•Electromobility: Draw on experience in truck technology
•"Acceleration, power, versatility and precision do not rule out environmental friendliness"

Hanover/Aschaffenburg, 5 April 2012 — Linde Material Handling will not just have electric trucks from its own range on show at the MobiliTec trade fair. The buzz words chosen by Linde MH for this event are acceleration, power, versatility/precision and environmental friendliness, and it is with these in mind that the European market leader for electric forklift trucks is presenting four impressive examples of its expertise in electromobility. Visitors can see this expertise in action on the first day of the trade fair during a demonstration being held at the MobiliTec open-air site. Linde Material Handling also has its own stand in exhibition hall 25 (stand L11 near the "MobiliTec" forum).

The Linde E1 kart is all about speed. At 3.45 seconds, it holds the world record for time taken for an electric vehicle to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h. This record-breaking technology is made up of an electric lift motor, controller and converter from the Linde E20-E50 electric forklift truck.

Meanwhile, the focus for the Rotrac E2 road-rail truck, which was developed in collaboration with Zwiehoff GmbH, Rosenheim, is power. This small power house, with an electric drive that is essentially made up of two electric truck axes, a controller, converter and additional electric truck components, can move freight trains weighing up to 250 tonnes into loading stations or repair workshops without producing any emissions whatsoever.

The latest generation of Linde electric forklift trucks boasts both versatility and precision, has a 2–5-tonne load capacity and is available in 19 different versions. The fourth example—the Karabag New 500 E—demonstrates just how extensive Linde Material Handling's expertise in electromobility is. Like its "siblings", the electric kart and the Rotrac E2, the powertrain of this environmentally friendly electric Fiat 500 is also made up of components from the donor electric forklift truck. Ergo — Linde electrical engineering is so good that it can even be used in cars!
Manufacturers of mobile work machinery and road vehicles know that it is important to take advantage of the experience gained from producing a total of 3.5 million forklift trucks and electric tow tractors to develop efficient, high-performance electric vehicles.

40 years of experience in electromobility
The subject of electromobility is new to the automotive industry — but not to the truck manufacturer. Linde Material Handling has been an expert in the field of electromobility for over forty years and has manufactured more than 3.5 million electric drives for mobile work machinery during this time. Even with the tough conditions that the trucks endure during use, the performance, efficiency and service life are so impressive that electric forklift trucks are slowly but surely making inroads into areas that, a few years ago, were still dominated by diesel and gas trucks.

Wide field of application
Two years ago, Linde also opened up its electrical engineering product range to external customers with the "Electronic Systems & Drives" (ES&D) division. The company has been able to tap into new fields of application in this comparatively short space of time, ranging from electric rail trolleys and airport ramp equipment to electric trucks for use on the road. Maik Manthey, Head of the ES&D division says "We can offer our customers the benefit of experience. After all, we have millions of tried-and-tested drives suitable for mobile applications in our portfolio. And we offer the complete package — be it electric, hydraulic or a combined system."  

Top spot in registration statistics with Linde electric motors
The fact that the drive systems developed by Linde for forklift trucks are 100% compatible with other fields of application for electromobility is well demonstrated by the electric vehicle, which came out top in the 2011 registration statistics in Germany: The Karabag New 500 E, based on a Fiat 500, is fitted with electric motors and performance electronics from a Linde forklift truck. Only the software has been adjusted to meet the different requirements for use on the road.

Tried-and-tested serial equipment for electric vehicles
It has a range of 100 km and, thanks to a very favourable leasing rate, the Karabag New 500 E proves that electromobility does not have to be expensive: As part of the funded project, "Electromobility in Hamburg's commercial transport", the Karabag New 500 E is available for a leasing rate of EUR 299. The total monthly costs are EUR 51.60 lower than those of a Fiat 500 series vehicle with a petrol engine. The electric vehicle also pays off with regard to costs when you can rely on the tried-and-tested serial equipment.

Everyone knows the figures: The German government aims to have one million electric vehicles (including hybrids) on the road by 2020. In addition, a study conducted by Roland Berger shows that by 2025, the proportion of completely or partially electric vehicles will have risen and will account for up to 50% of new registrations. Thanks to the company's expertise and tried-and-tested products, Linde Material Handling can make a significant contribution when it comes to achieving the government's target. "Our examples are definitive proof that acceleration, power, versatility and precision do not rule out environmental friendliness", explains Maik Manthey.

Linde Material Handling GmbH is based in Aschaffenburg and is one of the world's leading manufacturers of trucks and warehouse vehicles. It is also one of the most important producers of hydrostatic and electric drives, which are used in its own trucks as well as in mobile work machinery and road vehicles. Linde Material Handling GmbH is part of the KION Group, Wiesbaden, which is the European market leader for industrial trucks and the second largest manufacturer in the world. The company has around 13,800 employees and generated annual sales of EUR 2856 billion in 2011.