Flannery Plant Hire has bought six Italian-made Faresin electric telehandlers from UK dealer GGR Group.
The Faresin 6.26 full electric telehandler has a 2.6-tonne maximum lifting capacity and a 5.9-metre lifting height. Flannery bought one machine in July to try it out, and later returned for five more.
These machines are powered by a lithium ion battery pack and come with a fast charging system that allows the batteries to be rapidly topped up during breaks in work, if required. A regular 110 volt on-board charger is included when larger power supplies are not available and can be used for an overnight charge.
The standard 300Ah battery will last up to six hours of typical use with a rapid recharge time of 1.5 hours from zero with the external fast charger, the manufacturer says. An optional 400Ah battery is good for eight hours of standard usage and has a two-hour recharge time. The electric machine provides a range of benefits and notable savings, not only in emission levels, but also maintenance and running costs when compared to traditional internal combustion engine equipment.
Niall Hester, operations director south for Flannery Plant Hire, said: “We have seen the electric telehandler being used successfully on some of the UK’s biggest projects, including work on the HS2 main works site in West Ruislip. Not only does the machine help Flannery Plant Hire reduce its environmental impact, we can pass this through the supply chain to help our clients achieve their low-carbon goals. The investment in a new fleet has given us a competitive advantage to meet the growing pressure to utilise low emission plant equipment on sites.”
GGR has added more units to its demonstration fleet to allow more potential customers to try them out.
With growing demand for battery-powered machinery, Faresin is ramping up production capacity in Italy from 50 machines a month to 70 machines a month.
We reported last month that JCB has launched a battery powered telehandler, the Loadall 525-60E, and that Kettering’s Bennie Equipment has placed an order for one. However, that is not scheduled for delivery until next month.
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