One of the great pleasures of the exploits of modern technological developments is the electronic mobility scooter, which comes in various shapes, sizes, weight, complexity, functionality and price of course.
Since its debut in the late sixties they been rebuilt, modified and improved in many different ways and has resurfaced over and over again, in a variety of different makes and models, sectors and operational points.
While it has its use within a wide variety of operational spheres, including leisure, the electric scooter has its main exploits in the medical field, particularly serving to corroborate medical conditions which induce limitations in mobility as a side-effect.
Generally preferred over powered wheelchairs, electrical mobility scooters are prominent amongst the elderly, who suffer from minor mobility limiting conditions and while most have a general structural design, a considerable amount of custom made modifications are evident for special cases. This obviously makes for higher costs, but in comparison to powered wheelchairs, these have far more advantages, even on a social level.
Examples of people using them include those that cannot manage locomotion over medium to long distances. People short of stamina because of medical reasons, as do those with semi- or non-functional limbs or parts thereof.
As far as the leisure side of things goes, electrical mobility scooters are common find on various golf courses around the world and these ones offer a little bit more in terms of power, design and versatility. Electrical mobility scooters used for leisure purposes, such as those found on the golf course, are also usually bigger and more durable, as they are built to be used under moderately extreme conditions at times, as opposed to those used to corroborate medical conditions.
Although electrical mobility scooters come in various different makes, models, types, shapes and standards, they can be broken down into two main classes; front wheel drive electrical motors and rear wheel drive electrical motors. With differences in standards set by manufacturers, generally speaking, the front wheel drive are entry level products, mainly intended for indoor use, while rear wheel drive are at the higher end of the product range and they are built for both indoor and outdoor use. All-wheel drive scooters are very rare, and these are more for leisure and they evidently have much more features to offer, some of which can be classified as unnecessary, given the original functionality of any electrical mobility scooter.
Electrical mobility scooters were never designed to be complicated, and this is evident in the way in which they are operated. The functions are very basic, given the mere fact that they are powered by rechargeable electric motors, usually characterized by a simple forward/reverse switch located at the front end of the device, and usually not very far from the primary position of the hands. No complicated gear lever movements and handling is also very direct and basic.
