Volvo Penta Demonstrates How a Battery Platform Can Power an Electrification Ecosystem
Volvo Penta is demonstrating how a robust battery platform can power an electrification ecosystem, from industrial e-drivelines to mobile energy storage. This comes to life in Italy, where specialist forklift manufacturer Fantuzzi Team Material Handling and energy storage company TecnoGen jointly demonstrate how Volvo Penta’s battery technology can power an electric forklift and simultaneously supply the battery system for its charging infrastructure.
Developed through close collaboration, Volvo Penta engineers have worked with Italian industrial equipment manufacturer FTMH to design a purpose-built, modular e-driveline capable of handling the intense duty cycles of material handling.
“Our engineering department faced the challenge of designing a new electric machine capable of meeting the demands of the market,” said FTMH technical director Eugenio Ponzini. “Working closely with Volvo Penta, we adopt their electromobility solution as our new electric driveline, specially designed for high-performance forklifts. This will pave the way for the electrification of the entire FTMH range of forklifts and empty container handlers.”
The modular design also gives FTMH a path for future evolution as electrification advances. And Volvo Penta’s global service network played a decisive role.
“We also chose Volvo Penta for their extensive service network, capable of providing support to our customers, wherever they are, perfectly aligning with FTMH’s DNA,” Ponzini added.
Tecnogen: Bringing Volvo Penta power to energy storage
In parallel, TecnoGen is using Volvo Penta’s battery systems to accelerate into the Battery Energy Storage System market, highlighting how electrification supports emissions-free operations.
The TecnoGen BESS adopts Volvo Penta’s battery systems for energy storage, which is derived from the same battery packs found in Volvo trucks and construction equipment. They are built to be heavy-duty, mobile-friendly with high energy density, and come with IP67 durability, liquid cooling, and a shock resistant design.
“The Volvo Penta BESS subsystem integrates seamlessly with our energy platform, offering us ever more innovative solutions,” said plant manager for Tecnogen Emanuele Rizzi. “That’s why our BESS solutions are highly customizable and adaptable to any application, from charging stations to peak shaving and much more.”
“At Volvo Rents, we believe electrification is a key technology towards zero-emission operations,” said Volvo Penta Italy industrial sales manager Ilenia Procicchiani. “As a full system supplier, we provide everything from core components to design support, making it easier for our off-highway OEMs to develop an electric equipment range and explore new business models. In tandem, energy storage solutions like those from TecnoGen will be critical enablers of this transition. What we offer is more than just components. It’s complete, integration-ready platforms. Modular and robust with 360 design support, our battery systems aim to accelerate time to market for our partners.”
About the Author
Michael Roth
Editor
Michael Roth has covered the equipment rental industry full time for RER since 1989 and has served as the magazine’s editor in chief since 1994. He has nearly 30 years experience as a professional journalist. Roth has visited hundreds of rental centers and industry manufacturers, written hundreds of feature stories for RER and thousands of news stories for the magazine and its electronic newsletter RER Reports. Roth has interviewed leading executives for most of the industry’s largest rental companies and manufacturers as well as hundreds of smaller independent companies. He has visited with and reported on rental companies and manufacturers in Europe, Central America and Asia as well as Mexico, Canada and the United States. Roth was co-founder of RER Reports, the industry’s first weekly newsletter, which began as a fax newsletter in 1996, and later became an online newsletter. Roth has spoken at conventions sponsored by the American Rental Association, Associated Equipment Distributors, California Rental Association and other industry events and has spoken before industry groups in several countries. He lives and works in Los Angeles when he’s not traveling to cover industry events.