The Permobil SmartDrive MX2+

What is a Permobil SmartDrive ? In short, SmartDrive is a power assist device for a manual wheelchair; the main component is a self contained electric motor and rechargeable battery pack which is attached to a quick connect/disconnect bracket on the rear of a manual wheelchair (brackets are available for either rigid or folding chairs). SmartDrive was developed by Max Mobility in the USA, which is now part of Permobil of Sweden. SmartDrive has been through a number of revisions, whilst some content may be relevant to earlier version, the information on this page was written with reference to the latest (at the time of writing) version of SmartDrive - the MX2+. About this page I originally started this page with a view to documenting the trials and tribulations that I went through trying to get a SmartDrive MX2+ that actually worked. The page grew quite long and I saw that it was likely to be less than interesting to anyone else, so I have now archived that page but may make a link to it if there is any interest. Despite my initial problems, I have now got a SmartDrive, Pushtracker E2 and Switch Control combination that meets my needs and that I am happy with. However, the more reading that I did about SmartDrive, the more I concerned that I became about the long term costs of using it. I am sure that many people are unaware of the high cost of replacement parts once the SmartDrive warranty (2 years) expires. Here in the UK, although some financial support may be available thorough the government's Access to Work scheme, most SmartDrive purchases are self funded and any additional costs after warranty expiry are down to the user. It may be possible to take out an insurance policy to cover breakdown, but such policies typically exclude things like batteries which are normally deemed consumables, but for SmartDrive are VERY expensive to replace. This page was written by a SmartDrive user with the aim of providing feedback on my experiences with SmartDrive - good and bad, that will hopefully be useful to other existing and potential SmartDrive owners. There is a wealth of web pages around that describe the features of SmartDrive, along with "user" feedback and videos, but much of this is promotional material sponsored by the manufacturer or sales channels. There are also a host of You-Tube videos from SmartDrive users which extol the virtues of SmartDrive, but very few resources that paint the whole picture. The most useful source of information and user feedback about SmartDrive is a Facebook Group sponsored by Permobil themselves. I don't actually like Facebook - I've never felt the need to tell others what I had for breakfast or what my dog did today (not that I actually own one), but the Group is the most active source of SmartDrive information out there. A big issue with Facebook groups though, is that the content is very transient - once a particular thread is more than a few days old, it drops from view and the same problems and questions get raised again and again. Unfortunately, Permobil do not have any meaningful SmartDrive web content elsewhere, so it is left to a couple of patient SD users (I'm not one of them) to roll out the same answers every few days or so. A more useful support channel would be a Web Forum, but these days, most people just want the instant gratification of posting a question and having someone else do the work rather than being bothered to take active part in a Forum, so there's probably little mileage in trying to start one for SmartDrive. (Based on recent experience of trying to establish a support forum for an unrelated hardware project). So I guess the Facebook Groups is as good as it's going to get!

About Me

The suitability of SmartDrive for a particular individual is very much dependent on their personal situation; so that you can understand whether my comments have any relevance to your own circumstances, I have included a few basic details about myself here.

I am a 59 60+ year old retired Control Engineer from the UK who suffered an L1 burst fracture as a result of falling off a ladder some 9+ years ago. As a consequence of the resultant incomplete spinal cord injury I am a paraplegic. I have good upper body strength and retain some use of my legs that allows me to ambulate (I don't call it walking) for short distances using aides (sticks, crutches or a walker), but I spend the vast majority of my time in a wheelchair. I use a manual chair which I have no difficulty in self-propelling, other than the fatigue from pushing over longer distances, up inclines, or, for the benefit of non-wheelchair users, even over carpets which is often harder than it sounds!

For most of my time post-injury, I did not use any power assist devices - other than my wife of course

Whilst my wife has always been happy to assist me when the going gets tough, obviously it can be hard work for her too, particularly when going uphill. So, despite the high cost (see below for more details on costs), in an attempt to give me more independence and take some of the load off herself, my wife bought me a SmartDrive towards the end of 2019. That in itself turned out to be quite a chore, but those early issues have been mostly overcome and I am now happy with my SmartDrive.

Ongoing Costs - Spare parts

Firstly, I should say that, once the teething problems had been resolved, I have not personally had any failures with SmartDrive. However, as I read various posts on Facebook and the like, I became rather concerned about the high cost of replacement parts for SmartDrive when/if they become necessary. As we all know, mobility equipment can be expensive, often out of all proportion to its intrinsic value - the vendors have a captive market and can more or less charge what they like. I guess the situation is compounded by the fact that many purchases are NHS (UK) or Medicare (US) funded, so the vendors have ready markets for their goods at inflated prices.

In the case of SmartDrive, I can almost excuse the high initial cost, given that it is a low volume product which probably had significant development costs (by Max Mobility, before Permobil bought them) and needed to get FDA approval etc. What I can't excuse is the blatant profiteering from the supply of spares. Before purchasing SmartDrive, people should be aware of the high cost of replacement parts. Some recent examples seen in the UK are over £500 for a battery charger and over £1000 for a battery. Battery replacement requires opening up the SmartDrive, so some labour costs are to be expected, but over £1000 for a Li-Ion battery - really ? You can get a feeling for the mark-up that Permobil are imposing on spares when you see that the mains lead for the charger has a Recommended Retail Price of £36. The cable is a standard mains cable with a Clover Leaf (IEC 60320 Type 5) connector typically used by laptop power supplies. Such cables typically retail in the UK for under £5. Yes, we can expect to pay a premium for disability related items, but of this level ?

Anyway, to see the potential long term costs associated with owning SmartDrive, have a glance at the table below . . . . .

Disclaimer

Given its content, you won't be surprised to learn that this page is in no way affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsed by Permobil, Max-Mobility, or any other person or company. The contents are the personal views of the author (who may be contacted via the link at the bottom of the page) and are provided in the hope that they may be useful for existing or prospective SmartDrive owners.

E&OE