New Power Progress | Special vehicles go electric

Neotec owner Pascal Roux talked to New Power Progress about the value of reliable suppliers such as Flash Battery for lithium battery packs 

Manufactures of diesel-powered machines are now using hybrid solutions more frequently in new models. Pascal Roux, owner of Neotec, a French manufacturer of specialist machines, says that the transition has been almost seamless. But he adds that what we’re seeing now is the culmination of an extended process of machine evolution, both in terms of application frequency and development of the supply base to deliver the required components.

Since 2015 Neotec has been offering vehicles with hybrid power. These are divided into two ranges, the Hybrid-E series, which is an electric machine with a small diesel engine working as range extender; and the Green-E series, which contemplates a similar system to what is used in hybrid passenger cars where they keep the regular size of the diesel engine and add a smaller electric motor, an ideal concept for bigger machines that travel and work a lot outdoors.

An example from the Hybrid-E series is the Hybrid-E SKY C10 road-rail lifting basket, which is also the first Neotec hybrid application with lithium batteries by the Italian manufacturer Flash Battery , using a battery pack that stores 10 kWh at 51,2 V and has been both mechanically and electrically adapted to the configuration of the vehicle: it also includes an integrated heating system to insure the efficient operation of the pack also in particularly rigid climates, in countries such as Canada, Scotland and northern Europe, to name a few.