ASA Adjudication on Pride Mobility Products Ltd

Ad

A brochure for the Quantum 6000 mobility scooter stated "Per-charge range:** Up to 40km (25 miles)". The disclaimer at the bottom of the page stated "Theoretical range is calculated under test conditions in accordance with European standards. Actual range in normal use will depend on many factors, including the condition of the vehicle and its batteries, the weight of the driver, correct tyre pressures, ambient temperature, and the gradient and surface of the road or pavement."

Issue

The complainant, who had purchased two of the mobility scooters advertised and neither had managed to exceed 7 miles with a fully charged battery, questioned whether the brochure was misleading by stating a per-charge range of up to 40km (25 miles).

CAP Code (Edition 11)

Response

Pride Mobility Products Ltd (Pride) said the specification of the Quantum 6000 mobility scooter was based on tests that were carried out before the brochure was published. However, they said that they had the chair re-tested in response to the complaint. The test showed the simulated driving range of the scooter being operated by a person who weighed between 125 and 150 pounds (57 - 68 kg) while driving in a fixed forward direction, at full speed, until the fully charged batteries were depleted. The report said the Quantum 6000 chair was set up on rollers for the testing and was powered by two MK 70 amp/hour batteries. It said a counter was set up to count the drive wheel revolutions and an amperage reading was taken, with the test sample being operated on a flat surface before being set up on the rollers, to ensure equivalent energy consumption was obtained during the test. The report stated that the test sample was allowed to run continuously until the batteries reached a low operating threshold voltage and turned off the controller. The report concluded that during the test, the sample unit travelled 47,780 revolutions, which equated to 54.33 km or 33.76 miles. It stated that taking into account the influence from turning, stopping and starting, or hill climbing a realistic distance would be 25% less than the figure obtained which was approximately 40 km or 25 miles.

Pride said other factors could influence the expected range of the Quantum 6000 chair such as terrain, battery life, user-charging habits, maintenance, driving habits, tire pressure, accessories and user weight. They said those factors were clearly stated in every Pride owner's manual and the brochure. They said the Quantum 6000 model had a number of seating configurations and accessories that could vary in weight from between 42 pounds and over 100 pounds.

Pride said their testing procedure conformed with the International Standard 'Wheelchairs - Part 4: Energy consumption of electric wheelchairs and scooters for determination of theoretical distance range' ISO 7176-4:2004.

Assessment

Not Upheld

The ASA acknowledged that Pride had tested the Quantum 6000 Mobility Scooter, and that the test procedure complied with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Standard 7176-4. We accepted that the theoretical range would be affected by various factors including terrain, battery life, user-charging habits, maintenance, driving habits, tire pressure, accessories and user weight. We noted that, under test conditions, the Quantum 6000 travelled 47,780 revolutions which equated to 54.33 km. We accepted that a realistic figure that took into account the influence from turning, stopping and starting, or hill climbing would be approximately 25% less than the test result and equated to approximately 40 kilometres. We concluded that the claim "Per-Charge Range: Up to 40km (25 miles)" was accurate and was not misleading.

We investigated the ad under CAP Code clauses 3.1 (Substantiation) and 7.1 (Truthfulness) but did not find in breach.

Action

No further action required.

Adjudication of the ASA Council (Non-broadcast)