FORKLIFTS MARCH 2019
WITH GREAT POWERÉ
Lithium-ion batteries are becoming more commonplace
in today’s industrial trucks. But what are the advantages of
this power source compared to others?
BY AMY BEST
One of the biggest opportunities today
is the rapid evolution of battery
technology, with lithium-ion providing a
compelling alternative to diesel or LPG.
A recent survey, conducted by Sapio
Research on behalf of Jungheinrich UK,
found that almost half (49%) of companies using
diesel or LPG-powered forklift trucks within a
warehouse operation are considering replacement
with battery powered alternatives.
Compared with lead-acid batteries, lithium-ion
batteries almost seem too good to be true, and
last year, Jungheinrich released the ETV 216i –
the fi rst reach truck in the world with a standard
built-in lithium-ion battery.
According to Steve Richmond, director
of Logistics Systems at Jungheinrich UK:
“Innovation is now at the heart of successful
intralogistics operations. With the demand for
more fl exible working and 24/7 shift operation,
organisations are looking for minimum downtime,
which requires shorter interim charging times and
zero maintenance. One of the most important
developments in the last ten years within the
materials handling industry has therefore been
lithium-ion and, as the launch of the Jungheinrich
ETV 216i reach truck demonstrates, Jungheinrich
is constantly adapting its equipment to combine
the benefi ts of its market leading lithium-ion
technology with original ergonomic design to
Also last year, Jungheinrich
provided paper merchant
Premier Paper with the UK’s
fi rst lithium-ion batterypowered
Kombi order picker
and trilateral stacker for
operating the very narrow aisles
of its main distribution centre
in Minworth, Birmingham.
Lithium-ion batteries feature
in more than 90% of
Jungheinrich trucks and, for
the past two years at LogiMAT,
it has only showcased trucks
with lithium-ion batteries to
demonstrate how convinced it
is of the advantages.
Why lithium-ion?
Speaking to Jungheinrich’s
head of product management,
Dr Michael von Fortsener, at
Jungheinrich’s Innovations and
Highlights event in Hamburg in
January, he told MM: “When
talking about long lifetimes,
lithium-ion batteries last three
times longer than lead acid
batteries. There is no cost to
infrastructure and refi tting
batteries either. If you’re going
for a three-shift application
with a lead acid battery, you
have to take out the whole
battery, put it somewhere,
charge it, and at the same time
fi t a new one into the truck.
“It takes a long time, and you
need a crane. But with lithiumion,
the batteries can be charged
very quickly; therefore you
don’t need to change it. You can
do interim charging and boost
charging with lithium-ion, with
it charging in around one hour.
Lead acid batteries charge in
around six to eight hours.”
Greater depth of discharge
and a constant voltage
characteristic mean that more
power than with lead-acid
batteries is available even when
the battery is running low. The
batteries recover energy during
braking, and a better overall
effi ciency rating enables them
to save up to 20% more energy.
In addition, communication
between the battery and the
charger ensures effi cient and
fast charging.
Jungheinrich’s White
Paper on lithium-ion states:
“Obviously, there is a cultural
shift required to ensure
operators routinely use this
opportunistic charging model
during breaks, but once this is
embedded within day to day
thinking, the overall employee
experience should be enhanced
– especially if, in the future,
they can use wireless charging
locations. Add in automated
alerts and the intelligence
inherent with increasing
digitalisation of forklift truck
technology, and both operators
and supervisors will have an
instant understanding of battery
performance and charge level.”
Lead acid batteries operate
49% of fi rms
using diesel
or LPG forklifts
are considering
replacement
meet customers’ evolving requirements.”
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