The EJE 112i lithium-ion powered pallet truck has been nominated for the German Ecodesign 2013 award.

Jungheinrich has been nominated for an exclusive award for its EJE 112i pallet truck, which it claims is the first commercially available lithium-ion powered forklift.

Parliamentary state secretary Ursula Heinen-Esser and Federal Office of the Environment president Jochen Flasbarth presented the certificate of nomination for the German Ecodesign 2013 award to representatives of the Hamburg-based firm. This is the only environmental design award issued by the German federal government.

This year's jury nominated 31 products, services and concepts, which "are persuasive both in terms of their design and their environmental concept", with Jungheinrich the only nominee from the intralogistics sector.

The forklift, which was officially unveiled in May 2011 at CeMAT, has already been successfully put into operation by clients in several countries (Forkliftaction.com News #525).??

The nominated vehicle consists of an electric pedestrian pallet truck outfitted with a separate battery in the shape of a briefcase. According to Jungheinrich, the small lithium-ion battery made by the German forklift manufacturer provides for a 30% increase in energy efficiency "with longer battery life for ecologically sustainable, day-to-day vehicle operations".

This EJE 112i is designed not only for operations in confined spaces, but also in weight-sensitive areas such as on the tail lifts of lorries.