How Wheelchair Motors Work
A wheelchair motor to an electric wheelchair is like an engine to an automobile. An electric wheelchair's motor, paired with batteries, is responsible for propelling a person from place to place - without a motor an electric wheelchair would simply be a chair with wheels.
Electric wheelchair motors, along with the wheelchair's frame, are suitable for different driving conditions. Today, electric wheelchair motors have more power then ever and are designed to tackle the toughest terrain.
Most low-priced electric wheelchairs have light-duty, two-pole wheelchair motors.
Two-pole electric wheelchair motors are powered by electricity which enters into the motor at two points. This works fine for electric wheelchairs that are primarily used indoors and with a driver who weighs less than 250-pounds. Two-pole electric wheelchair motors burn out easily under heavy-duty driving conditions.
Most heavy-duty electric wheelchairs operate on four-pole motors.
Four-pole electric wheelchair motors are powered by electricity which enters into the motor at four points. As the wheelchair drives four-pole motors distribute electricity and heat evenly and the wheelchair motor has a lower rate of burn out.
Gearless and brushless electric wheelchair motors are a fairly recent innovation. Electric wheelchairs with gearless, brushless motors have few mechanical parts that make contact during operation. They are more durable than two or four-pole motors with gears and brushes.
