Review of Rio Mobility Firefly - Electric Scooter Attachment

By Arash Bayatmakou, NorCal SCI Executive Director

I recently had the chance to demo the Rio Mobility Firefly 2.5 Electric Scooter Attachment for manual wheelchairs. I was not compensated or incentivized in any way for this review and the following is an honest account of my experience using this product.

Installation

The first step is to install the mounts onto the front frame of the wheelchair. This is how the Firefly loops and locks into place. In my case, I live close enough to the Rio Mobility warehouse in Berkeley, CA so I was able to visit the location and have their support staff member (Andrew) install it onto my chair. Since most customers have the Firefly shipped to them, this installation has to be done by the customer.

There is an installation video and Andrew is available for phone/video support as well. It’s a relatively straightforward process and the necessary tools are provided free with the purchase. Andrew told me most people are able to complete the installation within an hour.

A wheelchair user with good hand function could do the installation themselves, especially if they’re able to be out of their chair as it makes the process easier but Andrew told me that he’s been able to talk people to do it while sitting in their chairs although it does make it a bit tricky. For the scooter itself, it’s an easy process to install the battery, make a couple minor adjustments, and get the device ready for use.

Mounting

The scooter has two legs with small wheels that stand it up which makes mounting and locking the scooter onto the wheelchair relatively easy. You just roll up to the scooter, line up the curved hooks of the scooter with the mounts on the chair, and lock the device into place. This lifts up the front casters of the wheelchair, tilts the user back a couple inches onto the rear wheels, and effective makes the wheelchair into a tricycle. It took me a couple of tries to get comfortable lining everything up right, but once I understood the mechanism, I felt very comfortable popping the scooter on and off and appreciate the ease of this function.

The Ride

The scooter uses a thumb throttle to accelerate forwards. I have moderate strength and dexterity in my thumbs and I had no problem controlling the throttle. There are 5 speed options and it’s easy to change your setting from 1-5 which sets the max speed. The Firefly tops out at about 12.2 mph which is plenty fast for my needs. There is a separate reverse throttle as well so you could get yourself out of a tricky situation or make a three point turn if you’re stuck.

There is a squeeze brake on each hand (like a bicycle) which both control the one wheel and I found it safest and most effective to brake equally with both hands. The braking power was strong and sufficient.

Once you’re rolling, the ride is fantastic, although it does take a little getting used to. I’d never ridden a tricycle of any kind so it took some time to get accustomed to the feeling of turning when you’re on three wheels instead of four. As a C-level injury, I have a weak core so taking turns challenged my core strength but because I was holding onto the handlebars, I didn’t feel a sense of falling or insecurity. I felt stable and secure even at max speed and because my front casters were raised off the ground, I could go over bumps with greater confidence than usual.

I really enjoyed how easy and quick it was to get accustomed to the overall ride and I felt safe riding the Firefly within my first ride. That said, there are a few challenges that should be noted.

First, because the power is coming from the front wheel and most of the weight of the user is in the back, the front wheel sometimes lacks enough traction for smooth acceleration and can skid out. This especially happens on uphills as the front wheel simply doesn’t have enough weight through it for proper traction and it’s easy to skid and spin in place. I discovered this simply by going up my driveway which is on a light-moderate incline. The solution I found was to gently throttle at a much slower speed and this prevented the wheel from spinning as much but it’s certainly something to be aware of for ramps and short inclines.

Second, the maximum range for a battery charge is about 16 miles, even less if you’re riding hills or carrying extra weight (e.g. my two young kids would fight over who could sit on my lap while riding which was safe and easy to do). If you’re wanting to go on longer rides or keep up with a group of other cyclists, you may want to purchase and carry an extra battery, which Rio Mobility sells separately.

Third, the hardware mounts on the wheelchair do add extra weight to your chair so if you’re like me and want to minimize the overall weight of your wheelchair, you should consider this.

Summary

Overall, I was very impressed with the Firefly. Rio Mobility has eliminated a lot of the complications of a device like this by basing the hardware and parts on bicycle components. Its ease of installation is great and the team’s willingness and availability to answer any questions or provide support is stellar. I love how easy it is to attach and remove the scooter from my chair and gives me great independence to do this on my own without any assistance.

The ride is smooth, stable, and easy and the controls and moving parts are all straightforward. The max speed isn’t the fastest but it was plenty fast for my needs of wanting to ride alongside my family.

Maybe the thing I was most impressed about was the price. At $2649, the Firefly is much less expensive than some of its competitors. I’ve heard that there are scooter attachments available for cheaper but I don’t know if those would come with the friendly service and support that Rio Mobility provides, no matter where you live.

So if you’re wanting to get outside, ride alongside family or friends, or are considering an electric scooter attachment for any reason, I would recommend you check out the Firefly.

Info, specifications, and price can all be found here: https://riomobility.com/collections/wheelchair-attachments/products/firefly-2-5-electric-attachment