JCB is making a huge technological leap forward with its innovative Teletruk range with the launch of an electric model designed to reach into a global market where almost 250,000 units are sold globally every year.
Launched in October 1997, the JCB Teletruk remains the world’s only telescopic lift truck and offers users the benefit of forward reach thanks to its telescopic boom.
JCB’s new JCB 30-19E is the first electric powered model in Teletruk range – and its launch opens up new opportunities for a machine which has revolutionised operations in builders merchants, ports, recycling centres and industrial facilities around the world.
Until now JCB’s Teletruks have been powered by diesel and LPG and used predominantly in outdoor applications. With the launch of the new electric model, the Teletruk now becomes suited for a wealth of tasks inside buildings as well as outside – offering a new generation of customers the cost and space saving advantages enjoyed by users over the past two decades.
JCB Chief Innovation Officer Tim Burnhope said: “When the JCB Teletruk was first launched it challenged conventional thinking and as well as offering a better way of doing things, it disrupted an established, mature market.
“It was an innovation with true purpose and one which brought real advantages to our customers. JCB is a leader in innovative clean diesel technology but we are also developing other clean technologies for smaller machines in our range. We are hugely excited at the opportunities presented with the launch of an electric powered Teletruk because it opens up so many new markets for us.”
JCB Industrial General Manager Paul Murray said: “Almost 250,000 electric forklifts are sold around the world every year, with Europe accounting for almost two thirds of the market.
“Until now the Teletruk has been offered with diesel and LP Gas-powered engines and used mostly in outdoor applications. With the launch of the electric-powered JCB 30-19E, the opportunities are huge. We now have a machine that is capable of operating at optimum efficiency both inside and outside the warehouse, distribution centre or factory facility – delivering the ultimate in machine versatility.”
Already in operation at countless supply chain and manufacturing facilities across the world, the Teletruk is the ideal choice of lift truck at sites where containers, curtainsided trailers, vans and other delivery vehicles have to be loaded and unloaded quickly, safely and efficiently.
Because it is battery-powered, the JCB 30-19E is supremely quiet and produces zero emissions – making it suited to tasks inside a building, while its fully sealed, weather-proof body protects the machine’s driveline and other key components from the elements when the Teletruk is required to work in the yard.
Power is provided by an 80-volt lead acid battery which can work a full eight hour shift on a single charge. The battery compartment is positioned at the rear of the truck and has been designed to allow quick and easy battery changeover. Using a single point hoist or another lift truck, the battery can be swapped in around 2 minutes – ensuring truck uptime is maximised.
Thanks to its electric driveline, the new JCB Teletruk can climb a 21% gradient or ramp with ease and productivity is further enhanced with full free lift of 1575 mm as standard. Like all Teletruk models, the JCB 30-19E features a side-mounted boom and using the unique telescopic forward reach, it has a lift capacity of 1900 kg at 2 metres, meaning palletised loads weighing can be loaded to the far side of a curtainsided trailer.
In addition, the forward reach functionality eliminates the risk of material and vehicle damage – as well as the potential for injury to personnel – when loading or unloading pallets to and from light goods vehicles, especially vans. The Teletruk can place a 1600kg load 3 metres into a van – allowing full utilisation of extended wheel-base vehicles. For ultimate efficiency, the Teletruk can load three Euro pallets into a van easily and safely within two minutes.
Safety also comes as standard as all machines are fitted with Load Motion Control. This patented JCB innovation alerts the operator when reaching full lift or reach capacity with a simple green, amber, red light system and will not allow a load to be used outside of the load capabilities of the machine, aiding the prevention of forward tip.
The JCB 30-19E features the JCB ‘Command Plus’ cab, which has been designed to ensure that the operator remains comfortable and, therefore, productive, throughout the course of his or her working day. The cab is just 2.2 metres high, allowing the 30-19E to operate within the height constraints of shipping containers. It is spacious and clutter-free with all hydraulic functions, as well as direction and speed of travel, controlled via a single joystick, which offers easier and safer operation. Additionally, important truck performance information such as battery life, speed and Load Motion Control is relayed to the operator via an easy-to-read electronic display positioned at eye level.
The JCB 30-19E Teletruk’s ability to operate both inside and outside a building brings a number of benefits to the user. For example, working inside a building, the JCB 30-19E can enter a container that has been reversed in to a sealed loading dock and use its telescopic boom to safely stuff and de-stuff loads far more time – and space – efficiently than is possible with a conventional counterbalanced forklift or stacker. This increases utilisation of vehicles, aisle trucks and goods in/out infrastructure.
And, when working in the yard, the JCB 30-19E has the ability to access curtainsided trailers from only one side. Using the JCB 30-19E to pick or pack pallets from one side only means that a curtainsider requires just six metres width of space within which to be loaded or unloaded. So, trailers can be parked tight to a wall or other form of perimeter boundary – leaving valuable space free in the central yard area for additional storage, extra delivery vehicles or for tasks such as cross docking. In fact, customers can save 70m² of space per truck with single side loading. In addition, a total of eight minutes can be saved on opening and closing truck curtains per load.
The JCB 30-19E Teletruk is fitted with JCB LiveLink telematics system as standard allowing real-time measurement of energy consumption and detailed analysis of machine utilisation.
In addition the JCB Teletruk has a 360° field of vision around the machine and to the attachment as well as a unique 111 degrees of carriage rotation, making the handling of goods easier and safer. The small footprint of the machine enables it to turn within its own axis for even greater versatility.
Paul Murray added: “JCB originally developed the Teletruk in response to market requirements for a lift truck with the ability to load a wide range of delivery vehicles quickly and safely in the most space-efficient way. Its unique design and functionality has won numerous awards – including the Fork Lift Truck Association (FLTA) award for Innovation, Safety and Ergonomics.
“With the launch of the JCB 30-19E, JCB has responded to the demands of the market for an electric-powered Teletruk that can operate both inside and outside a building.
“When it comes to loading and unloading containers from within a building, the Teletruk offers superior performance to other types of materials handling equipment while, outside, the Teletruk can load or unloaded a curtainsided trailer in under 30 minutes and requires 30 per cent less space than conventional counterbalanced trucks to work in.
“Within a logistics environment, the majority of the materials handling equipment in use is electric-powered and, because the Teletruk offers so many clear advantages to companies operating in the warehousing and supply chain space, it makes perfect sense to introduce a battery-powered model.”
