Month: October 2026

Regenerative braking returns current to the battery, and a full pack can accept little or no extra charge. The BMS sets a charge current limit, which falls as the pack fills or gets cold. The truck controller should read that limit, ideally over CAN, and reduce regeneration, with the service brakes

Choose voltage from the power the truck needs. For the same power, a higher voltage means lower current, which allows thinner cables, smaller contactors and less heat. In general, 24V suits pallet trucks and small warehouse trucks, 36V and 48V suit reach trucks and light to medium counterbalance tru

A lithium forklift pack is normally an industrial battery under Regulation (EU) 2023/1542, which applies in stages. Importers should plan for new labelling requirements, a QR code, a digital battery passport for industrial batteries above 2 kWh from February 2027, producer responsibility for collect

4G telemetry is worth it when carts are spread over a wide area, when staff cannot easily check each cart, or when battery problems cause lost rentals. It can show charge level, charging events, alarms and location, so staff charge or recover carts before they fail. For a small fleet parked in one p

Check the bay, not just the pack’s outside size. Measure the usable length, width and height with any bars or brackets in place, note where the main cables come in, and compare terminal positions, tie-down points, charge port and display location with the pack drawing. Then fit one pack in one cart

When lithium packs are opportunity-charged in the truck, the changeover itself usually disappears: the time spent driving to the battery room and swapping, the spare battery for each truck, the changing equipment, and the watering routine. Floor space used for spare batteries and changing can often

The truck controller and the BMS both protect against low voltage, but they should act in a planned order. The controller should warn first, then reduce lift and drive power, while the BMS cut-off stays as the final safety step. Set the controller thresholds from the lithium pack’s voltage curve, id

On a counterbalance truck the battery is part of the counterweight, so the replacement pack must stay within the battery weight range on the truck’s data plate. If the lithium pack is lighter than the minimum, it normally needs built-in ballast so the total weight, and ideally its centre of gravity,

Match the charger to the exact pack, not to the label ’48V’. Two packs sold as 48V can have different nominal and maximum charge voltages: Redway lists 51.2V packs with a 58.4V maximum charge, and a 48V 150Ah pack with a 54.75V maximum. Check the charge voltage, a current within the pack’s limit, th

Measure the duty before choosing the pack: route length per trip and trips per day, the steepest and longest hill, passenger and luggage load, how often the vehicle stops and starts, the time available to charge, and the temperature range. Convert this to energy per day and peak current on the hills

Sign a non-disclosure agreement before sharing drawings, and agree the points that matter in practice: what counts as confidential, who may see it, how long the duty lasts, what the factory may not do with the information (copy, sell to others, reverse-engineer), and what happens to files and sample

Use a short, fixed routine at shift start: look at the case for damage, check connectors and cables, read the display or indicator, confirm the pack is secure in the truck, and look for wet or dirty areas. Record any problem and take the truck out of use if the pack is damaged, hot, swollen or smell