Warehouses have to be run with maximum efficiency, which means reviewing the power source of forklifts, whether ICE or batteries. From 1 April 2022, logistics businesses using diesel and those whose MHE fleets run on rebated biofuels will be taxed at the same rate as standard diesel. This may cause some businesses to consider switching to an electric forklift fleet. Modular chargers, high frequency charging, vented battery technology, lithium-ion systems and maintenance-free products are now commonplace. Larger capacity, high performance batteries are becoming the norm, even for heavy duty operations. With the right clamps and attachments, an electric truck can do heavy work as efficiently as one with an IC engine.
This article was first published in the September 15th 2021 issue of Warehouse & Logistics News, subscribe to the magazine by clicking here.
Fronius offers Selectiva 4.0 battery chargers with a special deep discharge characteristic that can be easily set on the charger itself. Thanks to their automatic voltage detection, the devices from the Fronius Selectiva series are suitable for different types of batteries, with various voltages and capacities – this makes allocation significantly easier. As a result, forklift truck operators can fully depend on the readiness of their traction batteries, even after extended downtimes.
Sainsbury’s believes it has created at its Northampton site a facility with the lowest carbon footprint of any depot of its kind, by using a range of green construction methods and energy efficient systems, including Calor LPG powered forklift trucks. The fleet of seven Toyota trucks is fitted with fixed fuel tanks, which have an increased capacity and require few refueling stops compared to cylinders, reducing truck downtime and increasing productivity. An LPG forklift truck fitted with a three-way catalytic converter and closed loop engine control system monitors and adjusts its fuel-to-air mixture 1,000 times per second, to give optimum burn and cutting fuel consumption by up to 20 percent.
Well done to Triathlon Battery Solutions for launching the first fully resonant switching High Frequency charging system in the world, the TriCOM FUTUR Resonant Frequency Traction Battery Charger (RF charger). The RF chargers operate a new Soft Resonance (SR) switching technology which guarantees a very ‘soft’, lossless, high frequency switching from 50kHz to 170kHz over the entire operating range of a full charging cycle. This type of technology is brand new to charging devices and guarantees a maximum efficiency of up to 97%.
Congratulations to Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited (CATL) which has joined the membership ranks of EUROBAT – the association of European automotive and industrial battery manufacturers. CATL is a global leader of new energy innovative technologies, committed to providing premier solutions and services for new energy applications worldwide. The company is currently in the process of developing its first European production base in Arnstadt, Germany.
It is great to see both LPG and batteries innovating to keep warehouses and logistics moving.
George Simpson
Features Editor
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