Toyota Approves Use Of Lithium Ion Batteries

A lithium ion battery.
(Courtesy: KUBT at flickr.com)

Toyota Material Handling USA has announced it has approved the use of a new line of lithium-ion batteries for use in Toyota three and four-wheel electric sit down forklifts. The company claims to be the first manufacturer in the industry to obtain UL-E and UL-EE certification for the combination of forklift and lithium ion batteries on their lifts.

Navitas manufactured the batteries. Toyota engineers worked directly with Underwriter Laboratory to test and certify the use of the batteries in Toyota forklifts.

UL is a world leader in product safety testing and certification.

Some benefits to lithium ion batteries over lead acid batteries include lower maintenance costs, longer run times, increased performance, faster and more efficient charging, and less downtime.

Toyota’s latest lithium ion battery offering is part of the company’s aggressive development plan to offer a wide variety of alternative energy solutions to its customers.

(Source: Forkliftaction.com)