2018 has the potential to be a watershed year in the material handling industry. Following several years of false starts, alternative fuel sources for lift trucks are now poised to enter the market in a big way. In this post, we are going to focus on lithium-ion (li-ion) batteries as an alternative to traditional lead-acid batteries.
Eastern Lift Truck Co. offers its customers one of the widest ranges of alternative fuel capable lift trucks in the industry. All new Hyster and Yale electric forklifts (Class I, II and III) are now able to be shipped from the factory, ready to operate with lead-acid or lithium-ion batteries or hydrogen fuel cells. That’s three fuel choices for every electric truck! Furthermore, all current production Hyster and Yale electric forklifts, already in the field, may be retro-fitted for lithium-ion or hydrogen fuel cells.
Eastern Lift Truck Co. is pleased to announce it has just signed an exclusive agreement with OneCharge (Irvine, CA) to sell their lithium-ion products throughout our seven-state Mid Atlantic territory. We are also stocking a fleet of demo batteries and chargers for our customers to use. Contact us today to begin a discussion about lithium-ion for your operation.
Below are some of the top reasons to consider switching from lead-acid to lithium-ion:
- There is no maintenance with lithium-ion so no watering and no equalization required. They are completely sealed.
- Unlike lead-acid batteries, there is no adverse “memory effect” of opportunity charging a li-ion battery.
- There is no need to fully discharge and then recharge a li-ion battery. They like to be opportunity charged.
- Charging a li-ion battery is a quicker and easier process than charging a lead-acid battery. An operator can handle on their own.
- Li-ion will fully re-charge from 0% to 100% in two hours or less while only needing one battery per truck.
- The lifetime of a li-ion battery is 3,000 cycles, which is 2-3 times longer than lead-acid.
- A fleet of li-ion powered forklifts does not require an expensive, dangerous battery room. Use this space for something safer and more productive.
- Li-ion is safer and more environmentally friendly. There are no toxic emissions and our lithium-ion batteries are recyclable.
- Lithium-ion batteries function well in a full range of ambient temperatures, (-31° F to 104° F) with little to no drop-off of voltage output.
Contact your Eastern Lift Truck Co. Account Manager for more information and pricing. We would be happy to demo a Li-ion battery for your operation. Get in touch today and we’ll get to work for you.
