World’s first hybrid electric lift truck debuts

The world’s first hybrid electric lift truck was unveiled by Komatsu Forklift USA (Booth 2513) on Tuesday.

By Staff -- Modern Materials Handling, 4/22/2008 1:33:00 PM

"The truck opens up exciting new opportunities for improved energy efficiencies and a greener world for electric truck users around the world," said Keith Allmandinger, senior manager of marketing for Komatsu.

The electric hybrid truck will run for 11 hours a day with a 1-hour opportunity charge during the shift. The new technology uses a sealed, maintenance-free battery, built-in inverter charger, capacitor and on-board charge controller to keep the truck running at maximum performance levels throughout each work cycle.

The truck is powered by two energy sources—a capacitor and a sealed, maintenance-free, motive power industrial battery. The controller efficiently captures five different sources of regenerated current and stores the energy in a large capacitor, which then delivers current to the truck, explained Allmandinger.

“The truck does cost more up front than a comparable gasoline-powered vehicle,” he said, “but users can expect to start seeing a return on their investment after two years.”

Unlike internal combustion engine trucks, the hybrid model eliminates the need for periodic replacement of parts, such as engine oil, elements and filters.