Fronius, the global technology leader in battery charging technology, has developed an intelligent solution for forklift truck operators to dramatically improve the utilisation of the traction batteries: the Cool Battery Guide Easy information and management system. The system intuitively guides the user to the battery that has been fully charged for the longest and is therefore the coolest.
This increases the useful life of the battery, whilst reducing the total cost of ownership and optimising the performance and availability of the forklift truck fleet at the same time.
The useful life of traction batteries plays a crucial role for owners of electrically-powered forklift trucks. Considering how expensive these batteries are to purchase, extracting a longer service life has a significant impact on increasing the cost effectiveness of the entire forklift truck system. Even utilisation of the battery pool extends the useful life of each individual battery, resulting in regular, complete charging cycles with sufficient time for the battery to cool down before its next use. Yet in many cases the reality is often somewhat different: striking variations in usage and charging times can be seen for individual batteries within a pool. Employees frequently select the wrong battery, either for convenience or because the state of charge is not visible or is difficult to find out. This means that some batteries are almost always in use, leading to an increase in battery temperature and a reduction in the service life of the battery. In contrast, other batteries remain unused for days or weeks, which can lead to acid stratification – and subsequent plate damage. The consequences are a reduced service life and considerable costs for purchasing new batteries.
With the Cool Battery Guide Easy information and management system from Fronius, users can dramatically improve the utilisation of their battery pool. A control unit processes the signals of the individual Fronius Selectiva battery charging systems, while a blue LED strip on the unit itself shows the user which battery has been fully charged for the longest and is therefore the coolest, intuitively guiding the user to the correct battery. Incorrect selections made by employees are thus a thing of the past. In addition, an alarm signal can be output if the wrong battery is taken. More effective utilisation improves the chemical properties of the battery and ensures maximum capacity and performance for as long as possible. Up to 1,500 charging cycles are possible during normal operation under these conditions.
The intelligent battery management system from Fronius extends the service life of the traction batteries, thereby reducing the operating costs. As the user always has access to a fully charged battery, constant availability of the forklift truck fleet is guaranteed. In some cases, Cool Battery Guide Easy can also reduce the pool of back-up batteries needed: for example, 20% fewer back-up batteries can be used for a fleet without any impact on forklift truck availability. This significantly reduces purchasing costs for these expensive batteries. Pro Cool Battery Guide Easy allows up to 30 battery charging systems to be connected, while coupling of several control units is possible to equip larger battery charging rooms and stations with the management system.
For those wishing to deploy the system in harsh operating conditions, Fronius can also supply on request a special housing for the control unit that provides enhanced IP protection.
Tel: 01908 512347
Email: perfect.charging@fronius.com
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