Better wheelchairs?
in [Wheelchairs]
|
Prev: driving service
Next: Wheelchair in minivan
From: Burgerman on 24 Jun 2008 16:35 Want to know why we dont yet have lithium battery powered wheelchairs? (Lighter, smaller, faster charging, better high current capability etc) Well in the process of building or rebuilding yet another F55 I needed smaller batteries that still performed like the 55 ah stock deep cycle ones. No space you see - trying to get fat off road balloon tyres under a F55s by narrowing the battery compartment, moving motors inwards so the fat tyres dont stick out. Well the price to go lithium (because the same 55 amp hours takes up much less space) continues to fall but its still far from cheap! http://www.greenmotorsport.com/green_motorsport/products_and_services/3,1,388,17,716.html �461+Vat 24&48V, is the charger alone! (about 1k dollars for those over the pond.) The batteries we would need to propel a wheelchair all day are �1210.00 EACH! And we need 2. So we are looking at about 2800 pounds or 5600 dollars just for batteries and charger. I dont think I will be bothering just yet.
From: Roger Conroy on 24 Jun 2008 16:55 "Burgerman" <burgerman(a)ntlworld.com> wrote in message news:GUc8k.69391$8H5.1855(a)newsfe10.ams2... > Want to know why we dont yet have lithium battery powered wheelchairs? > (Lighter, smaller, faster charging, better high current capability etc) > Well in the process of building or rebuilding yet another F55 I needed > smaller batteries that still performed like the 55 ah stock deep cycle > ones. No space you see - trying to get fat off road balloon tyres under a > F55s by narrowing the battery compartment, moving motors inwards so the > fat tyres dont stick out. Well the price to go lithium (because the same > 55 amp hours takes up much less space) continues to fall but its still far > from cheap! > > http://www.greenmotorsport.com/green_motorsport/products_and_services/3,1,388,17,716.html > > �461+Vat 24&48V, is the charger alone! (about 1k dollars for those over > the pond.) > > The batteries we would need to propel a wheelchair all day are �1210.00 > EACH! And we need 2. > > So we are looking at about 2800 pounds or 5600 dollars just for batteries > and charger. > > I dont think I will be bothering just yet. A VERY important safety consideration for lithium batteries is cooling. When they are closely packed and/or poorly ventilated they have a nasty habit of bursting into flames. A lithuim fire is EXTREMELY serious. Lithium burns hot and vigorously enough to melt steel! Spraying water or CO2 on it makes it worse as it is hot enough to actually split water into hydrogen and oxygen and CO2 into carbon and oxygen.
From: Burgerman on 24 Jun 2008 21:10 "Roger Conroy" <rogerconroy.nospam(a)hotmail.com> wrote in message news:g3rmvf$j4c$1(a)registered.motzarella.org... > > "Burgerman" <burgerman(a)ntlworld.com> wrote in message > news:GUc8k.69391$8H5.1855(a)newsfe10.ams2... >> Want to know why we dont yet have lithium battery powered wheelchairs? >> (Lighter, smaller, faster charging, better high current capability etc) >> Well in the process of building or rebuilding yet another F55 I needed >> smaller batteries that still performed like the 55 ah stock deep cycle >> ones. No space you see - trying to get fat off road balloon tyres under a >> F55s by narrowing the battery compartment, moving motors inwards so the >> fat tyres dont stick out. Well the price to go lithium (because the same >> 55 amp hours takes up much less space) continues to fall but its still >> far from cheap! >> >> http://www.greenmotorsport.com/green_motorsport/products_and_services/3,1,388,17,716.html >> >> �461+Vat 24&48V, is the charger alone! (about 1k dollars for those over >> the pond.) >> >> The batteries we would need to propel a wheelchair all day are �1210.00 >> EACH! And we need 2. >> >> So we are looking at about 2800 pounds or 5600 dollars just for batteries >> and charger. >> >> I dont think I will be bothering just yet. > > A VERY important safety consideration for lithium batteries is cooling. > When they are closely packed and/or poorly ventilated they have a nasty > habit of bursting into flames. A lithuim fire is EXTREMELY serious. > Lithium burns hot and vigorously enough to melt steel! Spraying water or > CO2 on it makes it worse as it is hot enough to actually split water into > hydrogen and oxygen and CO2 into carbon and oxygen. > I use and understand lithiums, lithium polymer and lithium ion, model helis, electric flight and special chargers etc, and understand where you are coming from. But these specific batteries are "safe" if you read the specs an details. They are even allowed as air freight. The most dangerous thing with lithiums is overcharging and woosh! Fireworks. But these are different. And so are their chargers. But its irrelivant as the cost is prohibitive. Still... I may give it a go though purely as an experiment in the next incarnation F55s. because lead acid is huge and heavy although cheap. Nicads and Nickel Metal Hydrides are an in between but still expensive without huge gains. We will see how my finances look when its decision time!
From: Pete on 1 Jul 2008 23:12 Burgerman wrote: > Want to know why we dont yet have lithium battery powered wheelchairs? > (Lighter, smaller, faster charging, better high current capability etc) > Well in the process of building or rebuilding yet another F55 I needed > smaller batteries that still performed like the 55 ah stock deep cycle > ones. No space you see - trying to get fat off road balloon tyres under > a F55s by narrowing the battery compartment, moving motors inwards so > the fat tyres dont stick out. Well the price to go lithium (because the > same 55 amp hours takes up much less space) continues to fall but its > still far from cheap! > > http://www.greenmotorsport.com/green_motorsport/products_and_services/3,1,388,17,716.html > > > �461+Vat 24&48V, is the charger alone! (about 1k dollars for those over > the pond.) > > The batteries we would need to propel a wheelchair all day are �1210.00 > EACH! And we need 2. > > So we are looking at about 2800 pounds or 5600 dollars just for > batteries and charger. > > I dont think I will be bothering just yet. Have you checked these guys out Burgerman http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=1158 I'm not sure how they stack up against what you've looked at, but prices seem ok.
From: Burgerman on 2 Jul 2008 05:32
"Pete" <pete(a)home.net.au> wrote in message news:8eWdnYCBs6iFb_fVnZ2dnUVZ_obinZ2d(a)posted.internode... > Burgerman wrote: >> Want to know why we dont yet have lithium battery powered wheelchairs? >> (Lighter, smaller, faster charging, better high current capability etc) >> Well in the process of building or rebuilding yet another F55 I needed >> smaller batteries that still performed like the 55 ah stock deep cycle >> ones. No space you see - trying to get fat off road balloon tyres under a >> F55s by narrowing the battery compartment, moving motors inwards so the >> fat tyres dont stick out. Well the price to go lithium (because the same >> 55 amp hours takes up much less space) continues to fall but its still >> far from cheap! >> >> http://www.greenmotorsport.com/green_motorsport/products_and_services/3,1,388,17,716.html >> �461+Vat 24&48V, is the charger alone! (about 1k dollars for those over >> the pond.) >> >> The batteries we would need to propel a wheelchair all day are �1210.00 >> EACH! And we need 2. >> >> So we are looking at about 2800 pounds or 5600 dollars just for batteries >> and charger. >> >> I dont think I will be bothering just yet. > > Have you checked these guys out Burgerman > > http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=1158 > > I'm not sure how they stack up against what you've looked at, but prices > seem ok. http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=4172 2 of these would give correct ish voltage and capacity. @ about 4000 dollars. Plus special lithium charger (we dont want a fire!), @ about 1200 dollars. Cheaper slightly but still a bit too much for batteries every 12 months I think! In a year or three prices will fall and we can all have fast charging 40 miles range and 20 mph powerchairs. -- DIY Nitrous www.nitrous.info Powerchairs www.powerchair-review.co.uk Disabled vehicle conversion www.wheelchairdriver.com Engines www.more-power.info |