 Electric wheelchairs provide mobility to disabled people. In terms of safety and speed too, these wheelchairs are top class and offer the best of services to users. However, electric wheelchairs might cost a little more than manual ones, being fitting with batteries and power operations. Electric wheelchairs currently cost between $1,600 and $7,500 online.
Electric wheelchairs are a great upgraded version of the standard wheelchairs that allows enhanced mobility for people with restricted movement. These wheelchairs operated by control speeds and a joystick. Apart from this, they are very comfortable and durable. Electric wheelchairs are also adaptable and often come with reliable warranties.
Advantages of Electric Wheelchairs
- Very comfortable and convenient for traveling long distances
- The control programming of electric wheelchairs is quite modern
- Plenty of choices at the time of buying electric wheelchairs which includes mid, front and rear-wheel drives.
- Electric wheelchair with tilt for users with high mobility restriction which offers relief from pressure of lifting oneself.
Disadvantages of Electric Wheelchairs
- Muscular weakness if the user does not exercise regular
- Electric wheelchairs are quite heavy and cause some difficulty in transporting
- High maintenance cost such as batteries and operations
 Powered by a motor, electric wheelchairs are best for weaker individuals as they can control them very easily with motorized control and spend longer time in wheelchairs as compared to manual wheelchairs that need pushing. These wheelchairs are also beneficial for individuals who are seriously ill and need to push the chair on a continuous basis thus making mobility very easy and comfortable.
Electric wheelchairs cost more than manual ones. A quality electric wheelchair ranges from $3000 and more if you buy from a branded store. If you have an open budget, you can get an electric wheelchair from $5000 to $8000 depending upon its features and accessories. However, before buying the wheelchair, do take into consideration its manufacturing company. Instead of buying from an unknown company, prefer reputed company to get a good quality product.
Front-Wheel Drive and Rear-Wheel Drive Mobility Scooters
There are two kinds of electric wheelchair scooters available in the market
- Front-wheel drive
- Rear-wheel drive
For indoor use, front-wheel drive mobility scooters are ideal. Powered by a 12-volt battery, these scooters have a range of ten miles for each recharge. On the other hand, powered by two 12-volt batteries, rear-wheel drive mobility scooters have an ability to carry weights up to 350 pounds. Unlike front-wheel drive mobility scooters, rear-wheel drive mobility scooters can travel 20 miles per recharge.
According to experts, iBOT is the most technologically advanced electric wheelchair currently. IBOT can glide across gravel and climb up stairs too. In addition, it also has the ability to elevate and enables user to reach high shelves. IBOT can also self adjust its stabilization in order to balance for use on two wheels.
When selecting an electric wheelchair, it is important that you check out different kinds of electric wheelchairs available in the market. Consider each wheelchair keeping in your mind your usage and needs as well as budget. Electric wheelchairs are a lot heavier than normal ones, need extra maintenance for batteries and motors and the level of sophistication is also higher. However, they make life and mobility very easy for the user with their high level control mechanism and various features that enable user to function as a normal healthy individual.
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