"When we unveiled our first prototype models at LogiMAT two years ago and then followed up with more trucks at CeMAT last year the industry took notice but in the period since then no-one has come forward who is able to match our leading battery technology and lowest costs of operation. Now we are 100% market ready in Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium with a strong and experienced sales and service network in place and have other countries due for development later this year," says Javier Contijoch, BYD Europe's Forklifts Director.
"We have a total solution for the materials handling industry that offers ground breaking costs of operation, batteries for life, strong environmental performance and a comprehensive range which is still in its earliest stage – we plan to offer no less than 40 models before long, all built at our state of the art 1 million sq m dedicated production plant", said Mr Contijoch.
The new range of forklift trucks available from BYD Europe is being unveiled on the company's LogiMAT stand(Hall 6, Stand C41).
Based on BYD's unique battery for life' concept with the BYD Iron-Phosphate Battery, the new forklift range includes three- and four-wheel counterbalance trucks and a heavy-duty powered pallet truck, and will save users a very significant percentage of their total forklift operating costs.
Available from next month in Germany, Belgium and The Netherlands and due to be rolled out in several other EU states later this year, the four-wheel counterbalance trucks – the ECB20, ECB25 and ECB35 – come with 2,000, 2,500 and 3,500kg lift capacities respectively. All are available with either simplex, or duplex and triplex masts with full free lift, for work at heights of up to 6,000mm.
A new three-wheel counterbalance truck – the ECB16 – is also going on sale from March with a 1,600kg lift capacity and the same mast options, aimed at applications where manoeuvrability is a priority. The PTP20H, meanwhile, is a 2,000kg capacity powered pallet truck with a flip-down operator platform that allows for both pedestrian and ride-on operation.
All of these trucks are powered by BYD's astonishing „battery for life?, an Iron-phosphate battery cell which requires just a fraction of the time taken by traditional lead-acid batteries to charge fully, uses much less energy during the charging and discharging process, can be set to charge within seconds via a highly convenient socket on the side of the truck without any need for risky battery removal, and it last for so long that you can forget about expensive battery replacements.
