GNB Industrial Power (UK), a
division of Exide Technologies, has
been working towards developing a
Lithium-ion offering, which can be
tailored to each customer’s specific
needs. The result is a lightweight yet
high performance battery, suitable
for motive power applications.

Working closely with several
material handling OEMs and end
users, GNB has assessed the value of
Lithium-ion and the benefits it can
provide over its Lead-acid
equivalents. GNB believes the main
advantage to be an increase in
productivity. As Lithium-ion can be
fast charged (typically taking only 1h
to fully charge) during breaks in the
working day, unproductive periods
that result from lead tray exchange
are avoided. It is also said to be
more efficient during the charge
cycle, which leads to lower electricity
consumption and lower utility costs.

Lithium-ion does not gas so there
is no requirement for extraction and
no need to charge batteries in one
specific area.