Traveling with an Electric Scooter: Handling the Battery
Electric scooters use batteries for power. When you travel and use public transportation, those batteries will be viewed as a potential hazard and handled in a special way prescribed by that airline, bus company, railway company or boat. More now than ever we're all aware of the tedious precautions that airlines take when it comes to potentially hazardous materials. So it should be no surprise that airlines have special policies for dealing with things like mobility scooter batteries.
If you plan to travel, check your scooter's battery to make sure that it's not a wet cell battery. These batteries contain battery acid, usually sulfuric acid, and pose travel problems. Airlines will remove these batteries from your power chair or scooter and seal them in a special spill-proof and chemical-proof container. And the likelihood is that your power chair will be delivered to you with the battery still removed from it.
Before you go on any kind of trip with your scooter, switch to a dry cell battery. Gel batteries are ideal because they don't pose the kind of hazards that wet cell batteries do. They can't crack and leak damaging acid, for instance. While they still contain sulfuric acid, the batteries are sealed in a way that makes them leak-proof and the acid, rather than a liquid that can quickly run out and do damage, is a thicker, more solid substance that's less likely to drip through a crack. This makes the batteries safer, so these are the type you should use when traveling by air.
Gel batteries cost more than standard batteries, but they make travel much easier. Be sure to purchase a special charger for your gel battery. The chargers used with wet cell batteries aren't interchangeable and won't work with other types of batteries.
Different airlines have different precautions when handling mobility scooter batteries. But they all insist that the battery connections are disconnected from the battery before the scooter can be loaded into the cargo hold. Show the airline personnel where these connections are or label the connections before you get to the airport. The scooter can't be loaded with a connected battery for safety reasons, so if a worker has trouble finding the connection, they may remove the entire battery compartment.
The less disassembly like that your scooter must go through, the better, especially when it's by someone not familiar with the equipment. Once pieces start coming off that just raises the risk of one or more of those pieces not making it back onto your scooter. So be sure the connection is easy for them to find. They'll simply disconnect the battery and wrap the connectors with tape to prevent accidental connection. AGM batteries are also dry cell batteries and should be treated the same way as a gel battery. Unfortunately, not all airline personnel are knowledgeable about AGM batteries, so using a gel battery is the safest best if you want to prevent them from removing the entire battery from your electric scooter.
If you plan to travel, check your scooter's battery to make sure that it's not a wet cell battery. These batteries contain battery acid, usually sulfuric acid, and pose travel problems. Airlines will remove these batteries from your power chair or scooter and seal them in a special spill-proof and chemical-proof container. And the likelihood is that your power chair will be delivered to you with the battery still removed from it.
Before you go on any kind of trip with your scooter, switch to a dry cell battery. Gel batteries are ideal because they don't pose the kind of hazards that wet cell batteries do. They can't crack and leak damaging acid, for instance. While they still contain sulfuric acid, the batteries are sealed in a way that makes them leak-proof and the acid, rather than a liquid that can quickly run out and do damage, is a thicker, more solid substance that's less likely to drip through a crack. This makes the batteries safer, so these are the type you should use when traveling by air.
Gel batteries cost more than standard batteries, but they make travel much easier. Be sure to purchase a special charger for your gel battery. The chargers used with wet cell batteries aren't interchangeable and won't work with other types of batteries.
Different airlines have different precautions when handling mobility scooter batteries. But they all insist that the battery connections are disconnected from the battery before the scooter can be loaded into the cargo hold. Show the airline personnel where these connections are or label the connections before you get to the airport. The scooter can't be loaded with a connected battery for safety reasons, so if a worker has trouble finding the connection, they may remove the entire battery compartment.
The less disassembly like that your scooter must go through, the better, especially when it's by someone not familiar with the equipment. Once pieces start coming off that just raises the risk of one or more of those pieces not making it back onto your scooter. So be sure the connection is easy for them to find. They'll simply disconnect the battery and wrap the connectors with tape to prevent accidental connection. AGM batteries are also dry cell batteries and should be treated the same way as a gel battery. Unfortunately, not all airline personnel are knowledgeable about AGM batteries, so using a gel battery is the safest best if you want to prevent them from removing the entire battery from your electric scooter.
