Forklift manufacturer Hyster Company has developed a power switching system that allows users to easily change battery type without any external accessories, software downloads or integrations. 

Hyster’s Power Cellect will be available as an option on 27 of its electric forklift models. 

“Power Cellect avoids locking operations into a single power option for the life of their equipment and eliminates the complications and compromises of third-party setups,” says James Nielson, Hyster senior business product manager for motive power and electrification. 

Nielson says the system is particularly useful for fleets transitioning to low maintenance battery solutions over time as well as for equipment that will be used for different applications with varied battery availability over the course of its life.

Hyster previously offered a lithium-ion ready option on electric forklifts, which enabled a smooth switch between lead acid and lithium-ion batteries. 

Power Cellect expands on the compatibility of lithium-ion ready by adding thin plate pure lead (TPPL) batteries to the mix and uses an electronic controller area network (CANbus) for communication between a qualified battery and the truck. 

Once the battery is changed out, truck settings can be easily changed to switch power sources. 

Power Cellect also has a warning system that includes lift interrupt and traction performance cutback capabilities, while the truck’s battery discharge indicator (BDI) gives the state of charge across approved battery types. 

An internal battery protection function triggers a controlled shutdown when the battery reaches complete discharge, and operations can view additional battery data, such as battery state of health and lifetime discharge, when the Hyster Tracker telemetry system is added.