I just finished day 5 at Disney with the ECV and the ECV performance is a bit mixed. I rented the kind that you can transport in your trunk from
Buena Vista Rentals. A few points -
-The ECV is not going to last over 5 hours without a charge. I guess if you sit in one place for long periods of time and shut it off, you can stretch the time. But, if you move around like a very active guest, no way it last all day (unless your all day is 5 hours)
- The battery indicator is not a gas gauge. It will basically show full for 3.5 to 4 hours. Then, once is starts dropping, you better find a charging spot, as it will start dropping quickly.
- Charging seems to be front loaded. Charging for a full 8 hours overnight is terrific, but it seems like 90% of the charging is in the first hour. This is good in that if you run low in a park, finding a spot to charge for even 30 minutes will rescue you from getting stuck.
-If you can, plug in every time you can. There is no harm in topping off your charge.
-Cast members generally have no idea where outlets are. A couple told me to check with guest relations. These can be somewhat stressful interactions because once you start running low, the last thing you want to try is to drive halfway across the park to ask guest relations who are also not likely to know where outlets are.
-In general, I don't think Disney does a terrific job around this issue. There are tons of people using mobility scooters. Disney could make the experience a lot better and less stressful by having some areas clearly designated for limited time recharging.
-if you spot an outlet in a restaurant, gift shop, etc., just hook up to it. Don't think that just bc your battery is showing all green that it is actually fully charged.
-I opted for the model that could be transported because we had a car and were doing off Disney things, too. If I were staying in the bubble and using Disney transportation exclusively, I would have opted for a bigger model, focusing solely on the biggest battery range I could find. Even Gold mobility, which several posters have recommended, has a portable model that only has a 5 hour range.