Indoor Electric Wheelchairs

All power wheelchairs are not created equal and the same applies to indoor power wheelchairs. These power wheelchairs are generally not as rugged, do not have as much power, have smaller batteries, and generally have a smaller frame. The use case is totally different than a power wheelchair for outdoor use.

A power wheelchair for indoor use will always have a smaller battery because you are not meant to travel great distances. Some full-size or heavy-duty power wheelchairs have batteries that can grant you 15+ miles of distance on a single charge. If power wheelchair manufacturers were to incorporate these large batteries into an indoor power wheelchair a couple of things would happen. The price of the unit would go up significantly as power wheelchair batteries are not cheap and it would also increase the weight in a significant fashion. That is unless they used lithium batteries but those are the most expensive on the market.

What Are Important Features of an Indoor Power Chair?

A smaller frame on an indoor power chair is not negative. If the power wheelchair is solely for indoor use it can be positive. Keep in mind, that with indoor use a few things will be of critical importance. The width of the power wheelchair is one of them. Most doors are 30” to 34” depending on where you live. For this reason, the maximum width of indoor power chairs must be on the smaller side. This is because if an indoor door has a 30” width, and your power wheelchair is 29”, you are only giving yourself a .5” margin on each side. You would have to line up nearly perfectly with the door to get through it. That is why it is important to consider which power wheelchairs are ideal for indoor use. Typically this will be a travel power wheelchair. Anything larger like a full-size or heavy-duty power wheelchair will be too large to easily use indoors. 

Another important feature of a power wheelchair for indoor use would be the turning radius. There are multiple instances where you would want to have a tight turning radius. For instance, if you have some tight areas in your living quarters you will not want to run into things or end up getting stuck in your power chair. Indoor usage always varies but only you know the environment that you will be using the power chair in. Apartments, Condos, Townhomes, Villas, Single Family Homes, etc. The list goes on and on. If you need something for both indoor and outdoor use, you can head over to our main power wheelchair category page.

Ideal Places for Indoor Power Chair Use

There are plenty of places that are ideal for indoor power chair use. If you intend on traveling a lot with your power wheelchair then you should strongly consider a folding power wheelchair or a travel power wheelchair.

Malls - Power wheelchairs for going around indoor malls are great. Some malls are very, very large. One such mall is Sawgrass Mills Mall in South Florida. This mall has over 2 million square feet of space! You would need an indoor power wheelchair with a decent-sized battery to be able to see the entire mall. Other malls are smaller. Most power wheelchairs can operate for about 8 hours or 10 miles which should have you covered for most malls.

Restaurants - Using an indoor power chair if you frequent dining establishments can be tricky. This is due to the layouts of different restaurants. As you know, some restaurants group tables and chairs so close together there isn’t a straight path to seating. This can make navigation difficult, so in these instances, it is best to operate a power chair that has a tight turning radius along with a frame that isn’t too wide.

Inside Home - Home is where most people will use their indoor power chairs. Similar to restaurants, if you live in a condo, apartment, or villa; you will need one with a tight turning radius. There are even some single-family homes that have lower square footage that would require a similar power wheelchair to apartments.

Casino - Casinos are usually very friendly to handicap indoor scooters. There are wide aisles and it is generally designed with everyone in mind. So for the most part, there are no special requirements if you intend on using a power wheelchair at a casino.

There are many other indoor places to use a power wheelchair. Just keep in mind the potential layout of where you are considering going along with the type of wheelchair you want to purchase. This should help prevent you from purchasing a power chair that will not be the right kind for your needs.

If you still need assistance, feel free to contact one of our friendly representatives who can advise you on the latest and best indoor power wheelchairs.