Different Types of Scooter Batteries

Stocking a range of scooter battery sizes that extend from 12Ah to 100Ah (Ah= Amp hours, the capacity of the battery) and having a team of expert engineers Bentley are often asked this question.

Almost all scooter batteries are lead-acid batteries, which are very reliable and efficient, their main drawback compared with other technologies is the weight of them, but for a scooter this weight helps the stability.

Then in the world of lead-acid batteries, we come across a number of different types:

SLA, VRLA, Gel, and AGM batteries – what do these acronyms mean?

SLA means ‘sealed lead acid’ and VRLA means ‘valve regulated lead acid’ battery although they are somewhat the same thing; the valve allowing gases to escape safely during charging. For scooters, these batteries are then found in two variations:

Gel Batteries

Gel batteries, as the name suggests, have a more viscous electrolyte than typical lead-acid cells, which gives them a spill proof feature. They have a slightly longer life than AGM, if carefully looked after, and slightly better performance when steep hills or rough terrain is encountered.

AGM Batteries

AGM means ‘absorbed glass mat’ and have the same spill proof advantage as Gel batteries, but are cheaper to produce and more resistant to accidental charging damage. They last longest when regularly charged, rather than running them completely flat. Learn more about the difference, Gel vs AGM.

The value-for-money feature of the AGM battery together with good all-round performance makes them the most popular choice for mobility scooters, and this is the type that is most readily available and stocked by Bentley.

Can You Use Car Batteries for Scooters?

Not recommended – in the automotive world the battery must give a large chunk of power when starting and then is just trickle charged whereas in scooters the batteries are used all the time to move. Specialist scooter battery manufacturers such as Strident have developed the battery technology to give the best performance for mobility use. We advise that you always use every opportunity to charge your scooter batteries and when storing them always do this with them fully charged. And please do not use an automotive battery charger when charging your mobility power chair battery, it could damage the battery.

See the range of Strident AGM Batteries
See the range of Strident chargers

Some Further Hints & Tips On Batteries:

• With modern intelligent automatic battery chargers like those from Strident you will find over-charging is a thing of the past.

• Touching any type of metal across the battery terminals will result in large sparks and potentially fire to use great caution with exposed battery terminals.

• Take care when working with or near the scooter batteries and keep any sparks, flames, or cigarettes away from them, keep them in a well-ventilated area.

• Old batteries must be recycled through an approved agency and lead-acid batteries are almost 100% recyclable, adding to their eco-credentials.

Strident brand 12V electric scooter batteries come in 8 different sizes to suit any mobility application and with this range we can meet almost any need. Please contact us on 01733 555838 if you have any further questions about chargers or batteries.