Charging stations for ECV

alwaysursula

Just a mom with a Mickey head shaped heart!
Joined
Feb 9, 2010
Hello! We will be at Epcot and MK next week and my husband will be driving an ECV due to recent knee surgery and being in a full brace. We will have our own ECV through a rental company, but my main concern is the one that I chose only has a battery life of 4-6 hours. The next size up has a battery life of 8-10. If the charging stations are easy to find and usually readily available, I will stick with the smaller one. If not, I will go with one with the larger battery for peace of mind and convenience. Does anybody have any feedback or opinions on this topic? My main concern would be no being able to find these when we're getting low. Thank you in advance!
 
There aren’t “charging stations” as such for ECVs as far as I know. Most people recharge during lunch or at a show if they can, but you will be hunting for regular outlets. There are plugs at the phone charging station at MK. That might be what you’re thinking of.
 
Rent from Gold Mobility, the price will probably be the same and the battery will last all day. But no matter what, do not rely on there being outlets, the few that are around are almost always in use. I honestly can't believe that any rental company would rent an ECV for use at Disney World that would only last 4-6 hours.
 
Hello! We will be at Epcot and MK next week and my husband will be driving an ECV due to recent knee surgery and being in a full brace. We will have our own ECV through a rental company, but my main concern is the one that I chose only has a battery life of 4-6 hours. The next size up has a battery life of 8-10. If the charging stations are easy to find and usually readily available, I will stick with the smaller one. If not, I will go with one with the larger battery for peace of mind and convenience. Does anybody have any feedback or opinions on this topic? My main concern would be no being able to find these when we're getting low. Thank you in advance!

The quoted 4 to 6 hours is actual "run time".

If your husband practices good battery hygiene, that number could easily become 6 to 8 hours, maybe even more. Here's how:

- Always always always turn off the ECV whenever the ECV is going to be stopped for more than 10 seconds. Yes. Really. This applies if sitting in line, waiting for a crowd to clear out of your way, watching a parade, etc.
- Always turn off the ECV when stopping for a meal or snack. Regardless of if you husband sits on it to eat or not.
- Always turn off any unneeded accessories - and don't use headlight/tail-light/undercarriage lighting in the daytime. (And don't use it indoors in the queues - if you can not see to drive where others are walking, then you shouldn't be driving). Remember that any powered accessory - like fancy lights, fans, and cell phone charging will all add to battery drain.
- Always turn off the ECV when parking it to walk to a ride, show, table, etc.

In short... always turn off the ECV when it isn't moving.

When you look at actual "run times" it may be that you have a 10 minute drive to the bus stop in the morning, and it takes (lets be generous) about 5 minutes to load on the bus. It's another 10 minutes from the bus to the gates at the park and through bag check. So, even though that might have taken an hour on the clock... it was probably less than 25 minutes of actual drive time on the ECV battery. Once you are in the Parks, you won't be moving all the time either - you will stop for snacks, sit for shows, and rides, etc. By turning off the device while waiting for the bus... riding the bus... and sitting in line at bag check, you are extending the run time every time you shut off the device.

You can maximize the battery life on any personal mobility device by following that strategy.

But yes, Gold Mobility does indeed get very high marks in this forum for both affordability and reliability.
 
I saw electric outlets at the entrance to almost every restroom in the WS part of Epcot. The area was the one as you enter the restroom, kind of the lobby area. I remember a couple times seeing someone sitting with their ECV plugged in, talking on their cell phone.
 
Just remember not every outlet you see is powered on and not every outlet is a safe voltage to plug into, you need to always ask, usually custodial will know if it is safe or not.
 


I ditto everything mamabunny said and will add two points.

1 - If it’s your first time renting a scooter I would call the company and ask for the appropriate scooter based on your husband’s weight. Our first year I thought we could get away with a smaller one but the company advised going up one size. (He was well under the quoted “weight limits” for both models however the company was familiar with how long the battery would actually last in the parks with different sized users.)

2. Always remember to plug it in when you get back to the room at night. Sounds simple but too easy to forget, especially when you’re tired.

My husband uses an ECV on every trip and we have never had to plug it in at the parks, even on “open to close” days.
 
...

2. Always remember to plug it in when you get back to the room at night. Sounds simple but too easy to forget, especially when you’re tired.

My husband uses an ECV on every trip and we have never had to plug it in at the parks, even on “open to close” days.

YES! This - it is so important - make sure you plug in and recharge the ECV fully overnight, every night. Starting the day with a fully charged is super important.

And, if the ECV is delivered with anything less than a full charge, then you either need to stop and charge up or plan accordingly. (And ask the delivery driver if you can have a fully-charged unit.)

Sorry - I usually include this, (it's important) but I'm glad that @New England Eeyore had my back! :)
 
Thank you guys so much for all of these helpful tips! Y'all are the absolute best and I truly love the Disboards community! <3
 
One last suggestion: if your charger has a light, make sure it is on ( could turn red to green) so that overnight plug in is truly a re-charge. I had a charger that did not charge one night after 4 nights with no problems. Rental company met me mid-park to make exchange for fully charged replacement.
 
Please note scooters are weight related. The more you weigh the more the battery runs down. A one hundred pound person can use the same scooter much longer than a 200 pound person.

During shows, parades, and fireworks the scooter should be off. During some ride queues you may want to turn it off.

If you are using Disney transportation back and forth from the parks from your resort that uses power, too.

Outlets are not plentiful and sometimes hard to find.

Personally, I would absolutely, go with a stronger, more powerful scooter. It's one less thing to worry about. We really like the Pride Victory scooter.
 

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