Volvo’s marine unit, Volvo Penta, and Italian heavy equipment manufacturer FTMH (Fantuzzi Team Material Handling) will collaborate to develop a range of electric forklifts.

The partnership will develop a range of e-forklifts up to 52 T. The first model to be electrified will be the 26 T capacity FTF 26-12, which currently relies on a Volvo Penta D8 engine.

Volvo Penta product manager Zeyd Okutan says: “Port operations and logistic terminals are a good fit for electrification and we see great opportunities for fleets with zero-emission vehicles, including forklifts, empty container handlers, reachstackers and terminal tractors. Good infrastructure and well-defined duty cycles will ease the transformation of the industry, bringing benefits including reduced noise, increased uptime and productivity.” 

Over the last 10 years, FTMH has integrated Volvo Penta D11 diesel engines into its range of 45 T container-handling reachstackers, as well as a broader range of Volvo Penta units across its 15-52 T capacity general forklift series.

FTMH technical manager Eugenio Ponzini says: “The positive and active collaboration we experienced with Volvo Penta during the development of our internal combustion machines facilitated our decision to invest and partner on this new project.

“Our exclusive Volvo Penta dealer in Italy, CARMI, is a key partner in the project, supporting the development of what we all hope will be the first of a wide range of electric materials handling machinery to be manufactured in Brescello,” Ponzini adds.