Communication prize for the Linde E1 electric go-kart
To present the power of a forklift truck in a way that is as exciting and dynamic as possible — this was the task that industrial truck manufacturer Linde Material Handling set itself. The idea that they came up with was as unusual as it was technically challenging: to build the world's fastest electric go-kart. The idea also won over the jury for the renowned Econ Award, as they have now awarded Linde Material Handling with a gold Sextant award in the "PR Activities" category.

Using the original, standard components from the latest truck series as a starting point, the engineers at Linde Material Handling created an electric go-kart in a class of its own. The "Linde E1" combines Linde technology with the chassis of a go-kart and a high-performance lithium-ion battery. On 24 April 2011, all the hard work paid off. The Linde E1 set a new world record at the Lusatia race track, accelerating from 0 to 100 km/h in just 3.45 seconds; the vehicle has now been added to the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's fastest electric go-kart.

According to a quote from the Econ Awards jury's verdict, they also believed that the Linde E1 had "taken the lead". The Econ Awards were established in 2007 by the Econ publishing house and the Handelsblatt Group; each year, the competition seeks out candidates from the German-speaking world for the best performance in corporate communications.

"Electromobility is set to be a key theme going forwards, and we are consistently looking for ways to transfer our expertise to new applications. The E1 is an outstanding example of our expertise in electric drive technology, and I'm delighted that our contribution won over the jury too. And now we have yet another reason to be proud of our little speed machine!" says Emil Schneider, Head of Marketing for Germany at Linde Material Handling.

Since 2010, Linde Material Handling has been sharing its electric drive and control technology expertise — accumulated within its "Electronic Systems & Drives" (ES&D) division — with external users too under the label eMotion. “This collaborative work has yielded a host of innovative applications within a very short space of time” says Detlef Sieverdingbeck, Head of Corporate Communications, “from an electrically driven draisine for the rail technology sector to trucks for airport manoeuvring areas and electric road vehicles.