March 2023 - Green Cubes Technology

Electrification is Key at ProMat 23 – the Biggest Supply Chain Event in its History

Posted on March 31, 2023 by jesus@grandmarketingsolutions.com

ProMat 2023, the largest international material handling, logistics and supply chain event, drew more than 50,000 attendees to Chicago’s McCormick Place last week. With over 1,000 exhibitors across 500,000 square feet, last week’s conference was the largest ProMat event to-date. Our new CEO Mike Walsh was at the show and took advantage of connecting with many of our customers and partners in-person. Mike’s depth of background in energy and industrial businesses, coupled with his breadth of C-level leadership experience uniquely positions him to lead Green Cubes through this time of sustained exponential growth as we continue to provide our customers with all the requirements of a modern electrification ecosystem.

Battery technology for electric material handling equipment continues to be of great interest to this industry. The Green Cubes booth had a consistent flow of traffic with attendees wanting to learn more about our Lithium SAFEFlex Battery & Charger solutions.

We are proud to be Doosan Industrial Vehicle America Corp.’s preferred supplier of Lithium-ion solutions, and our products were showcased in its electric forklifts in our booth, and at Doosan’s booth

Green Cubes in ProMat 2023 Supply Chain Event

Our Director of Marketing Robin Schneider presented two at-capacity on-floor seminars, where she reviewed how state-of-the art technology Lithium-ion is used today. By using customer case studies, she presented the real-world benefits in safety, efficiency, and total cost of ownership for enterprise customers large and small. These case studies highlighted the benefits achieved using Lithium-ion batteries paired with high efficiency chargers and demonstrate best practices implemented to achieve these benefits

Green Cubes is a founding member of MHI’s Advanced Energy Council, and Robin participated in an on-floor seminar along with representatives from OneCharge and Ethium to discuss integrated Lithium batteries in electric material handling equipment. This panel reviewed the different types, standards and benefits of this technology.

We look forward to another great ProMat event in 2024!

Why Our Lithium Systems Are Safe for the Material Handling Market

Posted on March 31, 2023February 14, 2025 by jesus@grandmarketingsolutions.com

Overview

In the battery power market today there is a myriad of available battery types to choose from. It’s a critical decision which not only impacts how well the product will operate but also how safely it can operate. Factors such as how much power is required, the time required to charge, operating temperatures, operating environment, packaging dimensions, and weight are all examples of key parameters that must be considered.

The Material Handling / Motive Power battery market requires some of the highest power products in the world so safety is a key parameter and necessity.

Safety by Design

The Green Cubes Technology engineering team has extensive experience in working with various battery technologies. This wealth of experience and knowledge of the various available battery technologies was used in selecting the optimal chemistry for the material handling market. By selecting Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) for the Lithium SafeFlex MH batteries the team utilized a lithium chemistry that is first and foremost known for its inherent safety.

Chemical structure

While higher energy lithium chemistries are available, LFP was selected due to its stable chemical make-up. The Phosphate & Oxygen bond is both thermally and chemically stable due to the single-dimensional lattice structure. Its 1 D lattice structure limits how lithium ions are transferred. This transference limitation enables improved stability and cycle life. A demonstration of how much more stable the LFP chemistry is compared to the longer established high energy Lithium Cobalt Oxide (LCO), i.e. the lithium battery used in consumer electronics, is to compare the thermal runaway temperatures, which are the high temperatures at which the chemistries begin to become unstable and volatile. LCO has a much lower thermal runaway temperature of 150°C (302°F) compared to LFP’s thermal runaway temperature of 270°C (518°F). This large difference shows LFP to be the much safer of the two lithium chemistries.

In addition to chemistry selection, the physical construction is an important parameter to consider in the design selection process. All lithium batteries contain a critical component called the separator, which is placed in between the anode and cathode layers in the electrode. The separator limits the chemical reaction of the electrode and helps to prevent thermal runaways by closing its porous structure at high temperatures. The Green Cubes team has selected cells which incorporate ceramic separators. The ceramic material is resilient at high temperatures and helps prevent the breakdown of the separator that occurs during a thermal runaway event.

Safety by Product Experience

Over the past 20 years, Green Cubes Technology has designed and produced millions of lithium battery systems along with other chemistries such as NiMH, NiCd, and lead acid. Green Cubes has lifesaving batteries integrated in Lexus vehicles, mines, hospitals, and a multitude of other industrial and rough environment applications. Our Lithium SafeFlex batteries have specifically been utilized in onroad trucks in the US, electric vehicles across India, and in the material handling industry over the past 4 years. With over 30 years experience in Power, Green Cubes is an engineering driven company with its top focus on safety.

ABOUT GREEN CUBES TECHNOLOGY

Green Cubes Technology develops and manufactures a complete portfolio of lithium power systems that enable its OEM and enterprise customers to transition from Lead Acid and Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) power to Lithium-ion battery power. Green Cubes utilizes proven hardware and software platforms to build the most reliable lithium battery systems in its industries. With over 300 employees across six countries, Green Cubes has been producing innovative, high-performance, and high-quality products since 1986. For more information, email info@greencubestech.com or visit greencubestech.com.

This chemistry is the new leader in Lithium Ion Battery break throughs at the International Battery Seminar and Expo.

Posted on March 29, 2023 by jesus@grandmarketingsolutions.com

Author: JD DiGiacomandrea

Green Cubes exhibited at The International Battery Seminar & Expo, held in Orlando, Florida on March 20-23, 2023. This annual conference was an excellent event for anyone interested in the battery industry. The event featured a wide range of presentations from leading minds in the industry, including Ford, General Motors, Toyota, Tesla, universities, and national laboratories.

EVE was a proud sponsor of the event and introduced a number of new LFP Cells. LFP cells were the main topic of conversation at the event, and it is clear that they will become the dominant cell chemistry over the next few years. This reinforces Green Cubes choice for LFP cell in all forklift and material handling applications. Leading cell vendors such as E-One Molicell and others presented their new chemistries and innovations, including extremely high rate chemistries for EV and E-VTOL applications.

Overall, the Orlando International Battery Seminar was an excellent event for anyone involved in the battery industry. The event featured a wide range of presentations from leading minds in the industry, and made it clear that LFP cells will become the dominant cell chemistry over the next few years, with many innovations in Solid State and Lithium Metal chemistries still 5+ years from commercialization.

Another key theme of the expo was the need for manufacturing talent in the battery industry. With the rapid increase in the need for lithium batteries, and the various process and material improvements coming to market there is a strong need for more manufacturing skillsets, including operators, technicians, engineers, and operations.

Key Highlights

The International Battery Seminar & Expo is the longest-running annual battery industry event in the world. The leaders in battery technology present innovations and research, including Texas Instruments, EVE, Bitrode, LG Energy, and Stellantis.
The event featured presentations from leading minds in the battery industry, including Ford, General Motors, The Department of Energy, Toyota, Tesla, universities, and national laboratories.
Drew Baglino of Tesla received the highest honor with the Shep Wolsky Battery Innovator of the Year award. He shared his thoughts on the challenges of ramping up Gigawatt and Terrawatt Factories.
EVE was a proud sponsor of the event and introduced a number of new LFP Cells.
LFP cells were the main topic of conversation at the event, and it is clear that they will become the dominant cell chemistry over the next few years.
Leading cell vendors such as E-One Molicell and others presented their high rate chemistries for EV and E-VTOL applications.

The International Battery Seminar & Expo is the #1 battery conference to share true technical innovation in the battery industry. If you are interested in the battery industry, be sure to attend the event next year!

Best Practices for Using Lithium-Ion in Cold Storage Facilities

Posted on March 27, 2023February 11, 2025 by jesus@grandmarketingsolutions.com

Overview

SAFEFlex is a drop-in replacement lithium-ion battery for lead acid battery power for electric material handling equipment. Temperature-controlled supply chain is more important than ever during with today’s volatile supply chain. On-line ordering of pre-prepared food, beverage clubs, and medicine distribution are all increasing the need for cold-chain technology. Lithium-ion batteries charge faster, and opportunistically, and have longer run-time than traditional lead acid batteries, optimizing equipment utilization Batteries don’t need to be swapped, watered, or equalized at room temperature, so maintenance is simplified. Cold-temperature cycle life is vastly improved for a lower total cost of ownership. This is a brief overview of how to implement and take advantage of this new technology.

The Cold Chain

Many products require constant refrigeration. Medicines, foods and beverages require cold transportation as well as storage and there is an increased strain on the cold storage industry as it adapts to increased fluctuations in response to on-line consumer habits, such as the new popularity of pre-prepared meal kits. For cold storage the insulated vehicle cargo area needs to be kept at a sub-zero temperature and the material handling equipment needs to operated within a refrigerated or freezer space.

The Challenges of Lead Acid Batteries:

Electric material handling equipment is favored for
indoor environments, but traditional lead-acid batteries pose significant challenges, e specially at extremely cold temperatures. The extreme cold temperatures can cause the battery electrolyte to freeze which lowers the usable capacity of the battery, as seen in the accompanying graph, which uses information commonly provided by lead-acid battery manufacturers. In addition, there is permanent damage to the battery and greatly shortening the battery’s cycle life.

…In order to operate the material handling equipment at such a low temperature, the fleet is connected to an electrical grid at night, resulting in significant under utilization.

In addition to normal maintenance, watering and cleaning the acid residue typical of flooded lead acid batteries, traditionally, in order to operate the material handling equipment at such a low temperature, the fleet is connected to an electrical grid at night, resulting in significant under utilization. Charge time for lead acid batteries is long and time is required to equilibrate the equipment between temperature extremes. If care is not taken, condensation can occur on the equipment creating icy and dangerous conditions for workers.

Implementing Li-ion Technology:

Unlike lead acid cells, Li-ion battery packs offer a complete solution with integrated smart communication, charging, and heaters to keep the battery at an optimum temperature. Green Cubes Technologies’ Lithium SafeFlex is a drop in replacement for lead-acid batteries with excellent cold temperature performance, high cycle life and safe operation.

When the battery temperature is lowered, the intelligent control system enables the heaters to prevent the battery temperature from reaching a temperature too low to charge and prevent cell damage.

The charge system (or cables) can be brought into the cold storage area, so that the temperature equilibration is not required and there is no more risk of dangerous condensation. Full charge time is only one hour and charging can be performed opportunistically. The same equipment is used for multiple shifts with no down-time, so the number of vehicles required is lowered and operating costs are lessened.

The zero maintenance SAFEFlex makes it possible to forklifts and other material handling equipment without interruption.

SAFEFlex batteries increase the velocity of distribution businesses with existing fleets of MH equipment including Walkie Pallet Jacks, End Riders, Narrow Aisle Forklifts, 3-4 Wheel Counterbalance Trucks, large Turrets, and other equipment. When compared to traditional lead-acid batteries, lithium batteries charge faster, last longer, and deliver more usable energy with each discharge. Batteries don’t need to be swapped, watered, or equalized at room temperature, streamlining operations and increasing efficiency at cold storage facilities.

SAFEFlex enables 100% uptime and utilization of your material handling equipment in cold storage and sub-zero environments.

	Lead Acid	Li-Ion (LFP)	Advantage of Li-Ion Batteries
Cycle Life	Low (~500-1000 cycles)	High (3000+ cycles)	Install battery for life of truck (no more swaps)
Charging Time	Slow (8 hours+)	Fast (60-90 minutes max)	Opportunity charge on-the-fly
Charge Efficiency	Low (~75%)	High (98%)	Lower electrical power costs
Energy/Volume Ratio	80 Wh/L	300-350 Wh/L	Smaller batteries
Energy/Weight Ratio	30-50 Wh/Kg	90-120 Wh/Kg	Lighter batteries & trucks reduce wear on power train
Partial Charging	Reduces battery life	No effect on battery life	Reduce down-time for battery charging
Consistent Voltage Output	Moderate	High	Extendes motor life, lowers motor maintenance
Depth of Discharge	Moderate	High	More run time per battery
Cold Temperature Performance	Low	High	More run time and less condensation in truck

Advantages of SAFEFlex for Cold Storage Usage:

There is no cold-temperature capacity loss with integrated battery heaters.
One-hour fast charging is enabled within the cold storage area (to -40 degrees).
Forklifts will never leave the freezer, and palletjacks can be charged in refrigerated trailers, so risks from condensation are minimized.
A permanently installed battery can support 24/7 continuous operation with an opportunity charging regime.
Maintenance is minimal, unlike lead acid batteries.
Cycle-life enables a useful product life of up to ten years
A distribution partner with the knowledge to implement and maintain the battery systems makes execution easy and seamless.

ABOUT GREEN CUBES TECHNOLOGY

Modern Materials Handling: Promat Show Preview

Posted on March 17, 2023February 11, 2025 by jesus@grandmarketingsolutions.com

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ABOUT GREEN CUBES TECHNOLOGY

Warehousing Logistics International: Effective Opportunity Charging for Material Handling Equipment

Posted on March 3, 2023February 11, 2025 by jesus@grandmarketingsolutions.com

Although opportunity charging is not new in this market, lithium improves upon the existing concept; it brings is a true fast opportunity charge because Lithium can truly be charged in a one-hour timeframe. Allowing the operator the freedom to just plug the battery in during a lunch or break and a short break is really can bring 25 percent back to the battery or more being on the brake. Lithium enables a 24/7 operation without having to do battery swaps. Also, there’s no degradation with overcharging or undercharging because the lithium batteries are protected by the battery management system. They’re able to be continuously plugged in during off periods. The operator doesn’t have to worry about the state of charge, and it is kept at an optimal state of charge. There’s no worry about having an overcharge battery, allowing for disruption of routines.

Opportunity charging is a practice applicable to both Lead Acid and Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries for motive power systems and especially useful for Material Handling (MH) equipment. Fast charging is a key differentiator for Lithium-ion batteries. Because the chemistry allows fast charging without damaging cycle life, batteries can be charged opportunistically during breaks and don’t require battery swaps.