Manitou has partnered with European rental equipment company Kiloutou to swap the engine in a number of telehandlers for an electrification kit.
Aimed at testing the technical and economic feasibility of electrifying telehandlers initially designed and marketed with diesel engines, the first phase of the one-year project will see an electric kit (includes a lithium-ion battery) added to a high-lift machine at Manitou’s production plant in Ancenis.
It will then be tested in real-life conditions at Kiloutou’s test centre near Lille, after which the telehandler manufacturer says it will be in a position to offer electrification kits for refurbished machines using new or pre-owned parts.
This distribution will be carried out for a period of 12 months from the beginning of 2024. Most of the retrofitting work will involve machines that have been in the rental fleet for about five years, and the revamped handlers will initially only be available from Kiloutou branches in France.
“The goal is to extend our products’ useful life and at the same time shrink our carbon footprint,” comments Michel Denis, president & CEO of Manitou Group.
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