4 TIPS ON HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT ENERGY SOLUTION FOR INDUSTRIAL VEHICLES

Over the past few decades, electric industrial vehicles have gradually been replacing those powered by internal combustion engines (ICEs). This shift has been fueled by concerns over emissions, rising fuel costs, supply chain disruptions, sustainability goals, and improved overall efficiency.

Flooded lead-acid batteries have been a reliable power source for over a century, widely used in industrial applications like forklifts and floor care equipment. However, in recent decades, newer, maintenance-free battery technologies have emerged, offering customers enhanced benefits.

To facilitate true optimisation, EnerSys is the only single source manufacturer for all major battery technologies used in material handling equipment and will be showcasing their range of products and solutions during the Hyster ‘IMPACT Live’ Event, taking place in Weeze, Germany between 8th and 10th October 2024.

TIP 1 – START BY LEVERAGING THE POWER OF DATA

While there are several factors in determining an optimal battery technology and charger combination, the first is determining your overall power needs to identify the right solution. With the advancement of battery technology, this has become a complex exercise because there are so many variables and options to consider.

While many operations focus solely on overall energy storage capacity, they often miss the other key factor, the recharging efficiency and speed of the battery and charger combination. This becomes increasingly critical as operations migrate towards being 24/7 – reducing available charge time to a point where the only option is charging during worker breaks. This “opportunity charging” discipline makes the overall efficiency and speed of the charging activity even more critical for equipment uptime.

EnerSys® EnSite™ modelling software is an advanced simulation tool that can model a myriad of different battery and charger options using the customer’s actual fleet usage data. The monitoring software can even analyse future changes in facility throughput, associated costs and estimations about environmental factors which are crucial to ensure customers make the right decision about their power requirements.

TIP 2 – SELECTING MAINTENANCE-FREE SOLUTIONS

For operations with more demanding applications that prefer opportunity charging or those seeking to eliminate battery maintenance, Thin Plate Pure Lead (TPPL) batteries and lithium-ion batteries are becoming the go-to power supply for many industrial and retail applications.

EnerSys offers these advanced technologies for a range of light-to-heavy duty applications. Both technologies have fast charging capabilities with zero maintenance.

These batteries don’t require watering, washing or long equalisations, making them ideal for fleet owners who want to minimise labour use for battery maintenance. They can be plugged in whenever the equipment is not in use, such as during breaks, lunches or between shifts and other facility downtimes.

TPPL has twice the amount of available energy during a day compared to traditional flooded lead acid batteries. can be paired up with the intelligent NexSys® COMpact onboard charger, which is installed directly into the battery tray and can be fast charged from any AC socket with up to 94% efficiency – eliminating the need for dedicated charging stations.

If the goal is to improve charging performance and thermal management in high volume applications, the NexSys® TPPL with Accelerated Throughput Package (ATP) batteries delivers up to a 50% increase of daily energy throughput compared to standard TPPL batteries and up to 200% over traditional lead acid batteries. With intuitive controls and advanced thermal management, NexSys® TPPL ATP batteries are engineered to improve charge performance by up to 25%.

In addition, NexSys® TPPL batteries help businesses achieve their sustainability targets, from reducing water use by up to 2500 litres per year to minimising the emissions of harmful gases, to 99% of batteries being recycled.

TIP 3 – UPGRADE WITH SMART CHARGING SOLUTIONS

Maximising the efficiency of your charging operations is another essential aspect of fleet optimisation. EnerSys offers a range of high-performance chargers designed to improve energy intake and maintain battery health. A plug-&-play solution, the NexSys® + charger, for instance, increases productivity and boosts fleet efficiency by dramatically reducing recharge times and allowing for opportunity charging.

The advanced NexSys®+ charger also has an outdoor version, ideal for charging at airports, building and rental sites, farming facilities, cargo terminals, ports and other environments exposed to the weather. The NexSys®+ Outdoor charger is housed inside a rugged enclosure that helps protect against dirt, water and seasonal temperatures, delivering up to 94% charging efficiency for maximum performance and energy savings.

For mixed fleets, EnerSys offers the light, compact and versatile IMPAQ™ charger. Equipped with an LCD screen and customer programmable menu, IMPAQ™ chargers are high-frequency and value-packed, featuring a standard flooded lead acid, NexSys® bloc and NexSys® standard charge profiles.

TIP 4 – TRUST THE ENERGY EXPERTS

A well-matched battery technology and charger system can optimise your fleet’s potential by maximising productivity, reducing maintenance and eliminating unplanned downtime. Choosing the right combination requires careful measurement of data and consideration of several operational factors. For the best advice, contact a provider with a wide range of technology choices and an extensive Service network to support your operational needs.

Using your actual fleet power data and simulation to provide a complete, data-informed assessment of your energy needs and options is where EnerSys can help you get started with its EnSite™ modelling software. If one of your goals is to get your optimal solution deployed quickly, EnerSys maintain inventories of their most popular batteries and chargers for 24-hour shipment from their global distribution centres. As a trusted long-term partner, EnerSys can address any operational challenges with a data-driven power approach that includes analytics, a broad array of the latest technologies, state-of-the-art management tools, Service support and much more.

For more information, please visit: https://www.hyster.com/en-gb/emea/support-resources/blog/