 Minit-Charger FC charging system |
Electric Transportation Engineering Corp of Phoenix has sold 48 of its Minit-Charger FC heavy-duty battery, fast-charging systems since launching the product in January.
"All are for forklift applications in the US and Canada," says Tom Quinn, director of business development. A system's average return on investment is 12-14 months at a new location for the technology.
Nine separate customers use the systems with forklifts in manufacturing, distribution and food processing, mostly in two- and three-shift operations, Quinn notes.
During 2007, parent firm ECOtality Inc acquired Electric Transportation Engineering and affiliated company The Clarity Group, known together as eTec, for USD5.4 million. Then, ECOtality, through eTec, purchased the Minit-Charger business of Edison International subsidiary Edison Enterprises for USD3 million.
eTec designs fast-charge systems for materials handling and airport ground support applications and tests and develops plug-in hybrids, advanced battery systems and hydrogen internal-combustion engine conversions. eTec supplied its first fast-charging system for forklift use in 1996 and added its first commercial installation in 1998 in a Mira Loma, California warehouse of Nestlé North America.
Minit-Charger products enable fast charging of forklift trucks using proprietary technologies.
Quinn says the eTec equipment evaluates four battery factors-temperature, voltage, data state of charge and internal resistance-every 1.5 seconds and determines what energy to put back into the battery. "We hook up to four battery cells and take data off all," he notes.
Recent generations of eTec equipment offer a 3-4% improvement in efficiency and a 75% smaller physical size than earlier eTec systems.
"The battery monitor is the big difference," he said. "Also, we measure the water level of the battery and communicate that to the charger."
The FC charger provides up to 320 amps of output. Another model, the SC charger in the market since August, can provide up to 250 amps of output. Both are high-frequency single-connector chargers that product safety tester Underwriters Laboratories Inc has certified.
Quinn says eTec has marketing links with 28 representative organizations.
ECOtality trades as an over-the-counter bulletin board stock. Scottsdale, Arizona-based ECOtality reported a loss of USD7.9 million on 2008 sales of USD11.2 million.