Crown Equipment Corporation announced Ernst Baumgartner, project manager, participated as a panelist at The Battery Show 2015 in Novi, Michigan. 

The panel session, “Optimizing Hybrid-Electric Vehicle Technology for Off-Road Vehicles” is part of the show’s Electric & Hybrid Vehicle Technology Expo. Its focus was on the aspects of electrification technologies that are most important for off-road vehicle engineers to consider. Dave Lamb, global applications engineering manager for Sevcon, and Steve Huard, Ph.D., staff engineer and engineering fellow at Parker Hannifin Corp., joined Baumgartner on the panel.

“With fuel cell and lithium-ion technology, and advances in the management of lead-acid batteries, fleet managers today have more viable power source options for their industrial vehicles,” said Baumgartner. “Customers are looking for suppliers who will help them understand their energy options and the trade-offs that exist between different solutions so they can, ultimately, choose the option that is the best fit for their forklift fleet, facility and application.”

During the session, Baumgartner discussed why fuel cells and lithium-ion batteries are gaining attention as alternative energy solutions for powering forklifts and highlighted some important considerations for those looking to pilot these alternative energy solutions. He shared the company’s recent advances in battery monitoring technology that provide greater visibility into battery charging and discharging profiles, battery state of health, and opportunities for improving battery operations.

Many of Crown’s forklifts can be modified to work with fuel cell and lithium-ion technologies currently available. The company is participating in lithium-ion pilot programs and continues to maintain an alternative energy qualification program that to-date has qualified more than 30 of its forklift models for use with hydrogen fuel cells. Crown’s exploration of alternative energy sources is part of a broader corporate ecologic^™ program focused on smart business and environmental sustainability.