• Manual wheelchairs require pushing.Gary John Norman/Lifesize/Getty Images
  
  Electric wheelchairs powered by a battery and assist disabled users to move around. Electric wheelchair users are generally people who cannot use a manual wheelchair, such as quadriplegics and people with no arm use. Electric wheelchairs hold a number of advantages over other mobility aids.
  
  

Freedom

• The most obvious advantage of an electric wheelchair is the potential increase in freedom it can give to a handicapped individual. The electric component means that the wheelchair is driven by a joy-pad lever which can be placed where the user has most mobility, allowing the user to drive the wheelchair with his wrist or another appropriate contact such as the chin for people with higher disabilities. This allows the user greater freedom and choice as to his movements.
  
  

No Assistance

• Unlike manual wheelchairs, which require the user to push them or be pushed, electric wheelchairs allow the user to perform most movements independently of a career.
  
  

Less Physical Exertion

• The physical exertion involved in pushing a wheelchair can be taxing to the user. This can be especially true in the case of someone with reduced physical strength in their arms. An electric wheelchair means no physical effort is required to push the chair, allowing the user to relax and conserve energy.
  
  

Easier on Hills

• Hills can be a challenge to wheelchair users. Even for active manual wheelchair users, a hill can be considerably taxing for the user's strength and endurance. An electric wheelchair makes hill climbing easier by eliminating the physical exertion needed (in some cases hills are too steep for manual wheelchair users) to climb a hill.