Forklift Battery Charger
Project Number PGE 0808 Organization PG&E End-use Process Sector Commercial, Agricultural, Industrial Project Year(s) 2008 - 2009Project Summary
Large battery chargers are used with such products as forklifts, airport transport equipment, neighborhood electric vehicles and golf carts. Large battery chargers can be found in residential, commercial and industrial applications using both single phase and three phase power. Industrial battery-powered motive equipment has been utilized in warehouses, ports, airport baggage systems and manufacturing facilities for decades. In addition, smaller single phase golf cart chargers are common on courses and in retirement neighborhoods. California’s population of approximately 275,000 large chargers uses over 4,200 GWh per year. A test procedure for consumer battery chargers was finalized in April 2008 to support Title 20 standards for small chargers, but that procedure did not include the ability to test the efficiency of large chargers.This project facilitated the development of a technically rigorous large battery charger efficiency test procedure, which was adopted as the official California Energy Commission procedure in December of 2008. Using data gathered by PG&E Applied Technology Services Group, Southern California Edison and one charger manufacturer, PG&E’s consultant Ecos compared savings in PG&E’s service territory.