Helping Tesco in its quest to reduce carbon emissions across its materials handling fleet is a lithium ion-powered pallet truck recently introduced by Jungheinrich

The lithium-ion powered EJE 112i
powered pallet truck, which was
launched at this year’s CeMAT
exhibition in Germany, will shortly be in
operation at one of Tesco’s main distribution
centres.

Jungheinrich believes that lithium-Ion
technology offers a number of
environmental and productivity benefits
over traditional lead acid batteries. The
battery used to power the EJE 112i weighs
just 14kg. It looks very much like a briefcase
and can be handled easily without any form
of lifting gear.

Quick charge
Charging is quick and simple – it takes just
30 minutes to deliver a 50% charge and the
battery is fully charged within 80 minutes.

The short charging times enable more
flexible truck utilisation and ‘opportunity
charging’ – something that Jungheinrich
believes will be particularly welcome at sites
running multiple shifts.

A single charge is sufficient to
power the truck through a typical
eight hour shift and, importantly,
when it comes to recharging, a
dedicated charging
bay is not
required. The
battery is simply removed by hand from the
truck and placed within a recharging
docking device that can be positioned near a
power supply anywhere within the building.

The simplicity of the recharging process
reduces the need for dedicated battery
charging room personnel.

Smaller and lighter
The smaller and lighter
battery means that
Jungheinrich has been
able to dramatically
reduce the size of the
truck’s battery
compartment and,
therefore, shrink the truck’s
overall dimensions. The length
of the EJE 112i is 425mm
which, says Jungheinrich, is more
than 70mm less than a
comparable
model with a similar capacity powered by
traditional lead acid technology.

The combined weight of the EJE 112i and
its lithium ion battery is just 289kg – some
30% less than the weight of some lead acid
powered models of the same load capacity.

The lightness of the new model makes it
suitable for loading and unloading lorries
with tail-lifts.

Step change in design
Bill Goodwin, sales director of Jungheinrich
UK, comments: “We believe that our new
lithium-ion powered EJE 112i represents a
step change in forklift truck design.We have
been researching alternative fuels for a long
time and believe that with its rapid charging,
long running times and compact truck
dimensions our lithium ion powered pallet
truck will be welcomed by truck users in all
sectors and of all sizes.”
Lithium ion batteries have been used for
many years in consumer electronics but have
been growing in popularity for military,
electric vehicle and aerospace applications.

Jungheinrich explains that they have a higher
energy density which means that for their
size or weight they can store more energy
and, as they have a low discharge rate, they
retain their charge for longer.

Commenting on the new truck, Richard
Ash, Tesco’s corporate purchasing manager,
says: “As a company, Tesco is taking up the
environmental challenge and is striving to
reduce carbon emissions across the business.

With its low energy consumption, we believe
that the new Jungheinrich EJE 112i truck
could play a significant role in helping to
reduce CO2 emissions across our materials
handling fleet.”
Tesco currently operates a large fleet of
Jungheinrich powered pallet trucks in the
UK and an extensive fleet of Jungheinrich
materials handling equipment throughout its
global distribution operation.