Why Li-ion Technologies ?

The alarming energy crisis and the shift in world climate is a clear indicator of the urgency of switching to cleaner energy sources at every level. As the future of energy storage solution, Lithium-ion battery technology, provides sustainable changes in transforming our way to store and consuming energy.

Lithium-ion batteries have been widely adopted in the production of electric vehicles. In the material handling market, Li-Ion batteries became popular mainly with entry level pallet trucks due to the introduction of the Easymove 12EZ from Easymove Equipment in 2020. Since then, entry level pallet trucks are mainly produced with Li-Ion batteries, though the technology used can differ quite significantly, leading to different characteristics and safety standards. Larger equipment has been available with Li-Ion options for several years already, but at the same time it was always extremely expensive and payed of mainly in heavy duty, 3 shift application. With the development of new trucks, this obstacle can be eliminated, and all categories of material handling products can be powered by Li-Ion technology in the near future, according to Easymove Equipment studies.

Zero maintenance

While lead-acid batteries need special maintenance, Lithium batteries don’t require active maintenance to extend their service life. That largely eliminates the costs of battery upkeeping, maintenance and infrastructure.

Less Expensive

It’s important to compare energy prices to ensure you’re getting a great deal for your Lead acid battery products and Li-ion ones.

In a nutshell, lead acid batteries may be less expensive from procurement perspectives, however, a lithium battery solution may contribute to a more cost-efficient warehouse operation in a long run:

• Less expense and energy spent on charging batteries
• No time and labour involved by swapping batteries
• Less time and labour spent maintaining and watering lead-acid batteries
• Reduced waste of energy (a lead-acid battery normally uses up to 50% of its energy through heat, while a lithium battery uses only up to 15%)
• Smaller overall battery size leads to similar purchase costs and offer the same or better autonomy due to opportunity charging.

Lithium-ion is named for its active materials. There are several types of chemical components to build rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. The most two relevant materials to the forklift industry are Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) and Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide (NMC).

NMC technology is very well known from the car industry and other manufacturing where weight and size play a major role. The upside of NMC batteries is a high energy density and the compact size. The downside of the NMC cell is the high possibility of inflammation and explosion when punctures or overheated. Due to the light weight and high energy density some manufacturers are still using NMC in material handling products, while manufacturers like BYD, Linde, Still, EP Equipment and others have switched to a different technology. LFP technology is currently the technology used by the leading manufacturers of Li-Ion material handling products. LFP offers good electrochemical performance with low resistance. The key benefits are high current rating and long cycle life, besides good thermal stability, enhanced safety and tolerance if abused. There are many advantages to choosing an LFP-powered machine. Especially when applying on larger equipment like an electric ride on pallet truck or electric forklift trucks, the LFP battery plays out its strength—it does not catch fire or burn when punctures – it is just safe!

Electric powered material handling product are growing heavily in market share in the past 10 years with a strong push due to E-Commerce and the growth of warehousing vs. decentralized storage. In the past all of these trucks have been powered by some sort of Lead acid battery, Gel Battery or AGM Battery. In the recent years, Li-Ion became more and more cost efficient as played a stronger role in the development and purchase strategy of manufacturers and customers.

With a difference in chemistry between those two battery types come differences in performance and cost. While both lithium-ion and lead acid battery options can be effective storage solutions, here’s how they stack up when compared head to head in key categories:

Depending on the type of material handling product, the decision about the battery technology can be easy or a little bit harder. When you look at the prices of pallet trucks nowadays, it seems logical to go for a Li-Ion version even at ride-on versions, as the cost price is comparable and adds tremendous advantages. When thinking about the purchase of reachtrucks and forklift trucks, the price gap for most manufacturers is still an obstacle for many customers. In that case only manufacturers with Li-Ion customized trucks can offer a real alternative as their production costs can match the price of lead acid trucks.