Power Briefing recap: week of Jan. 13

We’re already halfway through January—time flies when there’s so much happening in the industry! In case you missed it, here’s what we covered this week in Power Briefing:

• Shipping batteries comes with a maze of regulations that can leave even seasoned professionals scratching their heads. Marketing director Max Khabur from Bluewater Battery Logistics shared tips on navigating this challenging process in a landscape that is evolving alongside new battery technologies.
• Major OEMs like Haulotte and Niftylift are adopting hydrogen fuel cells for range extenders to decarbonize their aerial lifts. While challenges like cost and refueling times remain, hydrogen is gaining traction as an alternative to diesel-fueled systems.
• High-voltage batteries are crucial for electrifying heavy-duty equipment, but safety concerns like electric shock and thermal runaway still hinder adoption. Italian manufacturer Flash Battery discussed how safety can be engineered into battery systems without sacrificing performance.
• The Day 2 roundtable at October’s Power Progress Summit highlighted how OEMs are overcoming challenges in electrification. Part of the discussion centered on why they chose to electrify and how they collaborated with suppliers like Volvo Penta to convert diesel power to electric for some equipment.

Other news this week: Thomas Built Buses introduced a second-generation electric school bus, Monarch Tractor expanded into Europe to bring autonomous solutions to agriculture and Amazon placed its largest order yet for eActros 600 battery-electric trucks to drive sustainability in its fleet.