Having sold many of the Zinger electric wheelchairs we have been on the search recently for other chairs that come in the same category. That is lightweight, easy to fold making them ultimately portable and reliable. These are sometimes referred to as Boot Scooters !

The good news is that other manufacturers are coming up with designs that are similar and that get away from the traditional setup with cumbersome steering yolks and heavy chassis making them anything but portable. There is a large proportion of disabled users who want and need the ability to arrive at their destination by car or train and be able to easily deploy their electric wheelchair to allow them to get on with their day. This means that the unit has to be light enugh to be lifted in and out of the boot, bus or train carriage.

On a recent visit to Naidex at the Birmingham NEC we were able to find a few models that fit this bill. The use of new and different materials is making this type of chair easier to manufacture. Clever designs that allow removal of parts is becoming more common, making the chair lighter and less bulky. One one such model we were amazed to see how light the battery unit was which has made significant weight reduction possible making the chair about 20KGs which is in the range of what most folk can lift without difficulty.

Models like the Genie, the Smarty and the Mobie from Monarch were some examples of this new ultra portable powerchair coming to the market. The Smarty is so called because not only is it fairly compact and lightweight but it also folds itself at the click of a button, making it ready to be lifted in to the boot of the car or on to the train. Once folded all of the models form very compact units that have easy to reach handles ready to be carried or wheeled to their storage.

So what are the downsides of the new electric wheelchairs and what should be we looking out for ? As with all things that are made to become lighter in weight, there is a tendency for the strength to decrease in line with the weight. Many of the more traditional powerchairs will easily accommodate users up to 21 stone. They are built with a sensible gauge of steel or aluminium frame and all the components that are married to the wheelchair frame are of a similar duty build. This provides strength and stability.

Another consequence of reducing powerchair weight is often reducing the range it is capable of between charges as manufacturers resort to smaller batteries. The use of lithium based cells are now more commonplace in electric wheelchairs.

Finally look at the number of parts the model breaks down in to. The main focus here is generally the battery. Most of these are removable so that the weight can be reduced prior to lifting. You need to be confident that you or your helper are comfortable with lifting the biggest and or heaviest chair component.

We will soon be adding some of these models to our online store once we have tested the units and been able to assess exactly what and who they are suited to. In the meanwhile please visit our selection of electric wheelchairs by clicking here.