| Sponsor | MHI |
| Date | Wednesday, March 22, 2023 |
| Time | 10:30 AM - 11:15 AM |
| Location | Theater G |
| Recording | View Recording |
| Presentation | Download Presentation |
What You Will Learn
Following many decades of electric forklifts’ engineering evolution based on the single power-source technology (the lead-acid battery), electric lift trucks have finally adopted a new power source: a lithium-ion battery pack. The benefits of lithium solutions are well-known by now: longer runtime and cycle life, less maintenance, and improved sustainability. Lithium batteries provide a better return on investment, ability to optimize critical real property space and enable the use of Automated Guided Vehicles and Autonomous Mobile Robots (AGVs and AMRs), which rely heavily on durable, ”hands-off” lithium batteries.
Lithium systems are dominating because they can better serve individual customer needs, and allow for a much greater degree of customization of material handling equipment. A single forklift model can be used to operate outdoors or inside the facility, perform all its functions in extreme ambient temperatures, or use powered hydraulic attachments instead of a regular fork—all because a modular lithium power system can be adjusted for each operation. Electric forklifts powered by lithium batteries can now be used in applications where only diesel and propane-powered trucks were once used.
Now that lithium batteries can be an integral part of a lift truck, and there is the option of using a third-party modular lithium battery pack made by a specialist company there is a need to establish standard vocabulary within the industry. How is “Chassis Integrated” different from “CAN Integrated” and what exactly does it mean for the lithium battery to be “Drop-In”? Will a chassis-integrated or a modular battery pack become the standard? These questions turn out to be pivotal for the development of material handling equipment.
In consumer devices powered by lithium batteries (like cell phones) an integrated battery is a standard choice today. A user does not need to pick and choose among multiple options or perform any maintenance on the battery; one size fits all users. But with professional tools and equipment, a modular detachable battery usually does a better job. These different approaches are relevant to material handling equipment.
Before a valid debate can be made for any direction, we should speak a common language, thus adopting some standard terminology associated with this evolution and exploring the history and possible future of Chassis Integrated, CAN Integrated and Drop-In batteries. In this collaborative forum you can participate in establishing the language and comparing the pros and cons of available options of battery integration in the ever-changing material handling landscape.
Key Takeaways
- Various options for integrating a lithium battery with an electric forklift
- Drop-in with an external BDI
- Drop-in with CAN-bus integration
- Chassis-integrated lithium battery
- Comparative benefits and limitations of various integration options
- Safety
- Performance
- Product line and costs
- A common language for electric forklift and lithium battery integration
- CAN-bus standards for electric forklift and lithium battery integration
Speakers
| Speaker | Company | Title |
|---|---|---|
| Tim Karimov | OneCharge Inc. | President |
| Robin Schneider | Green Cubes Technology | Director of Marketing |
| Jinger McPeak | Ethium | Vice President, Ethium |
Seminar sponsored by MHI.
Booth(s): N6500