your maintenance capacity will be high. They can last you about 16 kilometers on a single charge.
Once the charge starts running out, the wheelchair slows till it finally stops. Thanks to a low charge storage capacity, AGM batteries aren’t the most charge-efficient.
If you don’t have a wheelchair battery charger, you risk grounding your wheelchair.
Lithium-ion batteries offer considerably more on a single charge. They can last about 33 kilometers before you need to charge them.
These kinds of batteries are also lighter and smaller than AGM batteries. That key difference makes lithium-ion batteries the better option of the two.
Lithium-ion batteries enable the wheelchair to run at a constant speed until the battery runs out.
Despite all these benefits and their popularity with consumer electronics manufacturers, lithium iron phosphate batteries aren’t that common in battery-powered wheelchairs.
If you can afford it, choose lithium-ion batteries for your wheelchair. They are better than AGM batteries.
FAQs
Are wheelchair batteries interchangeable?
Yes, wheelchair batteries are interchangeable. All wheelchair batteries are usually 12-volt batteries, though you need two of them to power a wheelchair fully. So it’s possible to interchange wheelchair batteries.
Can you use a lawn mower battery in a wheelchair?
Lawn mower batteries can’t work for a power wheelchair or other mobility devices. They might seem interchangeable, but they’re not.
Is charging wheelchair batteries with a car charger possible?
Although possible, but charging wheelchair batteries with car charger isn’t advisable. The car charger isn’t suitable for the deep cycle battery of the wheelchair and could damage it.
Conclusion
Now you can select the best electric wheelchair battery types.
Wheelchairs mainly work on three types of non-spillable batteries. How long they last depend on how you use your wheelchair, among other factors. It all begins with getting the perfect battery.
What other advice would you give to someone looking for a battery for their wheelchair? Please share below in the comments.
References
- 1. AGM Batteries vs. Gel Batteries | Batterystuff.com. [cited 2022 Aug 23]. Available from: https://www.batterystuff.com/kb/articles/battery-articles/gel-vs-agm.html?srsltid=AfmBOorN_nkAKizhBmrb6ruzghGYwFKaq9wVjFtDiLed1MqiIKdfMJyb
