Mobility scooter charging

sillybug

sillybug

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Hi looking for very easy to understand advice . We need to charge batteries on a mobility scooter but we are mostly off grid we have solars to top up leisure batteries so we gues we now need a pure sign wave inverter connected to scooter batteries do I then need another controller so as not to cook scooter batteries. As for inverter how big do I need just for charging , batteries in scooter are 50 ah.on eBay there are several inverter I think were 2000 w one was 30 pounds the other was 80 pounds and many more much more expensive what do you think I should go for or have I got it all wrong and should do something totally different.
Thanks
sillybug
 
One good arrangement would be a pure sine wave (PSW) inverter connected to the leisure batteries. Then plug your scooter battery charger, the one you use from a house socket, into the inverter socket. It will take charge from your leisure batteries and feed a suitably modified charging current to your scooter battery.

A bit more info needed on the scooter battery, as well as the '50Ah' we also need to know either the battery voltage or the battery energy capacity (Wh watt-hours or kWh kilowatt-hours). Also how do you charge this at home? If there's a mains charger what does it say on the label? (input voltage and amps/watts, output voltage and amps/watts). If it's like some I've seen, a fairly small inverter, 500W or so, should be enough.

Also need to know the leisure battery capacity, for a 500W inverter 200Ah of 12V leisure battery should be enough.
 
Last edited:
autorouter said:
One good arrangement would be a pure sine wave (PSW) inverter connected to the leisure batteries. Then plug your scooter battery charger, the one you use from a house socket, into the inverter socket. It will take charge from your leisure batteries and feed a suitably modified charging current to your scooter battery.

A bit more info needed on the scooter battery, as well as the '50Ah' we also need to know either the battery voltage or the battery energy capacity (Wh watt-hours or kWh kilowatt-hours). Also how do you charge this at home? If there's a mains charger what does it say on the label? (input voltage and amps/watts, output voltage and amps/watts). If it's like some I've seen, a fairly small inverter, 500W or so, should be enough.

Also need to know the leisure battery capacity, for a 500W inverter 200Ah of 12V leisure battery should be enough.
Click to expand...
Hi Thankyou for your reply makes more sense now scooter batteries are 50 ah not sure on leisure batteries will check them today ,
Curious about inverters advertised on eBay is it a case of you get what you pay for I only intend to use inverter to charge scooter so think maybe 500 or 1000 would suffice cost on eBay starts really cheap to really expensive does anybody no if the cheaper end would be ok

Sillybug
 
sillybug said:
Hi Thankyou for your reply makes more sense now scooter batteries are 50 ah not sure on leisure batteries will check them today ,
Curious about inverters advertised on eBay is it a case of you get what you pay for I only intend to use inverter to charge scooter so think maybe 500 or 1000 would suffice cost on eBay starts really cheap to really expensive does anybody no if the cheaper end would be ok

Sillybug
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I have just installed an inverter, have a look at. https://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/forum/threads/2000w-pure-sine-wave-inverter-recommendations.284523/
It is not as easy as I thought it was and taking 12 volts through an inverter and back to 12 volts to charge a battery is going to be wasteful. Check the voltage on the scooter battery, if it's 12 volts a suitcase type solar panel my be your best option

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To size the inverter look at the mobility scooter charger. Should tell you the Amp input at 230V and also the Amp output at whatever voltage of the mob batt. You'll only need a little bit more. I suspect 500W inverter will be plenty on one battery at time. I helped a funster charge their scooter with my 300W inverter which was fine.

With inverters there are a lot of cheaper Chinese things claiming to be puresine wave. Often they aren't and that may be an issue if your mob scoot charger is sensitive. I'd be sticking to more expensive but trusted brands such as Victron.

Now you need to think about your habitation batteries. You may have solar but your recharge of scooter batts will pull more juice than the solar provides. Yes solar may recharge but could take a couple of days to catch up. So have you got 50Ah in your hab batt, plus a bit of headroom for charging inefficiency and then more for your normal hab use? My 120Ah lithium can cope with one recharge of the e-bike big battery, but only once every 3 days or so off grid.
 
As I said, we need to know the voltage of the scooter battery. It's probably 12V, but could be 24V, and a lot of ebike batteries are 36V. So that 50Ah could be equivalent to 50Ah, 100Ah or 150Ah at 12V. The exact voltage isn't necessary, just what it says on the label 12V, 24V etc. This number is needed so we can calculate how much charge it will take out of the leisure battery, and how long it would take for your solar to replenish that amount. How much solar do you have?
 
One advantage of an inverter is that it can be used for other purposes than just charging a scooter battery. But if you don't actually need an inverter for anything else, you could consider using a Battery-to-Battery charger (aka DC-DC charger). This is a small unit that connects to the leisure batteries and charges the scooter battery directly. So no inverter or mains charger is needed.

This solution is a bit more involved, because the B2B would have to be set up to charge the scooter battery correctly, like the mains charger. But once set up it should be easy to use, and likely to be a bit more efficient than an inverter and mains charger.

A B2B usually has a control input that turns it on and off, for example when it detects the engine is running. However that control input can simply be wired to a switch and a 12V supply, so you can turn it on and off manually.

A B2B is popular for charging the leisure batteries from the alternator/starter battery when the engine is running, but no reason why it can't be used for other purposes, like charging one battery from another.
 
Old Gibber said:
If its a lithium battery, expect a bang and fireworks.
Click to expand...
The suggestion was connect it to the solar regulator, which may or may not be set for lithium. It also very much depends whether there is any charging circuitry in the lithium battery. At this point it is fair to assume that the OP has not the relevant experience to understand the ins and outs of this, so it wasn't good advice.
 
Old Gibber said:
The suggestion was connect it to the solar regulator, which may or may not be set for lithium. It also very much depends whether there is any charging circuitry in the lithium battery. At this point it is fair to assume that the OP has not the relevant experience to understand the ins and outs of this, so it wasn't good advice.
Click to expand...
your right I have little idea but trying to gain as much knowledge as I can .Batteries on mobility scooter are 12v 36 ah not lithium. The batteries there are 2 in motorhome are 2 x 12 v 110ah
Thanks
 
sillybug said:
Batteries on mobility scooter are 12v 36 ah not lithium.
Click to expand...
36Ah is about what you could get from one 100W solar panel on a reasonably sunny day, so it's looking good, even better if you have more than one panel on top. The 220Ah of leisure batteries should be fine too, storing the solar energy while you are out and about so you can charge overnight. It's the info on the charger label that's needed now, to work out the minimum size of the inverter.
 
autorouter said:
36Ah is about what you could get from one 100W solar panel on a reasonably sunny day, so it's looking good, even better if you have more than one panel on top. The 220Ah of leisure batteries should be fine too, storing the solar energy while you are out and about so you can charge overnight. It's the info on the charger label that's needed now, to work out the minimum size of the inverter.
Click to expand...
The scooter battery is 12 volts so it could be charged from the battery without an inverter which will use a lot of power and installation.
 
sillybug said:
cost on eBay starts really cheap
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You won't get a cheap pure sine wave inverter.
A pure sine wave mirrors the waveform of mains electric
A decent 2000watt will be several hundred quid.
Cheap ones are modified sine wave and as the name suggest the waveform is modified and not like mains but does a similar job
You scooter charger may not work with a modified inverter

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The charger says output 22v/3A 72 VA. AC input ac220/240v. 50 / 60Hzo.8A
 
Also have a smart charger but only charge one at a time input 230v AC 50Hz input currant 0.6A output 6v 0.8 two 4A dc 12v
 
Just looked on Amazon and can get a 2000w inverter pure sign wave for around £250 what do you think will it be ok if I only charge mobility scooter batteries or do you think I need something of a better quality
Thanks

Sillbug
 
sillybug said:
The charger says output 22v/3A 72 VA. AC input ac220/240v. 50 / 60Hzo.8A
Click to expand...
The maximum charger input is 240V 0.8A, which is 240 x 0.8 = 192W. So a small inverter larger than 200W would be suitable. Even a first-rate pure sine wave inverter of that power is not going to be very expensive. For example a Victron Phoenix Inverter, 250VA (about 200W) would cover it, but maybe the 375VA version would give you a better margin, to be sure.
 
Ok Thankyou very much think I am going to get something like what you suggest and hope its ok fingers crossed
Sillybug

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sillybug said:
Ok Thankyou very much think I am going to get something like what you suggest and hope its ok fingers crossed
Sillybug
Click to expand...
Thankyou Autorouter just bought the victron 375 VA can be on the road by the weekend now we’ll happy 😃
 

300W - 12V Pure Sine Wave Sunshine Power Inverter - Sunshine Solar - Sunshine Solar Limited

Purchase the 300W - 12V Pure Sine Wave Sunshine Power Inverter, suited for sensitive electronic equipment, allowing motors to run faster, quieter and cooler.
www.sunshinesolar.co.uk

I've had gear from the above company including the linked 300 watt continuous/600 watt peak pure sine wave inverter.
Sunshine solar have been good to deal with and their kit seems good quality.
sillybug said:
Ok Thankyou very much think I am going to get something like what you suggest and hope its ok fingers crossed
Sillybug
Click to expand...
 
If you do install an inverter, be aware that they always take a small current drain on the battery, even when nothing is plugged into it. Not very much, but it mounts up if you are off-grid and leave it on 24/7. For that reason you are advised to switch off the inverter unless it's actually being used. If the inverter is easily accessible, then just use the switch on the inverter. For inaccessible locations, or simple convenience, many inverters have a remote switch option, and the switch can be mounted for example in the living area on the wall where it is less likely to be forgotten.
 
Hi
my wife has a mobility scooter which we recharge direct from our leisure batteries using a 12 to 24v charger. scooter has standard batteries & has worked fine for us either When driving or parked up When sunny. Van has 200w solar panels & 2x 110ah leisure bats.
I also, but not at same time, charge my bike battery the same way using 12 - 36v charger. In both cases we don’t charge from flat but probably 50%.
her scooter is an elite mobility plus, 2x20ah bats.

we have used this process for several years & works for us.
both charges from eBay.
 
autorouter said:
The maximum charger input is 240V 0.8A, which is 240 x 0.8 = 192W. So a small inverter larger than 200W would be suitable. Even a first-rate pure sine wave inverter of that power is not going to be very expensive. For example a Victron Phoenix Inverter, 250VA (about 200W) would cover it, but maybe the 375VA version would give you a better margin, to be sure.
Click to expand...
Hi autoroutes I went with your advice and have bought a victory phenix 375 well it has arrived with no instructions how to fit and no wires at all just the inverter could you help if you or anybody can help us fit it it really would be appreciated we were supposed to be gone today but anytime soon would do really need a break help please

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sillybug said:
Hi autoroutes I went with your advice and have bought a victory phenix 375 well it has arrived with no instructions how to fit and no wires at all just the inverter could you help if you or anybody can help us fit it it really would be appreciated we were supposed to be gone today but anytime soon would do really need a break help please
Click to expand...
When I say help us fit I mean talk us through it so we can do asap thanks
 
The data sheet says the recommended wire size for connecting the DC side is 10mm2. You will need a fuse close to the battery. The maximum amps required is 375/12 = 31A, so I guess a 40A fuse is the one to use. I think a 'Midi' type fuse is the easiest to fit, you can get a holder and a fuse from auto electrical suppliers like 12VoltPlanet.
www.12voltplanet.co.uk

Midi/Strip Link Fuse Holder

Single midi/strip link fuse holder with protective cover. Fuse & cable are secured via 2 x M5 studs. Cable size for this holder is 16mm² max.
www.12voltplanet.co.uk
www.12voltplanet.co.uk

Midi Link Fuses

Midi link fuses used for protecting larger current circuits in automotive, marine and leisure applications. Available in current ratings from 30A to 150A.
www.12voltplanet.co.uk
The wires will need lugs crimping on the ends, for the Midi fuse holder it needs M5 lugs to fit the bolts. So, a short positive wire with lugs to fit onto the battery positive, going to an M5 lug. Then a long wire from the fuse to the Inverter, with an M5 lug on one end and ideally a ferrule on the other end, but you could just wire it straight into the inverter positive screw terminal.

The negative wire needs a lug to fit onto the battery negative, and a ferrule to wire it into the inverter negative screw terminal. You could miss out the ferrule if you want.

I don't know how you want to get the lugs crimped onto the ends of the wires. Quite likely a local garage can do it if you don't have a heavy-duty crimp tool, or know anyone who has one. It's only a 5-minute job if the lugs are available.
 

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