EnerSys has delivered its 15,000th Express fast charge port, a milestone that demonstrates the shift in power preferences among material handling fleets throughout North America. The Express fast charge system was launched by EnerSys in 2005. It allows operators to run a forklift for multiple shifts, simply and quickly recharging the battery while on break. Express was the first fast charge brand to include batteries specifically engineered for fast charging, as well as data management devices. Working together, these technologies allow companies to use electric forklifts in applications formerly served by liquid propane, battery changing or fuel cells.
“Ten years ago, fast charging was a new technology. Today, it’s the preferred choice of manufacturers, distributors and warehouses that run multi-shift, high demand operations,” says Bill Moriarty, vice president, sales and service, EnerSys. “When we look at industry trends, electric power is leading the way in forklift power systems. And, EnerSys is the technology leader is this revolutionary change in propulsion power.”
The 15,000th Expressfast charge port was delivered to Magna International, a global automotive supplier. It was installed in its powertrain manufacturing facility in Sterling Heights, Mich.
“Magna decided to use fast charging after we performed a precise analysis of their workflow and operational requirements,” says Todd Eveland, sales engineer, EnerSys. “We modeled their operation in our ZBC Designer software. It showed that they could run their operation without changing batteries and at lower costs than with their existing liquid propane forklifts.”
The fast-charge installation is part of the EnerSys Convert to Electric (C2E) program. C2E is the first program dedicated to help companies using internal combustion forklifts switch to electric fleets. Express is the first brand to offer both fast charge batteries and chargers.
“For ten years, Express fast charge technology has allowed our customers to improve productivity and meet sustainability initiatives,” says Moriarty. “By making it easy for operators to pull up, plug in and charge during regularly scheduled breaks, the Express brand continues to help companies make the change from Liquid Propane (LP) to electric powered forklifts.”
