Lithium-ion powered forklifts

Big Joe Forklifts has made two new lithium forklifts available – the LXE50 Spartan and the LVE35 Sprint.

The new Spartan is a 5,000 lb-capacity cushion-tired model with the same design attributes as an internal combustion truck of the same capacity. The idea is that operations currently using LP or diesel trucks will now have an electric option that can keep up with their duty cycle requirements and fit right into existing applications without sacrificing operator comfort or requiring infrastructure like eye wash stations.  

Similarly, the new Sprint 3,500 lb-capacity three-wheel forklift does not need an external charger. The Sprint comes standard with a single phase 120vac onboard charger that can be upgraded to 240vac. This will make deployments at customer sites far simpler and less expensive than typical electric forklifts.

The Sprint and Spartan use 80v AC drive systems powered by a 230AH or 460AH UL-recognized lithium battery, respectively, that are manufactured in-house. By vertically integrating lithium battery manufacturing, Big Joe trucks benefit from numerous design and power management advantages that allow its trucks to run longer and at a lower cost than competitive electric machines.

With optional three-phase chargers, the Spartan and Sprint can be opportunity charged at a rate of up to 12 percent every 15 minutes. 

“We designed the new Spartan and Sprint to be lithium forklifts from the ground up to help companies transition and take full advantage of the promise of lithium technology,” said Big Joe’s chief marketing officer, Bill Pedriana.

“Running internal combustion forklifts and paying high fuel and maintenance costs just makes very little sense with options like this now on the market. These new machines are less expensive to operate, they can charge fast enough to keep up with just about any use case, and you lose virtually nothing in comfort or performance. Not to mention the fact that you no longer have to breathe in fumes all day.”

The new forklifts include a full light and turn signal package, dual drive motors for tight turning, ergonomic seating and controls and Bluetooth service connectivity through a digital display on the Spartan.

Available options include non-marking tires, blue light, a variety of fork and mast sizes and 4^th function hydraulics to support special attachments.