What is Lithium-Ion?

Lithium batteries, also called lithium-ion or Li-I are lightweight, powerful, and have a high energy density. They are made of a few elements. This includes lithium and cobalt. Lithium batteries are most commonly found in electronics like laptops, cell phones, and electric cars. In the last few years, they were introduced to the mobility aid industry, which opens up new doors for wheelchair users. 

Ultra Lightweight

One of the main complaints of SLA battery users is how heavy they are. SLA batteries can weigh upwards of 100 pounds per battery. Yup, you read that right. 100 pounds per battery, and a lot of wheelchairs use two. This can make changing, moving, or charging your batteries in a docking station extremely difficult. Especially when we are considering wheelchair users who may have a hard time lifting upwards of 100 pounds. On the other hand, lithium wheelchair batteries are typically only a few pounds. As an example, our EasyGo lithium wheelchair batteries are only 6 pounds. This can make it easy for almost anyone to remove or charge them. If you want to plan a super long trip, you even have the ability to carry an extra battery as they are so lightweight.

Travel-Friendly

When you are researching what type of wheelchair to purchase, you may want to consider how easy it is to take with you in your vehicle, or even on vacation. As you can imagine, travelling with a 100+ pound battery would be extremely difficult. It may even be impossible for you or your loved one to lift it into your vehicle. While lithium-ion batteries are lightweight and much smaller, they can easily be lifted into the back of your vehicle. In addition, lithium wheelchair batteries are airline approved. This means that you can take your wheelchair on a plane with you! To learn more about travelling with a wheelchair on a plane, check out our article.

Small and Compact

As I have briefly mentioned already, lithium wheelchair batteries are small and compact. They can be up to half as small as their SLA counterparts. So, if you are planning to store them somewhere to keep them safe in the winter, they will take up much less space and be less of an eyesore to look at. 

Fast Charging

Another benefit of lithium wheelchair batteries is how quickly they can charge. The larger the battery, the longer it will take to charge. Typically, SLA mobility batteries can take 6-12 hours to charge from 0-100%. On the other hand, on average lithium wheelchair batteries can take 4-6 hours to fully charge. Of course, both of these numbers will depend on how the user takes care of their batteries, the battery size, and other factors. In general, lithium wheelchair batteries can charge faster. So, if you go out in the morning, you can give them a quick charge and be good to go again in the evening.

Final Words

As you can see, there are a number of benefits that lithium wheelchair batteries provide. If you are an everyday wheelchair user, I’m sure you understand how difficult it is to move, charge, and transport SLA batteries due to their weight and size. If you are looking for a more practical solution, check out a wheelchair that comes with lithium-ion batteries, like EasyGo! As always, if you have any questions about lithium wheelchair batteries or EasyGo, don’t hesitate to reach out.