Hinowa launches first Lithium-Ion battery powered aerial platform

Hinowa has launched the first ever lithium-ion battery powered aerial lift. The tracked Goldlift 14.70 was introduced on the first day of the SAIE exhibition in Bologna, Italy.

The patented lift, which carried a price premium of 15-20%, uses a 15 cell battery developed with Italian battery company FAMM and will offer enormous benefits over both traditional lead acid batteries and diesel powered units.

Hinowa's marketing manager Davide Fracca said the 48 V/2 kW Li-Ion battery pack will provide four hours of continuous working - more than enough for a normal day's work. The battery weighs a third of the weight of traditional batteries; will last for 8000 hours, which is three times longer than lead acid alternatives; and take just two hours to reach an 80% charge (four hours for a full charge). They also do not suffer from the ‘memory effect', with no damage caused by partial charging.

Mr Fracca said the cost of a daily electric charge will be around €0.7 compared to the €8-10 daily cost of diesel for a normal Spider unit. An on-board charger allows the batteries to be recharged while the lift is working.

The low weight of the battery means that the lift will weigh only 20 kg more than the standard diesel version.

Mr Fracca said they chose the 14.0 m working height Goldlift 14.70 as the first Li-Ion model because it is the best selling Hinowa platform, and that other models in the range will eventually also use the same technology. The 19 m and 23 m models will be fitted with the system next Spring.