Hyster has announced it has started testing electric-powered high-capacity lift-trucks, with the expectation that their customers will soon be able to electrify entire fleets of large lift trucks.
The aim is to develop electric vehicles with comparable performance levels to non-electric machines but which produce no emissions.
“Our brand is synonymous with heavy-duty trucks, so we are the natural candidate to champion this new generation of large electric trucks,” said Brett Schemerhorn, president, Big Trucks Americas, Hyster.
“Using a modular approach and innovative technology, applications will soon have maximum flexibility when selecting trucks to provide the best zero-emissions solution for their needs.”
The company expects its vehicles, in the long-term, to be powered by hydrogen fuel cells, that allow for rapid refuelling and longer run time between refills than lithium-ion-battery-powered vehicles.
To drive efficiency and manage costs, the new electric lift-trucks will be built to match the needs of the specific application. Previously the duty cycle of the application drove the power output determination, including factors such as engine power, tractive effort, load capacity and speed.
Jan Willem van den Brand, director of Big Truck product strategy and solutions at Hyster, said, “As with Tier 4/Stage IV, when applying electric motors to Big Trucks, it is all about achieving a balance between the vertical movement of the load and the power take-off in combination with the traction. This balance needs to be achieved in order to ensure efficiency, while avoiding oversized electric systems and an unacceptable range of movement.”
May 26, 2017
