If you're like many parents, your children have been spending lots of time talking to you about how much they want a power wheel. It's hard to deny that these motorized vehicles are popular for children of all ages.
it's understandable for parents to have lots of questions about these motorized vehicles. One of these questions might be: "How long does a power wheels battery last?"
There are many types of power wheels on the market. Some of these motorized vehicles contain smaller batteries to provide a small level of power. On the other hand, some power wheels are better suited for slightly older children drivers.
We'll take a look at how long power wheel batteries take to charge. You'll also learn the differences between popular battery voltage levels and the life expectancies of these items.
How Long Will a Power Wheel Battery Last?
When looking at how long a power wheel's battery lasts, you'll first need to determine what type of battery you have. Most power wheels contain and receive power from a 12-volt battery. However, there are power wheels that use both weaker and stronger batteries. Here's a closer look at the average time power wheel batteries can last before needing a recharge.
6-volt batteries are typically the weakest power wheel batteries available. With that said, these batteries can still provide plenty of power for young drivers. Before placing a new 6-volt battery in a child's power wheel, make sure to charge it for at least 18 hours, but no more than 30 hours. On a full charge, expect 6-volt batteries to last 45-60 minutes before needing a recharge.
As mentioned earlier, 12-volt batteries are the most common battery you'll find in a power wheel. One reason these batteries are so common is that they provide lots of riding time after a charge. In most cases, 12-volt batteries will last between 2-4 hours before needing to be recharged. It's even possible for these batteries to last longer, depending on how new the battery is and how many times it's been used. These types of batteries also provide enough power in two-seater power wheels.
Lastly, 24-volt batteries are sometimes found inside of a power wheels vehicle. These batteries provide more power than their 12-volt counterparts. However, it's also important to note that most 24-volt batteries provide usage time that's nearly as much as 12-volt batteries. You'll find that 24-volt batteries provide anywhere from three to five hours of playtime before they need recharging. 24-volt batteries are often found in the best power wheels for 4 year olds.
Life Expectancies of Power Wheel Batteries
Another factor to consider is the lifespan of your power wheel batteries. You might be unaware that even rechargeable batteries will eventually lose their ability to receive a new charge.
Fortunately, most of these batteries typically last for one to three years. There are a few factors that can determine the life expectancy of your batteries. These factors include how often this battery is in use as well as its age.
Let's say that you have a power wheels battery that is three years old. Due to its age, power wheels batteries that are this old might not last long after receiving an optimal charge.
On the other hand, you might have a brand new power wheels replacement battery. With a battery that's so new, it could last for a few hours after being charged for a few minutes.
Battery Maintenance Tips
You can keep your power wheel batteries lasting as long as possible by following a few simple tips. Here are a few things to keep in mind that will make your batteries last a long while.
1. Try to Keep the Battery Stable
One of the best things you can do to keep your battery in good shape is to keep it in the power wheel's designated battery area. Of course, you'll need to take the battery out of the power wheel to charge it. When not charging, make sure it remains securely connected. If this motorized vehicle's battery isn't secure, consider buying a battery stabilizer. This product is extremely helpful for when the battery in your power wheel isn't automatically staying in place.
2. Avoid Trying to Alter the Battery
Power wheels are meant to be safe vehicles for children, allowing them to travel at slower speeds. As your child gets older or more used to a power wheel, they might want this vehicle to go a little faster. We do understand that it's important for parents to make their children happy. However, it's also important to know that altering the battery inside of a power wheel isn't always the best idea. If you don't know what you're doing, it's easy to accidentally destroy this battery.
3. Don't Overcharge Your Battery
Many parents know that potentially heartbreaking feeling of forgetting to charge their child's power wheel battery. With that in mind, you might be trying to avoid this situation by leaving this battery on the charger at all times. However, this is something that you'll want to avoid at all costs. Instead, keep a close eye on charging guidelines for each of your batteries. These guidelines vary based on what type of battery you're using. Generally speaking, it's best to avoid charging these batteries for over 18 hours.
4. Try to Avoid Storing This Battery for Long Periods
However, your child isn't going to be using this battery all of the time. And, as you learned, it's not good to always leave a power wheel battery charging. If possible, have a fully charged battery ready when your child needs to use their power wheel. When this vehicle isn't in use, keep it stored safely. If you haven't used one of these batteries in a while, they're unlikely to last long.
Total life expectancy of a Power Wheels Battery
The Battery Itself
In general, almost all Power Wheels come with basic battery energy of 12 volts only. This power level is actually enough to operate a large enough Power Wheels with complete ease. The battery level can easily support speeds up to 5 mph. Some people have even gone as far as to modifying the battery in a way that it supports even higher speed levels.
But if you want to learn the basics of it, know that Power Wheels operate on only 12 volts at most, and can support up to 5 mph on a forward motion and 2.5 mph on a reverse motion.
Power Wheels are ride-on toys for kids, so you cannot really expect them to pack in a punch that will equate to a real, life-sized adult car. Therefore, this in turn also translates to their rather average battery life expectancy period of only 2 years at most.
With proper care and of course, maintenance, you can keep your child’s Power Wheels working for about 1 to 3 years at most, but that would mean having to oil the gears and lubricate the tires on almost a weekly basis.
If you want to keep your Power Wheels in its best shape for more than 3 years at most, you have to follow a few steps that will ensure its prolonged longevity instead.
How a Power Wheels Battery Life Expectancy Decreases
Usage
When it comes to ride-on toys or basically anything that includes a rechargeable battery, an important and crucial part of its longevity depends on how the customer uses the product in the first place.
For example, how long your Power Wheels battery will last for will depend a whole lot on how well you follow the charging instructions that come with the product to begin with.
Overcharging
Another factor that affects the battery life expectancy of a Power Wheels is the number of times the vehicle has been used by the customer.
Overusing the vehicle will obviously mean it will have to be charged more frequently, which in turn will definitely reduce the battery life expectancy by numbers.
In general, a Power Wheels battery is supposed to last for more than 2 years at most, but with proper care and maintenance you can actually increase it to even 4 years!
Storing Away Uncharged Product
One other way people usually decrease the battery life of their Power Wheels is by storing away the product when it is not in usage, without juicing it up first.
This might not seem as that big of a deal, but honestly, it can be a total game changer if you do it right. Charging your Power Wheels prior to storing it away for a long period of time will prevent it from using up its dormant battery power.
In case you forget to do so in the beginning, make sure you at least turn off all the power buttons equipped on the Power Wheels in order to ensure the product does not start draining away the battery.
A lot of people do not implement this step when storing away their Power Wheels, because obviously, the most common thought we have during this point is that “How can my Power Wheels drain the battery life when it is not even turned on to begin with?” . But more often than not, this is one of the main reasons why the battery life expectancy of a Power Wheels starts to decrease rapidly.
What really actually happens during the storage period is something that is known as rate of discharge. Rate of discharge is when the battery of a product starts to drain its own power in order to keep it from going completely dormant.
You will notice this happening with almost every rechargeable battery. A common example here would be a scenario where a fully charged phone battery comes down to only 5 percent after months of no usage. This scenario is quite a common one with anyone who owns a Power Wheels as well.
If you do not want to run to the hardware store as soon as you take out your little ones Power Wheels out of the storage, make sure to first disconnect all of its power systems, but fully charge the battery instead. This will ensure the Power Wheels has enough resource to implement its discharge rate on, without necessarily damaging the entire product in the long run.
One Key Way to Increase a Power Wheels Battery Life Expectancy
Do Not Keep Your Power Wheels Idle for Too Long
Lastly, a simple way to ensure your Power Wheels battery lasts for long is to keep the product operating frequently. Keeping a battery uncharged or not operating for a long time will result in it sulfating, which is basically a fancy scientific way to say that the insides will drastically corroded, and well, your product will die.
Conclusion
To summarize, we hope that this article helps you determine how long a power wheel battery lasts. It makes sense to wonder: how long does a power wheel battery last? Fortunately, the previously mentioned information should provide you with lots of help. Make sure to follow our battery maintenance tips to keep this item in optimal condition. Also, don't miss our article on power wheel weight limits that provides additional help for busy parents.
Even though a Power Wheels battery is a rather timid thing, you can easily keep it running in great condition for a really long time, only by taking proper care of it to begin with. We hope you understood the points that we mentioned above and will abide by them in the future as well.