A Yale Veracitor forklift

Yale Materials Handling Corporation (YMHC) says engines in its Veracitor VX forklift line meet the lower 2007 limits on emissions and are considered among the materials handling industry's cleanest available.

Using methods and processes defined by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the California Air Resources Board (CARB), each engine or fuel system manufacturer of record conducted certification tests.

Yale and its suppliers made changes to power trains in response to new 2007 emissions requirements. Compatible forklifts became available in early 2007.

"Yale's [2005] introduction of the Veracitor VX lift truck product line transformed and enriched the materials handling segment of our customers' businesses," Don Chance, YMHC president, said in a statement. "Now the Yale Veracitor series has cleaner engines, too. They perform better than the competition in total carbon monoxide emissions."

Exhaust emissions are defined and measured by the amount of hydrocarbons (HC), oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and carbon monoxide (CO) a truck emits. In 2007, EPA and CARB further reduced allowable emissions levels of those gases. Regulations require that engines meet the emissions levels with proper maintenance.

The Yale Veracitor GM 2.4L engine has 0.3 grams per kilowatt-hour (g/kW-hr) emission level of HC+NOx and a 2.2 g/kW-hr level of CO. It meets the emissions standards set for 2010.

The Veracitor Mazda 2.0L and 2.2L engines are certified at levels better than the 2007 emissions standard for HC+NOx and CO and, in the lift truck marketplace, rank behind the GM engine in lower CO emissions as ranked by CARB.

Each Mazda engine is rated to emit 0.5 g/kW-hr of HC+NOx and 3.4 g/kW-hr of CO. The 2007 CARB/EPA exhaust standard is 1.3 g/kW-hr of HC+NOx and 11.1 g/kW-hr of CO.

Engines manufactured before 2007 meet standards that were in place at the time of manufacture and do not need changes to comply with emissions standards, YMHC said.

At ProMat 2005, after five years of engineering and development, YMHC introduced the Veracitor VX product line with GM and Mazda engine options. The VX line is available with 4,000 pound (1800 kg) to 15,500 pound (6,975 kg) capacities.

YMHC, of Greenville, is a unit of Nacco Materials Handling Group Inc.