Charging Power Wheelchairs Abroad

Can I safely charge my power wheelchair abroad?

There are two things you need to consider when charging your power wheelchair in a different country. The first is the most obvious — the electrical outlet type. Will your charging cable fit into the socket?

As you can see, power outlets come in a lot of different shapes and sizes! The design of electrical outlets varies by country and region, so I highly recommend that you pack a plug adapter. I travel with the LOOP World Adapter Plug which is small, sturdy and simple to use.

The second consideration is power voltage.

Electricity is delivered at 120 volts in the United States, but that’s not true everywhere.

Two of the most important electrical appliances I travel with are my power wheelchair and electric razor. Both use a 120V charger. If I were to plug either of those into an outlet with a higher power voltage, such as a 230V outlet in London, there could be sparks or even a fire. For the power wheelchair user, any of these reactions would leave the wheelchair or its off-board charging unit inoperable.

When traveling to a country with a different electrical voltage, whether higher or lower, you’ll need to do one of two things:

• Check to see if your wheelchair has a dual voltage charger — Some wheelchairs come with a dual voltage charger. Check your owners’ manual to see if it supports charging at both 120V and 240V. If so, you’re good to go! Just don’t forget to buy a plug adapter.

• Purchase a power voltage transformer — If your power wheelchair doesn’t support dual voltage charging (most do not), you’ll need to purchase a step-up/step-down power transformer. Transformers safely convert the electricity current from the wall outlet into the voltage necessary for charging your wheelchair. The devices typically weigh 5 to 10 pounds and cost about $50. I recommend the Rockstone Power Voltage Transformer, which is also equipped with a USB port for charging mobile devices.

REMEMBER that plug adapters allow you to connect a device to a wall outlet, but do not correct the underlying differences of voltage and frequency.

What are the power voltages in other countries?

Check this list of countries to see if the power voltage is different from the one in your home country and if you’ll need a power transformer to charge your wheelchair.

If you have any questions about charging a power wheelchair while traveling internationally, join the Wheelchair Travel Group on Facebook!