Electric wheelchair battery life test guide: providing key insights for international wholesale buyers

Electric wheelchair battery life test guide: providing key insights for international wholesale buyers

Globally, the demand for electric wheelchairs is growing steadily. For international wholesale buyers, it is crucial to have a deep understanding of the product’s battery life, which is not only related to user experience, but also directly affects the product’s market competitiveness. This article will comprehensively analyze the key links of electric wheelchair battery life testing to help buyers accurately evaluate product performance.

1. The importance of electric wheelchair battery life testing

1.1 Meeting the core needs of users
For electric wheelchair users, battery life is one of the key factors in deciding to buy. Whether it is short-distance indoor travel or long-term outdoor travel, sufficient and reliable battery life guarantees can allow users to plan their trips more freely, reduce the inconvenience and anxiety caused by insufficient power, and significantly improve the quality of life.

1.2 Enhance market competitive advantage
In the eyes of buyers, electric wheelchair products with excellent battery life performance are undoubtedly more attractive. When many products on the market have similar functions, longer battery life or better energy consumption performance will become an important selling point for products to stand out, helping buyers win more customer orders in the local market and occupy a larger market share.
1.3 Compliance with safety and quality standards
From the perspective of safety and quality supervision, accurate endurance testing is a key step to ensure that electric wheelchairs comply with relevant standards and specifications. For example, the ISO 7176 series of standards and the GB/T 12996-2012 standard have clear requirements for the endurance testing of electric wheelchairs. Only products that pass strict testing can prove that their performance and safety meet the standards, thereby obtaining market access qualifications and avoiding potential legal risks and after-sales problems.

2. Key elements of endurance testing
2.1 Test environment
Temperature and humidity: It is usually required to test at a temperature of 20°C±15°C and a relative humidity of 60%±35%, because extreme temperature and humidity conditions will affect the performance of the battery and the operating efficiency of the motor, thereby interfering with the endurance test results.
Terrain simulation: Build a test site that includes flat roads, slopes of different slopes (such as 6°-10°), and various complex terrains that may be encountered in daily use to fully evaluate the endurance performance of electric wheelchairs under different terrains.
Load conditions: Use standard load (usually 75kg or 100kg) for testing to simulate the actual working conditions when the user is riding, ensuring that the test results have practical reference value.
2.2 Battery performance evaluation
Battery capacity and type: Battery capacity is the basis of battery life. Its unit is watt-hour (Wh), and the calculation formula is voltage (V) multiplied by capacity (Ah). At present, the batteries commonly used in electric wheelchairs are mainly lead-acid batteries and lithium batteries. Lead-acid batteries have low cost but are relatively heavy and have a short battery life; lithium batteries have the advantages of light weight, long battery life, and long service life, but the price is relatively high.
Charge and discharge efficiency and cycle life: Detect the energy loss of the battery during the charging process and the capacity attenuation after multiple charge and discharge cycles. An efficient battery management system (BMS) can optimize the charge and discharge process, extend the battery life, and ensure that the electric wheelchair maintains stable battery life in long-term use.
Temperature characteristics: Study the performance changes of batteries under different temperature environments, especially the decrease in battery capacity under low temperature conditions and the safety and performance stability of batteries under high temperature environments. This is of great significance for evaluating the applicability of electric wheelchairs in different regions.
2.3 Motor and drive system
Motor type and performance parameters: Brushed motor and brushless motor are two common types of motors in electric wheelchairs. Brushed motors have the characteristics of instant response and strong power, but are relatively power-consuming; brushless motors are lighter and more power-saving, but the popularization of high-power brushless motors still needs to overcome cost and technical difficulties. The performance parameters of the motor, such as output power and torque curve, directly affect the power output efficiency of the electric wheelchair, and thus affect the cruising range.
Control system and energy recovery: Advanced control systems can accurately adjust the speed and torque of the motor according to the user’s operating instructions to achieve reasonable distribution and utilization of energy. At the same time, some electric wheelchairs are equipped with energy recovery systems, which can convert part of the kinetic energy into electrical energy and store it back in the battery during braking or downhill, effectively improving the cruising range.
2.4 Vehicle design and configuration
Frame material and structure: Lightweight and high-strength frame materials, such as aluminum alloy and magnesium alloy, can reduce the weight of the vehicle while ensuring the structural strength of the electric wheelchair, thereby reducing energy consumption and extending the cruising range.
Tire and drive wheel configuration: Tires with low rolling resistance can reduce energy loss during driving, while reasonable drive wheel size and configuration (such as rear drive wheels or front drive wheels) will affect the vehicle’s traction and driving stability, and thus indirectly affect the endurance performance.
Auxiliary functions and accessories: Some electric wheelchairs are equipped with auxiliary functions and accessories, such as lighting systems, alarm devices, multi-function display screens, etc., which will increase energy consumption to a certain extent, but they play an important role in improving product safety and user experience. In the endurance test, the energy consumption of these auxiliary functions needs to be comprehensively considered to ensure that the endurance performance of the product in actual use meets user expectations.

3. Endurance test process and method

3.1 Pre-test preparation
Vehicle inspection and maintenance: Before the endurance test, the electric wheelchair is fully inspected, including the integrity and tightness of each component such as the frame, wheels, brake system, steering system, etc., to ensure that the vehicle is in good operating condition. At the same time, the vehicle is maintained as necessary according to the manufacturer’s recommendations, such as lubricating moving parts, checking tire pressure, etc., to eliminate the impact of potential faults on the test results.
Battery charging and calibration: Use the original charger or a charging device that meets the manufacturer’s requirements to charge the battery to full capacity. During the charging process, record the charging time, charging voltage, charging current and other parameters for subsequent analysis of battery performance. Some electric wheelchairs may require battery calibration to ensure that the battery management system can accurately display power information.
3.2 Test process
Initial data recording: At the beginning of the test, record the initial state information of the electric wheelchair, including battery power, voltage, current, vehicle gross weight (including standard load), and ambient temperature, humidity and other parameters to provide a benchmark for subsequent data analysis.
Driving test: According to the predetermined test route and driving conditions, start the electric wheelchair and start the endurance test. During the test, maintain a stable driving speed and avoid sudden acceleration, sudden braking and other violent operations to simulate the normal driving state in daily use. Record the battery power, voltage, current and vehicle mileage data at regular intervals (such as 15 minutes or 30 minutes).
Special working condition simulation: In order to comprehensively evaluate the endurance of electric wheelchairs, in addition to conventional driving tests, some special working conditions need to be simulated, such as continuous climbing, frequent starting and stopping, and driving under different road resistances. These special working conditions can reveal the endurance performance and energy consumption characteristics of electric wheelchairs under extreme use conditions, helping buyers to better understand the performance limits of the product.
3.3 Post-processing process
Data collation and analysis: The data recorded during the test are collated to draw a curve chart showing the changes in battery power, voltage, and current over time and mileage. By analyzing these curves, we can intuitively understand the energy consumption law, endurance mileage, and battery performance degradation of the electric wheelchair. At the same time, combined with the data comparison under different driving conditions, the difference in vehicle endurance performance under various conditions is evaluated.
Result evaluation and verification: The endurance mileage obtained from the actual test is compared with the endurance mileage claimed by the manufacturer to evaluate whether there is any false labeling or exaggeration. If the actual endurance mileage is significantly lower than the nominal value, the buyer needs to further investigate the cause, which may be caused by battery performance problems, vehicle configuration differences, or inconsistent testing methods. In addition, you can also refer to the test results of relevant industry standards or third-party testing agencies to verify the accuracy and reliability of the test data.

4. Factors affecting the endurance test results and countermeasures

4.1 User operating habits

Driving style: Smooth and uniform driving habits help save battery power and extend battery life. Frequent acceleration, deceleration, and sharp turns will increase the load on the motor, resulting in increased energy consumption.

Load management: The load of an electric wheelchair has a significant impact on battery life. In addition to the standard load, the weight of the items carried by the user will also affect the battery life. Therefore, when recommending products to customers, buyers can suggest that users reasonably control the load and avoid carrying unnecessary items to optimize battery life.

4.2 Terrain and road conditions

Slope and road surface flatness: When driving uphill, the electric wheelchair needs to overcome gravity to do work, and the power consumption is accelerated; when driving on bumpy roads, the vibration of the vehicle and frequent adjustments to the driving state will also increase energy consumption. When choosing products, buyers can pay attention to the climbing ability and performance indicators of electric wheelchairs to adapt to complex road conditions to ensure that the products can meet the endurance requirements of users under different terrain conditions in the target market.
4.3 Ambient temperature
The impact of high and low temperatures: In high temperature environments, the internal chemical reactions of the battery are accelerated, which may cause the battery to over-discharge and performance degradation; in low temperature environments, the available capacity of the battery will decrease and the output power will decrease. In order to cope with the impact of temperature on endurance, buyers can suggest that manufacturers use a battery management system with temperature compensation function in product design, and choose to fully test the product within the actual use temperature range of the target sales area to ensure that the electric wheelchair can maintain stable endurance performance in different seasons.

5. Actual case analysis and experience sharing
5.1 Case 1: Endurance test of a certain brand of lithium-ion electric wheelchair
A certain brand of electric wheelchair uses a 24V, 20Ah lithium battery to conduct an endurance test under the conditions of a standard load of 75kg, a flat road surface, and a temperature of 25°C. The test results show that the electric wheelchair has a range of 40 kilometers when traveling at an average speed of 5km/h, which is higher than the 35 kilometers claimed by the manufacturer. Further analysis found that this brand of electric wheelchair uses a highly efficient brushless motor and an advanced energy recovery system, making its energy consumption performance in actual use better than expected. This case shows that high-quality motors and control systems can effectively improve the endurance of electric wheelchairs and enhance the competitiveness of products in the market.
5.2 Case 2: Endurance performance of a lead-acid battery electric wheelchair at different temperatures
An electric wheelchair using lead-acid batteries has a range of 20 kilometers at 25°C, but in winter low temperatures (0°C), the range drops to about 12 kilometers. After testing and analysis, it was found that low temperatures increase the viscosity of the electrolyte of lead-acid batteries and slow down the ion migration speed, causing the battery capacity to drop significantly. This case reminds buyers that when facing markets with different climatic conditions, they need to fully consider the impact of battery type on endurance. For areas with large temperature changes, lithium battery electric wheelchairs or lead-acid battery products with excellent low temperature performance are recommended.

6. Future development trends and purchasing recommendations
6.1 Technological innovation direction
Battery technology breakthroughs: With the increase in scientific research investment, new battery technologies such as solid-state batteries and lithium-sulfur batteries are expected to be commercialized in the next few years. These battery technologies have higher energy density, faster charging speed and longer cycle life, which will significantly improve the endurance of electric wheelchairs and provide users with some high-performance product options.
Intelligent energy management system: With the help of artificial intelligence and Internet of Things technology, future electric wheelchairs will be equipped with a smarter energy management system. The system can monitor the battery status in real time, predict the mileage, and automatically optimize energy distribution according to the user’s driving habits and driving routes, thereby maximizing the battery’s efficiency and endurance performance.
6.2 Purchasing recommendations
Clear demand and budget: When purchasing electric wheelchairs, buyers should first clarify the demand characteristics and budget range of the target customer group. For customers who focus on cost-effectiveness, they can choose mid- and low-end products equipped with lead-acid batteries; for high-end customers who pursue high performance and long endurance, lithium battery electric wheelchairs can be given priority. At the same time, comprehensively evaluate factors such as product procurement cost, transportation cost, and after-sales maintenance cost to ensure that the market price of the product is competitive.
Strict testing and evaluation: Require suppliers to provide detailed endurance test reports and relevant certification certificates, and conduct sampling tests on products to verify whether their endurance performance meets the requirements. During the test process, strictly follow the test methods of international standards or industry specifications to ensure the accuracy and fairness of the test results.
Establish long-term cooperative relations: Establish long-term and stable cooperative relations with manufacturers with good reputation and R&D strength. Pay attention to the manufacturer’s technological innovation and product upgrade dynamics, and promptly feedback the market’s needs and opinions on endurance performance, etc., and jointly promote the continuous improvement and optimization of electric wheelchair products to achieve a mutually beneficial and win-win development situation.