STILL is presenting its well known electric forklift and warehouse trucks with Saft's state-of-the-art lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries at CeMAT 2011, the intralogistics trade fair taking place at the Hannover Messe (Germany). STILL (www.still.de) aims for its electric forklift trucks to be number one in the market. By specifying Saft Li-ion batteries on its vehicles, rather than lead-acid batteries, STILL is using the greater storage capacity to offer more power or increased operating hours. The autonomy between charges and longer service life will lead to an optimized total cost of ownership (TCO) approach.

"STILL designs its forklift trucks to be highly reliable, tough and very economical. So it needs the onboard batteries to match this reputation," says Xavier Delacroix, General Manager of Saft's IBG division. "STILL's decision to equip its new generation vehicles with our Li-ion batteries is based on their proven capability to deliver exceptional performance and reliability in demanding materials handling applications."

The main theme of CeMAT 2011 is "sustainability in intralogistics", with a focus on global concepts for sustainability. Nowadays, modern intralogistics not only demand faster, higher, better - but also ecologic and economic efficiency. As the leading supplier for innovative intralogistic solutions, this principle has always been part of STILL's corporate philosophy. The introduction of new battery technology is a perfect example of how STILL is putting this philosophy into practice.

The main advantage of Li-ion battery technology, compared with conventional lead-acid batteries, is its significantly increased power and energy density that enables a compact, lightweight battery to provide a much greater capacity. STILL is using this increased capacity on its well known forklift- and warehouse trucks not only to make them more powerful, but also to ensure longer autonomy - greater operating range between charges - and a faster recharge time.

Saft has worked closely with STILL's engineering team to develop a tailor-made Li-ion battery solution that offers the optimum combination of performance, power-to-weight ratio, reliability, life and safety.

Saft Li-ion batteries are featured on two STILL vehicles making their debut at CeMAT: the CX-T electric tow tractor and the RX 20-16 electric forklift truck. These batteries incorporate Saft Li-ion VL cells assembled in a specific series-parallel configuration to provide the optimum energy required for each truck.