With the new RX60 Still brings a first in the forklift test. For the first time in 31 years of testing, an electric forklift truck scores a higher productivity than a truck with an internal combustion engine. The High-Performance version of the youngest Still accelerates, lifts and drives like a diesel truck, but without the noise and emissions.
Thetrend has been visible for some time now where the electric forklift truck isgaining more and more ground on trucks with diesel and LPG engines. They havebecome virtually insensitive to harsh outdoor conditions and with a good cab,the driver is also comfortable. Electric forklift trucks are also becomingincreasingly economical and can run for longer on a single battery charge. Addto that the advantages of lithium-ion batteries, such as opportunity charging,and the number of arguments for choosing an IC truck melts like snow in thesun. The most common ones are still: they are easy to refuel and very fast and productive…The Still RX60-25 High Performance in this test refutes that last argument,because the measured productivity in moved pallets per hour has never been sohigh in our test. And with the measured practical battery life, you’ll getalmost one and a half working day far.Anyone who puts the truck to the loader during breaks can continue to drivealmost without restriction. Do we have an IC Killer in our hands?
Follow-upto the RX20 concept
Partlydue to the increased focus on environmental issues, Diesel-Gate and the everpresent desire for less maintenance and costs, there is a significant increasein the market share of electric forklift trucks. Still is taking advantage ofthis with its new RX60 family of trucks in the 2.5 to 3.5 tonne class. Thetruck series contains 7 models and builds on the concept introduced with thenew RX20 range two years ago. By making the truck fractionally longer, thedriver has more leg and workspace. In addition, the step on/off was enlarged andthe truck received the new Smart Display, which is attached to the armrest.Thanks to the lower dashboard, visibility to the front has been optimised.
Inorder to make the truck more suitable for hard applications than ever before,more and more robust steel has been processed in the RX60. The battery door,for example, can easily carry the weight of two people when open and does notbend on the hinge.
Moreworking space
Theadvantages mentioned are immediately noticeable during the test. The step onthe RX60 is spacious and the leg- and workspace in the cabin is ample. The viewthrough the mast and through the roof is very good. Thanks to the display onthe adjustable armrest, the driver has all the information available and caneasily choose different settings such as driving and lifting modes includingBlue-Q energy savings and the sprint power for extra performance.
Thearmrest is adjustable both horizontally and vertically. As far as we areconcerned, the height adjustment could be lowered a little deeper.
Stillhas equipped the roof posts with a welded, steel handle for both getting on/offand reversing. The handles feel a bit cold, but are long enough to offer everydriver the desired gripping height. When reversing, we miss the opportunity tooperate the horn via this handle, but this is available as an option, so Stillclaims.
Sensitiveand fast
Steeringon the new RX60 is very predictable. The truck does exactly what you expect andhas good directional stability, both with and without load. The steering columncan be adjusted in four fixed positions but has no height adjustment. Thesteering knob can be turned ’through the stop’ so that you can set it to thedesired position when driving straight ahead. This position is not synchronizedand will change after a while, so you can/need to repeat the action.
Themast functions on our test truck are controlled by the 2 levers on the armrest.Left is for lift/lower and tilt, right is for the sideshift and other possibleextra functions that are not active now. The operation is very precise andsensitive. The lifting speed for the High-Performance version – 25 kW pumpmotor instead of 20 kW – is enormous. We measure a unloaded speed of over 66cm/sec, a record!
Alwaysunder control
Whendriving, the influence of the High-Performance version is also clearlynoticeable. Instead of 2x 8.5 kW, the pre-series model of the RX60 HP now has2x 9.6 kW driving motors and will have 2x 10,5 kW in the final series. At themaximum driving and lifting program in combination with the sprint mode, thetruck sprays forward and in no time we drive faster than 22 km/hour. Thecombination of acceleration, driving and lifting results in a productivity of363 pallets per 8 hours on our track. The best diesel truck ever in this classreached 358, the best E-truck so far scored 339 pallets.
Stillhas managed to turn all this power and speed into a manageable and predictable ‘package’with the new RX60. The truck is impressively fast, but never unpredictable.Even the braking on the drive motors is as expected when we drive at maximum powermode. The measured regeneration current is very generous and will be used to alarge extent by the lithium-ion battery. The degree of regeneration, andtherefore also the braking, increases as the battery becomes less full.
Longservice life
Thanksto the regeneration, optimized software and the new controller setup as closeto the drive motors as possible, the Still RX60 is very energy efficient. Evenat maximum operation power, we achieve a practical uptime of 12 hours and 51minutes with the 670 Ah / 80V lithium-ion battery. Not only does the batteryoffer the advantage of opportunity charging, but with a 90-95% discharge it hasa greater efficiency than a lead-acid battery that can be discharged up to 80%.
Forthose who prefer less speed to longer uptime: with Blue-Q on, you’ll get morethan 16 hours of battery power from a single battery charge in practical terms,while maintaining productivity at the same level as the best E-truck to date.
Conclusion
Withthe RX60-25 High-Performance in this test, Still sets the standard for electrictrucks in this segment. Never before has an E-truck been so productive in thistest and for the first time in our history the diesel truck has been defeatedin this aspect. Add to this the benefits of silence, flexibility, the lowercost of electricity as a power source, ease of operation, less maintenance and avery predictable handling and you have all the ingredients for an IC Killerwith the RX60.
Theadjustment of the armrest, the horn when driving in reverse and the uncoveredversion of the handles are just some of the possible improvements.
(Text and photos: Andersom Testing, Theo Egberts and Mark Dohmen)
Tags:
Andersom test, Andersom testing, Forklift test, Intralogistics, Still, Still RX60, Still RX60-25
