Manitou Claims First Telehandler Retrofitted from Diesel to Electric
No matter how badly a fleet may want to electrify, harsh economic realities and the greater up-front costs typically associated with battery electric remain high hurdles to overcome — but a new retrofit option from French equipment manufacturer Manitou could help lower those barriers.
The retrofit solution showcased in the MT 1440 telehandler shown here was co-developed by Manitou Group and the electric engineers at Kinell for equipment rental group Kilotou as a cost-effective, energy-efficient way to decarbonize their customers’ construction and logistics operations. Crucially, this isn’t just a solution for late-model offerings — this MT 1440 telehandler is already seven years old!
“At a time when electric is set to become the norm and gradually replace fossil fuels, we see retrofitting as an alternative to mass replacement,” explains François Renault, Kiloutou director of equipment and sustainable development. “It is perfectly aligned with a comprehensive fleet upgrade program, without the need to buy everything back.”
Kinell’s modular retrofit replaces the 2018-spec diesel engine with a high-capacity battery sending power to a 55 kW (approx. 75 hp) electric motor. And, while battery specs aren’t shared, Kilotou says they expect a single charge to last a fully day in, “over 80% of daily usage cycles.”
Manitou MT 1440 electric
Though it’s just a prototype for now, Manitou believes a retrofit solution like the one shown here could significantly reduce a job site’s carbon emissions — with all the safety and performance criteria equivalent to the internal combustion version. Once they get there, Manitou plans to offer the electrification kit, which would enable its customers to electrify without having to buy all new equipment assets.
“The goal (is to) provide an efficient solution for urban worksites, where reducing noise and emissions is critical, by converting diesel-powered telehandlers into electric models,” reads the official copy at Kinell. “The challenge was to develop a technically robust, economically viable, and scalable solution for converting diesel-powered telehandlers.”
Equipment World reports that the Kinell retrofits will be carried out on a number of equipment assets in the Kiloutou rental — each at least five years old. The repowered units will eventually be available for rent at Kiloutou’s branches in France, with retrofit packages eventually being rolled out to the larger market as the kinks are worked out.
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