Li-Ion batteries for forklifts

Challenge

Electric trucks have been using lead-acid batteries that, despite their low cost, have limited performance. The challenge presented, considering the needs of ULMA Handling Systems and Cegasa Portable Energy, consists in designing and integrating lithium-ion batteries to increase the performance in electric trucks, by reducing the load time or the need to have a second set of batteries.

Solution

ULMA Handling Systems, Cegasa Portable Energy and IKERLAN worked together on the design and validation of 24 V and 48 V lithium-ion batteries for their integration in lift trucks. The design allows simple replacement of current batteries by these new generation batteries, achieving significant benefits such as reducing the loading times or increasing the useful life of batteries.

IKERLAN and Cegasa Portable Energy contributed company knowledge in the design and validation of the batteries, and ULMA Handling Systems, for its part, in the validation of the truck and its comparison to the default solution. 
 

Customer benefits

By collaborating with IKERLAN, Cegasa Portable Energy has developed and validated its lithium-ion battery product focused on lift trucks sand mobility solutions, and ULMA Handling Systems has advanced in its positioning towards the integration of this technology in its products. Although the relative cost of these batteries is still high, the improvement of their performance and the increase of useful life make this application more and more interesting.