Mobility scooter

A mobility scooter is an electric personal transporter used as mobility aid for people with physical impairment, mostly auxiliary to a powered wheelchair but configured like a motorscooter. When motorized, they function as micromobility devices and are commonly referred to as a powered vehicle/scooter or electric scooter. A motorized mobility scooter may also be referred to as an electric convenience vehicle (ECV), and are often referred to as gophers in Australia, owing to the first mobility scooter branded under that name around 1980.

Non-motorized mobility scooters are less common, but are intended for the estimated 60% of wheelchair-users who have at least some use of their legs. While leg issues are commonly assumed to be the reason for using scooters, the vehicles are used by those with a wide range of conditions, from spinal injuries to neurological disorders.

Mobility scooters differ from power wheelchairs in that they are usually cheaper, somewhat easier to move across uneven ground, and are more customizable. They are built for people who have trouble walking or getting around, but do not always need a power wheelchair. They are also used by people who do need a powerchair for intermediate distances or extended standing, or those not permitted to drive cars for medical reasons.

History

The first vehicle somewhat resembling a mobility scooter was introduced in 1954, and billed by Sears as an electric wheelchair. It bore a large seat, an extra large battery capacity and a three-wheeled design.