Capital Equipment News August 2020

BATTERIES

The battery packs can be adapted to fit any forklift.

Lithium-ion battery solution for the forklift market

Chemical and solar energy company CHASE Technologies aims to convert 50% of the current electric forklift market from lead-acid to lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) batteries within five years. Capital Equipment News takes a closer look. By Mark Botha

T he company’s research and development on an affordable lithium-ion battery solution for the forklift market started in 2017 and came to fruition by mid-2018, when the first of these batteries were delivered to market. According to CHASE Technologies GM Brent Frazer, the technology has been well received and is in high demand. “To date, we have delivered around 180 units into the market,” he says. “Since our first successful implementation, we have been tweaking the technology to achieve the optimum configuration that suits the forklift segment and traction market in general.” The company has an exclusive distribution agreement with a global, high-volume producer of heavy-duty LiFePO4 batteries ranging from 25,6 V/135 Ah units to 80 V/ 700 Ah units. Based at Johannesburg’s Alrode South, Chemical and Solar Energy (CHASE) Technologies, says Frazer, also has footprints in Cape Town and Durban. The company is primarily supported by a network of distributors and dealers but employs its own technical support team of six people. “Our core business has historically focused on forklifts,” he

says, “but the success we had in that field has allowed us to branch into other traction battery markets, including cleaning equipment and golf carts.” No alterations to equipment He says the conversion to LiFePO4 batteries requires no changes to the forklift as the battery is “purely an energy source”. “LiFePO4 batteries simply deliver electrical power to the machine, just as lead-acid (PbAc) batteries do. It’s a bit like using leaded versus unleaded petrol – you are just using a more refined fuel source.” Frazer says the only modification to the forklift itself is the installation of an external battery display. In terms of applications for LiFePO4 battery technology, he says the company is currently only focused on non-automotive traction applications. “The chemistry we use is not viable for electric vehicles. The medium-term roll-out plan includes energy storage for cellular towers and industrial and commercial applications, but the current focus is purely on traction energy.”

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