Three-shift Lithium Ion Battery for Forklift

“GNB Sonnenschein Lithium battery passes demanding endurance test”

GNB Industrial Power – a division of Exide Technologies, a leading global provider of stored electrical energy solutions, has passed a series of demanding endurance tests at a large European distribution center with its Sonnenschein Lithium battery. The tests showed that a single lithium-ion battery could power a forklift around the clock, with only short bursts of recharging required while workers take breaks. This is especially valuable in three-shift operations, where battery replacement would normally be required.

Through a partnership with Exide, Valence provides batteries for this forklift application.

The advantages of lithium-ion technology

Lithium-ion has several advantages that make it the right choice for more and more applications. The technology is more energy efficient than traditional lead-acid. It also recharges around eight times faster, which means a single battery can be used around the clock. All that is needed are short recharging slots of 15 and 30 minutes while workers take breaks.

Lithium-ion batteries are initially more expensive to buy than traditional batteries but often reduce operating costs for the right business. They are especially useful in 24/7 operations, which would otherwise need 2–3 batteries per forklift in rotation throughout the day. Using a single battery per forklift means you can streamline operations and lower total cost of ownership.

When you switch fully to lithium-ion, charging rooms are no longer needed. This saves space, which can then be used for additional storage. Another advantage is that lithium-ion batteries require no maintenance or water refilling, and lead to much lower energy bills than with lead-acid batteries.

The choice of technology

The endurance tests were conducted using the GNB Sonnenschein Lithium battery. It has a long lifespan of up to 4,000 cycles, an integrated battery management system, and is optimized for intermittent charging. It is low maintenance, has very short charging times, and energy density is increased by 30%. The battery is designed to reduce operating costs over its entire service life, leading to impressively low total cost of ownership.

Read more about the Results of the Endurance Test in the full article