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BYD Unveils Zero-Emissions, Electric Forklift Series for Europe with Unique ‘Battery-for-Life’

May 21, 2014 in BYD, Electric Utility Vehicles, Electric Vehicles, EV charging, EV News

Advanced battery technology integrated in the newest series of electric forklifts from BYD slashes operating costs for forklift operators with a life-time battery.

BYD Forklift at CeMAT 2014 Photo courtesy of BYD

BYD Forklift at CeMAT 2014
Photo courtesy of BYD

Ask any forklift fleet manager what the biggest headache is with traditional electric forklift trucks and the answer is invariably the same the time, trouble and cost involved in constantly having to recharge them as well as the risk of damage to the battery due to improper maintenance, which leads to expensive battery replacement. But now a new concept in battery technology is completely redefining the performance users will come to expect from their electric materials handling equipment, removing many of these problems and substantially reducing the operating costs involved.

BYD’s Iron-Phosphate (or “Fe”) battery, being unveiled at CeMAT 2014 in a new series of forklift trucks at the BYD Europe booth (Hall 25, Stand C21), requires significantly less time to charge than traditional lead-acid batteries and offers dramatically extended battery life. For the first time ever, the truck battery needs never be replaced over the life of the forklift. Typical charging time for a BYD Iron-Phosphate battery is just one to two hours less than a quarter of the time required by lead-acid alternatives. Gone are the days when the only way to extend shift life was to have a second battery and some heavyweight battery changing equipment on hand, because the working hours of a BYD battery can be significantly extended at any time with a quick ‘top-off’ session just 10 minutes’ charging while the lift truck operator takes a coffee break, in fact, is all that is needed to extend working time up to 45 minutes. This quick full charging time and the ability to top up the charge in short bursts without damaging overall battery life makes the BYD Iron-Phosphate battery hugely flexible for end users.

But charging isn’t just extremely quick and flexible it’s also highly cost-effective, since the BYD Fe battery consumes around 40% less electricity during charging/discharging than a standard lead-acid one. That means much lower energy bills for users of the technology as well as making a serious contribution to reducing carbon emissions. Talking of emissions, charging the BYD Iron-Phosphate battery is also much cleaner than alternative battery technologies, venting no hydrogen gases normal seen when lead-acid batteries are charging (and restricted to vented areas). That allows users to position their charging stations right next to the drivers’ rest areas without problems, making it quick and easy for drivers to park and plug in reducing employee downtime walking from remote charging stations. It also helps to keep any risk of collision between pedestrians and other vehicles to a minimum. The Fe battery contributes to safety in other ways, too: unlike some lithium-ion batteries, BYD’s Iron-Phosphate batteries do not present risks, even when dropped, crushed or subjected to overcharging. They do not contain heavy metals or acid, either, and so cannot contaminate ground or water supplies as a lead-acid battery might, and they don’t heat up during charging the way that traditional lead-acid batteries do.

BYD’s revolutionary Fe battery technology also does completely away with the need for daily and weekly battery maintenance, saving on the time and labour otherwise involved in frequent battery inspections and top-ups and, of course, on the expensive distilled water normally required. The upshot of all this is a very dramatic savings in operating costs: BYD has calculated that the annual operating and battery amortization cost savings when using an Iron-Phosphate battery in a single-shift, five-day-aweek lift truck operation could exceed €1,500 a year. The astonishing lifespan of a BYD Iron-Phosphate battery creates a further layer of savings, because even after 4,000 charging cycles, these amazing power cells retain over 75% of their original capacity. That means that after 8 years of dual-shift operation five days a week, the remaining capacity in the battery will exceed 75%. The life span of the BYD battery is much longer than that of a typical (four to six year) lifespan of an ordinary lead-acid battery.

That means a single BYD Iron-Phosphate battery could replace up to four traditional lead acid ones over 8-10 years in operations where daily battery changes were required for the latter a savings in battery purchase costs over the period of over €10,000 for every lithium iron phosphate battery-equipped forklift in use. Littlewonder, perhaps, that Javier Contijoch, Forklifts Director at BYD Europe, saidhe was expecting a massive level of interest in the new technology, both atCeMAT 2014 and in coming months, “Companies running lift trucks will becompelled to take a closer look at this technology,” he predicted. “No fleet manager these days can afford to ignore the massive savings, in both purchase and operating costs, of the BYD ‘battery-for-life’ approach – or to pass up the opportunity of using such a clean, safe and sustainable source of power.”

“It’s obvious that Iron-Phosphate battery technology is a breakthrough in the forklift sector, and BYD, as the world’s biggest battery manufacturer, has now made future a modern-day reality with the new range of trucks being launched here today,” added Contijoch.

About BYD

BYD Company Ltd. is one of China’s largest companies and has successfully expanded globally. Specializing in battery technologies, their green mission to “solve the whole problem” has made them industry pioneers and leaders in several High-tech sectors including High-efficiency Automobiles, Electrified Public Transportation, Environmentally-Friendly Energy Storage, Affordable Solar Power and Information Technology and Original Design Manufacturing (ODM) services.

As the world’s largest manufacturer of rechargeable batteries, their mission to create safer and more environmentally friendly battery technologies has led to the development of the BYD Iron Phosphate (or “Fe”) Battery. This fire-safe, completely recyclable and incredibly long-cycle technology has become the core of their clean energy platform that has expanded into automobiles, buses, trucks, utility vehicles and energy storage facilities. BYD and all of their shareholders, including the great American Investor Warren Buffett, see these environmentally and economically forward products as the way of the future.

BYD has made a strong entrance to the North, Central and South American markets with their battery electric buses, and lineup of automobiles. Their mission lies not just in sales growth, but also in sociological integration and local job creation as they have poured incredible investments into developing offices, dealerships and manufacturing facilities in the local communities they now call home, truly a first for Chinese companies. For more information, please visit www.byd.com

This article is a repost, credit: BYD.

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Is it a bird? Or a plane? It’s a solar plane! Source: DOE

May 14, 2013 in Electric Plane, Environment, EV News, Greentech, Solar

Solar Impulse's HB-SIA prototype is starting the crossing of America. First leg is Moffett Airfield at the Ames Research Center of NASA to Phoenix Sky Harbour Airport. Solar Impulse will fly across America in stages from San Francisco to Washington D.C. and New York City. |  Photo courtesy of Solar Impulse (copyright Solar Impulse)

Solar Impulse’s HB-SIA prototype is starting the crossing of America. First leg is Moffett Airfield at the Ames Research Center of NASA to Phoenix Sky Harbour Airport. Solar Impulse will fly across America in stages from San Francisco to Washington D.C. and New York City. |
Photo courtesy of Solar Impulse (copyright Solar Impulse)

When the Wright brothers first took flight in 1903, their success captured the imagination of people around the world. This month, that excitement is being rejuvenated by the coast-to-coast flight of a solar aircraft. With the wingspan equal to that of a Boeing 747, the Solar Impulse is crossing the United States using roughly 12,000 solar photovoltaic (PV) cells made by Silicon Valley-based SunPower to power its four electric engines.

By pushing the boundaries of innovation, Solar Impulse is demonstrating solar’s potential to Americans from California to New York City. This ambitious aircraft incorporates advanced solar and battery technologies that enable it to fly both day and night. But you don’t have to look to the sky to find innovation like this. It’s here on terra firma as well.

The Energy Department’s SunShot Initiative is pushing the boundaries of solar science with a bold goal: making solar energy cost competitive with fossil fuel electricity by the end of the decade. For example, SunShot is supporting efforts at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to reduce the thickness of crystalline silicon cells by a factor of 20. These lighter PV cells-which are no thicker than a human hair-use fewer resources, therefore allowing for significant cost savings.

We are also excited about progress being made by our partners, such as General Atomics and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, who are working on new concentrating solar power (CSP) solutions. Because this technology harvests the sun’s heat rather than its light, CSP plants can drive chemical reactions that are able to capture, transport, and store solar energy. In fact, CSP has the potential to store energy at more than 20 times the energy density of current storage technologies. This may provide a pathway to a solar energy resource that could be distributed regionally and stored indefinitely before being converted to electricity.

Through efforts like these, the Energy Department continues to inspire progress toward its goal of making solar energy cost-competitive and helping grow a strong, thriving domestic solar industry. Solar technology is reaching new heights every day, even as solar costs are falling. In fact, over the past two years, the spot price of American-made multi-crystalline PV modules has decreased by 55 percent.

Some may still find it hard to believe that solar and other renewable technologies will one day be the most affordable energy resource available. However, looking at what the Wright brothers, the Solar Impulse team, and SunShot partners have been able to accomplish, it is clear that the sky is the limit.

This article is a repost, credit: US Department of Energy, Minh Le , Program Manager,  Solar Program, http://energy.gov/articles/it-bird-or-plane-its-solar-plane.