Forklift truck and battery manufacturer Jungheinrich has received an order for more than 1,000 lithium-ion vehicles.
The German firm hails it as “the largest order ever awarded for vehicles fitted with lithium-ion batteries anywhere in the world”.
It is certainly Jungheinrich’s largest vehicle order. The unnamed buyer – described as an “internationally active key account” – plans to use the vehicles in warehouses and shipping centres in Britain, France, Italy and Germany.
More than 700 of the 1,000-plus industrial trucks will consist of vertical order pickers designed for use in narrow aisle warehouses.
“This order sets a new milestone for electro-mobility. And it underscores Jungheinrich’s unrivalled mastery of lithium-ion technology,” claimed the company’s Dr Lars Brzoska.
Jungheinrich is currently the world’s only manufacturer of industrial trucks to produce its own lithium-ion batteries. Produced in Norderstedt, Germany, the batteries can communicate with the vehicle as well as the charging device.
Over the past three years Jungheinrich has seen an annual 300% increase in sales of its lithium-ion batteries and is planning to expand its manufacturing capacity.