Yale Lift Truck Technologies has brought out two new fork lift truck models with integrated lithium-ion battery counterbalancing.
The three-wheel ERP32-40UXTL and the four-wheel ERP30-70UXL form part of the UX product range in North America. The company said they are aimed at use in retail stores, warehouses and home centres.
John Santiago, director at Yale, said: “While warehouses have a long history of utilising electric lift trucks, lead-acid battery power has typically been the default option for occasional to average duty cycle applications, where usage simply did not justify the investment in lithium-ion.”
Company representative Dan Gauss said lithium-ion batteries are more expensive but allow more flexibility with regards to charging. He said the company is moving more in the direction of lithium-ion but with regards to lead-acid batteries, he added: “You can’t say they are looking to phase them out completely, if at all. It’s more widening the choice of power option in more types of uses.”
Yale said the batteries charge in around two and a half hours, and can be opportunity charged during breaks to maximise availability. The Yale UX line initially launched in 2020 and expanded in 2023 with lead-acid battery-powered models.
- The three-wheel UXTL can be configured with a 12.8kWH, 19.2kWh or 25.6 kWh lithium battery. 7.2kW or 4.8kW chargers are available
- the four-wheel UXL, depending on the truck load capacity selected, can be configured with a 12.8kWH, 19.2kWh, 19.4kWh, 25.6kWh or 29.1kWh lithium battery. 4.8kW, 7.2kW, 8kW, 9.6kW, 12kW and 16kW chargers are available
- the batteries are proprietary, not provided by a third-party supplier.
Photo: Yale’s new four-wheel ERP30-70UXL fork lift truck
