Can an Electric Forklift Withstand Below-Freezing Weather?

JLG Industries, an Oshkosh Corporation company, produces the all-electric DaVinci Lift. It features a five minute quick charge for 100 feet of drive, plus torque for loading. It also can reach 19 feet and has a 606 pound weight capacity. 

And recently, a new case study was announced by JLG and Sunbelt Rentals: “JLG DaVinci Lift Proves Itself in Cold-Temperature Applications.”

The study details the lift's performance in below-freezing conditions, and the results highlighted in the case study prove how far battery technology has advanced in the aerial industry.

“Electric machine operation and productivity in conditions below 32°F (0°C) have traditionally been a huge concern in cold-temperature applications, like in refrigerated food processing warehouses, cold storage facilities, vaccine laboratories or outdoors in the winter,” says Bob Begley, JLG’s director of product management for scissor, vertical and low-level access lifts.

“That’s because working in these types of conditions can impact electric equipment performance, resulting in slow, sluggish functionality and reduced battery runtime by up to 5%, partly due to hydraulics and previous battery technology.”

Testing in Cold Weather

Despite cold-weather performance concerns, electric scissor lifts are often needed on maintenance projects or construction job sites because of restrictions in certain work environments, like noise and air pollution requirements, that prevent the use of internal combustion (diesel, dual fuel, or gas) machines.

According to Begley, battery technology has significantly advanced in recent years, driving the industry towards more electrified products — including the advent of 100%, fully electric machines like the JLG DaVinci AE1932 lift.

With zero hydraulics to help eliminate job site leaks and zero emissions to help control job site pollution. It is purpose-built for applications where stringent environmental regulations must be met while offering consistent, ongoing productivity — even in the coldest conditions. “We had many assumptions about how the DaVinci lift would perform that we needed to test,” says Begley.

The case study provides details about how the DaVinci lift performed in a harsh and cold working environment — an industrial freezer — and shares JLG’s and Sunbelt’s conclusions from the testing.