24
CHARGING YOUR BATTERIES AWAY FROM YOUR
SCOOTER
For convenience your Companion is supplied with an off
board charging cable (Fig 35). In circumstances when your
Scooter is stowed in your car etc., your two batteries can be
recharged away from your Scooter with the aid of the ‘off
board’ charging cable.
The cable links together your batteries and Charger. Simply
connect the two black connectors on your batteries to the
link cable and the 3-pin plug of your Charger to the 3-pin
socket of the link cable.
Connect your Charger to a convenient wall socket, switch on,
your batteries are now being recharged away from your
Scooter.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Why do my batteries require recharging?
Batteries are the fuel tank for your Scooter. They provide the
vital energy to power your vehicle. When you ride your
Scooter, the drive motor consumes the energy stored in the
batteries. The battery’s energy is gradually reduced over the
period of driving time and will need to be replaced before
you can use your Scooter again.
Similar to the situation with a motor car, in that you need to
replenish the petrol as it is used up as energy, likewise with
your Scooter, you need to replace the used battery energy by
re-charging the discharged battery cells.
How does my Charger work?
Your battery Charger is an intelligent automatic charging
instrument. Your Charger’s robust framework contains a
number of quality components; namely a transformer, rectifier
and complex control circuitry.
The Charger receives the 230volts domestic electricity supply
via a standard 3-pin wall plug and reduces this voltage down
to 24volts via a transformer. At the same time it rectifies the
A.C., alternating domestic current into D.C., direct current.
This matches exactly, the voltage characteristics stored by
your Scooter’s batteries.
Your Charger automatically controls the re-charge cycle from
the moment that you switch it on to the moment the green
‘Charge Complete’ light on the face of your Charger
illuminates.
When your battery’s voltage is very low, the Charger will
work extremely hard to replenish the spent energy. This is
called the ‘Bulk Charging’ stage. As the battery voltage
approaches 90% of the full charge capacity, the Charger
reduces its output for the final stage of the re-charge cycle.
The time taken from switch-on to the end of the bulk
charging will vary, depending on the amount that the batteries
have been used, or in time their age. At this point a timer is
automatically started, to regulate the final stage of the
charging cycle, this set time ensures maximum capacity and
battery life.
The length of time to re-charge your batteries will vary from 8
up to 12 hours. This variation in time is due to the following
factors:
1.
Depth of discharge
- The amount of energy you have
removed from your batteries when driving your Scooter.
2.
Battery age
- This is due to the changes in their internal
electrical resistance. Note very old batteries may take
longer to fully recharge.
Where can I re-charge my batteries?
In most safe domestic environments, i.e. your house, garage
or shed.
Do not expose to rain or spray - for indoor use only.
Later on in this information, there is reference to the way
temperature variations can affect the performance of your
vehicle. When charging your batteries
where reasonably
practicable
, ensure that the battery Charger is close to the
vehicle being charged so that the temperature of the battery
Charger and batteries are almost compatible.
For example, a vehicle may be outside whilst the battery
Charger is inside. It is possible in this situation that the
battery Charger will sense the inside temperature, whereas
the batteries on the vehicle will be at the outside temperature,
resulting in an undercharged situation.
This situation must be
avoided.
How often must I re-charge my batteries?
Many factors come into play when deciding how often to
charge your batteries. You may use your vehicle all day on a
daily basis or you may not use it for weeks at a time. Other
factors such as driver and baggage weight, smooth or rough
terrain, flat areas or inclines and speed must all be
considered.
With these variables you should concern yourself with two
questions: HOW OFTEN should I charge and for HOW
LONG? The Charger is designed so that it is impossible to
overcharge your batteries. If you follow the guidelines below,
your batteries will provide safe and reliable operation.
1.
If you use your vehicle during the day
. put it on charge as
soon as you have finished using it. The Charger is fully
automatic so it will not overcharge your batteries. Your
vehicle will be ready each morning to give you several hours
use. It is recommended that you charge your batteries after
daily use until the green ‘Charge Complete‘ light
illuminates.
2.
If you use your vehicle infrequently
(once a week or less)
you should charge it at least once per week until the green
‘Charge Complete’ light illuminates. Remember: Keep your
batteries fully charged and avoid deeply discharging them.
FIG 35
