Battery to Debut Anniversary Monday

While the major Asian, European and US car manufacturers have concentrated their research and development on small cars, a group of Manawatu based engineers has been concentrating on the heavy transport industry - the buses, courier vans, recycling trucks, mobile libraries and iconic tourist vehicles - that are seen as the backbone of urban freight and transport.

“Seven years ago we were told the battery technology was twenty years away,” says Hugo Monteith, Managing Director of Autokraft, and a founding Director of Zero Emission Vehicles, the company co-ordinating the research and development of the project.

“The reality is, we have the battery now. We took what was already available, and put it together here. We’ve done it, tested it, and it works. Really well.”

Manufactured locally, the ZevANO heavy transport battery is to make its public debut at ZeroNOW Day this Anniversary Day Monday at Te Manawa in Palmerston North.

As part of the debut demonstration, a Hyster supplied by Gough Material Handling has been converted from lead-acid battery to the new lithium ion nano-titanate cell battery. The battery will be run down to a total standstill. It will then be re-charged, over the time of an operator’s 20 minute tea-break, and the fork hoist put back into operation. A similar demonstration using current lead-acid battery technology would require a 5 to 8 hour charge time.

The ZeroNOW Day exhibition is at Te Manawa on Anniversary Day, Monday 25 January 2010, at Te Manawa on Main Street in Palmerston North.