Towards a zero emissions reachstacker
As governments across the world insist on engines being ever cleaner, is it realistic to assume that one day we can expect to see a 100% green reachstacker? The manufacturers we approached were split on this point.
Paulo Tavola at CVS Ferrari says: “For internal combustion engines, zero-emissions simply cannot be obtained, although with Tier 4 engines they will be very low.”
Herman Klaus at Hyster also has his doubts, pointing out that there are still a significant number of technological barriers to overcome before this could become a reality.
Anders Sjöstrand of Konecranes is more upbeat, claiming it is realistic to ultimately expect that one of these will emerge, but not within the next five to ten years. The main sticking point is to develop batteries that are not only cheaper, but also last much longer, he says.
Mikael Persson of Cargotec is similarly optimistic, saying that technological developments are coming thick and fast, although to achieve zero emissions does mean a move to electric power.
“We already have the first signs of this with the adoption of electric drivelines incorporating a storage battery by high capacity FLTs,” he says.
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