Nissan Forklift is currently
progressively working on its first Li-ION powered forklift concept model
which was presented for the first time at the CeMAT
2008.
The
electric-powered forklift employs advanced Li-ION battery technology developed
by Automotive Energy Supply Corporation (AESC), a joint-venture between Nissan
Motor Co. and NEC Corporation and NEC TOKIN Corporation. This technology was presented at the
Frankfurt Motor Show in the Nissan concept car "Mixim". The technology is also
featured in the PIVO 2 concept car.
The Nissan GT 2012
mid-term business plan reflects the company's determination to play a major role
in the development of a sustainable mobile society. Under the plan, Nissan has
committed to introduce a pure electric vehicle in the U.S. and Japan in 2010 and
then to mass-market electric vehicles to consumers globally in 2012.
Breakthrough
technology
The development of Li-ION technology started in 1992 and
the development of laminated Li-ION battery technology started in 2000 in
collaboration with NEC which lead to:
·
Battery pack
and module structures using compact laminated cells developed by Nissan from its
long experience in vehicle application.
·
The
use of manganese with special additive for postive electrodes in order to
achieve a longer life and higher power. This technology is a NEC
development.
·
Technology
of packing battery cells. Optimum cooling performance has been achieved by using
the better characteristics of a laminated structure as much as
possible.
Major
Li-ION characteristics
Compared
to conventional lead-acid batteries, Li-ION power offers a number of beneficial
characteristics for the environmental as well as operational advantages -
superior
performance, reliability, safety, versatility and cost
competitiveness.
Environmental
advantages
·
Zero
emission and no harmful materials used in the battery.
·
Li-ION
technology does not use restricted pollutants such as cadmium, lead, mercury or
sulfuric acid. As there are no gas emissions during charging, there is no need
for dedicated charging bays.
·
Less
energy consumption (less CO2).
Operational
advantages (Comparison with conventional lead-acid type
battery)
·
Quick
Charge
Charging
a Li-ION battery is quicker and allows for longer operational hours. It makes
operations more flexible and reduces the need for additional batteries.
·
Maintenance
Free
Maintenance
is virtually zero as there is no need for refilling of the battery cells with
water as normally required for lead-acid batteries.
·
High
Power
Li-ION
batteries offer significant more power and energy, resulting in better
performance and higher uptimes.
·
Long
Life
After
some time the polar plates of a conventional lead-acid battery become sulphated.
It causes high resistance and extreme difficulty to recharge again. The almost
perfect reversible reaction process between electrons and Li-ion does not cause
this type of 'waste'. It results in a longer battery life which reduces
replacement investments considerably.
·
Compact
Size of Li-ION batteries can be reduced dramatically against conventional
lead-acid batteries of the same capacity, allowing for flexible design and arrangement
in the forklift.
·
Excellent (Dis)charge
Performance
During
charging and discharging there is less energy loss and less energy is needed to
fully charge the Li-ION battery. Extended working time also results from larger
recovering energy from regenerative braking.
Time
to market
As the laminated Li-ION technology is still in the research
and development phase, an exact introduction date is not clear yet.The
AESC joint-venture, will invest 12.0 billion yen (US $114.6 million) over a
three-year period in a manufacturing facility to be located at Nissan's Zama
facility in
Kanagawa
Prefecture
and operational in this
year.
