Widespread acceptance of the causes of Climate Change has led governments and individuals around the world to change the way they behave in relation to carbon and particulate emissions.
Changing consumer sentiment and the stricter regulations brought on by government legislation are driving users of Mobile Elevating Work Platforms (MEWPs) to choose cleaner, more efficient products.
This has led to a shift from the use of MEWPs with internal combustion (IC) engines as their sole power-source towards plug-in hybrids and more recently all-electric MEWPs.
This trend is accelerating within the MEWP sector and plug-in hybrids are no longer seen as a long-term solution, but rather a short-term ‘stepping stone’ with all-electric MEWPs fast-becoming the preferred choice for rental companies and end-users alike.
Driving Technology Forward
Milton Keynes-based MEWP manufacturer Niftylift has always offered battery-powered versions of its product range, but where IC engines are required e.g. Niftylift’s Bi-Energy or Gen2 Hybrid power systems, hydraulic wheel-motors are used to propel them. In terms of battery performance, hydraulic wheel-motors are less efficient than electric wheel motors. This coupled with the limitations Lead Acid battery technology meant that, in the past, battery-only powered machines weren’t viewed with the same confidence to work for extended periods that Diesel, or combined-powered machines were.
New battery technologies, such as Absorbent Gas Mat (AGM), and more recently Lithium-Ion and Lead Crystal have increased battery capacities and reduced charge times, making them a more effective power source for Niftylift MEWPs. These improvements have increased the viability of battery-only power as an alternative to IC-only and hybrid power options which has, in turn, led to opportunities for using all-electric drive to further increase their performance.
This is exactly what Niftylift has done and through a rigorous design and testing process has developed its range of ‘All-Electric’ self-propelled MEWPs with super-efficient power systems that offer significantly improved battery performance over extended periods.
An All-Electric MEWP Revolution
Niftylift’s All-Electric MEWPs are compact, manoeuvrable and low in overall weight. They deliver market-leading reach performance as well as a host of useful innovations. These include:
Niftylift’s multi-award-winning SiOPS®, which instantly stops all machine functions if the operator is pushed onto the cage controls by an obstacle, preventing serious injury;
On-board diagnostics, giving owners and operators more information than ever before to help identify faults and assist with maintenance activities;
Niftylink®, Niftylift’s advanced telematics solution, providing data insights on machine health, activity and location in real-time, allowing the remote diagnosis of machine issues and offering resolutions to increase machine uptime.
Maintenance-Free Batteries with Full Monitoring and Protection
Niftylift’s ‘All-Electric’ MEWPs include AGM maintenance-free batteries as standard (or Lithium-Ion batteries as a customer option) and a full battery monitoring and protection system that monitors battery voltage, DC current in and out, and battery temperature. The system stops batteries from being discharged to less than 20% of full charge, preventing battery damage that can be caused by excessive deep battery discharge - with no performance loss.
Extended Battery Performance
Utilising this advanced battery power system with an efficient all-electric drive allows the batteries to work for considerably longer on a single charge. Niftylift measures machine operation in ‘Standard Duty Cycles’ (expressed as an ‘SDC Rating’*) and the industry standard for a typical day’s work is equivalent to 16 repetitions of our Standard Duty Cycle - or an SDC rating of 16.
Niftylift’s All-Electric MEWPs have SDC ratings of 32 or above (some much higher), meaning they can comfortably perform two working days on a single charge with some able to perform well over four!
Niftylift All-Electric MEWPs offer some significant advantages over IC-powered alternatives and the recent advances in battery technology, which continue to this day, coupled with the efficiency benefits of all-electric drive are finally dispelling the concerns that ‘battery power doesn’t have the longevity to get the work done’ when compared to IC power.
Niftylift All-Electric MEWPs have fewer components, simpler maintenance schedules and far lower energy costs. These mean reduced lifetime ownership costs and lower running costs as well as the potential for their increased utilisation due to their ability to work in more locations, even emissions-restricted areas such as London’s Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ).
Add to these the groundswell of social pressure to reduce carbon and particulate emissions and the growing number of businesses committing carbon-neutral targets and it can be seen that the IC engine’s days are numbered but with Niftylift, at least, the future is Green.
