Kalmar, part of Cargotec, has introduced an energy-saving guarantee for its electric forklift trucks. Similar to the fuel-saving guarantee available for diesel-powered machines such as the Kalmar Eco Reachstacker, the energy-saving guarantee provides a greater level of predictability for customers by allowing them to easily estimate the operational costs of transitioning to electric machines.
The guarantee is calculated by analysing three specific parameters based on data from the Kalmar Insight performance management tool, which aggregates data from multiple sources to provide an overview of fleet operations and maintenance needs. The expected energy consumption can be calculated to a high degree of accuracy, allowing customers to calculate their operating costs based on their electricity tariff.
Kalmar’s range of 5–9 ton light electric and 9–18 ton medium electric forklifts come with a choice of battery technology, either Lead Acid or Lithium-ion, a range of different masts, lifting capacities and attachments. Lead-Acid batteries are great for single shift operations as they last for 1200-1400 cycles before the batteries need to be swapped and recharged. Lithium-ion batteries can last for up to 4,000 work cycles as they are fully integrated and can be charged during idle time, quickly.
Kalmar provides the ChargePod for charging batteries used in its light and medium electric forklift trucks. The ChargePod is a complete charging station inside a standard 20’ container that can be located almost anywhere on site. Two sets of forklift truck batteries can be charged simultaneously, and the container is insulated to make it suitable for use in both cold and hot climates, with AC cooling available as an option.
David Malmström, business development manager, Kalmar Forklift Trucks, said: “Customers want to understand how much energy they could save by using an electric forklift truck. We have determined that energy consumption is most heavily influenced by the distance travelled and the number and weight of lifts. We estimate that a typical customer will see a positive return on the total cost of ownership of an electric forklift truck compared to its diesel equivalent within approximately two years.”
In the event that the predicted level of energy consumption is exceeded, customers will be compensated according to a sliding scale. Kalmar believes that the energy-saving guarantee will make it easier than ever for customers to transition to using electric machines.
“Since we guarantee the machine’s energy consumption, it is easy for customers to estimate the operational cost. This guarantee is unique to Kalmar and underlines our commitment to supporting customers to adopt electrification,” said Malmström.