COVER STORY Lithium-Ion Power that Empowers
We speak to Ignacio Camacho, Nilfisk Product Manager UK & IE, about the company’s lithium-ion range of cleaning equipment.
How would you sum up Nilfisk’s lithium battery module?
High quality smart battery, modular scalability, maintenance free and the best in class by weight and capacity. What is the significance of lithium batteries?
Lithium batteries have been in their development for over 50 years. We’ve seen the impact of their arrival over the last 30 years and there are significant benefits. There are also ongoing efforts to address their environmental impact, and this must be part of the discussion on lithium too. The adoption of lithium-ion batteries has spurred innovations in our cleaning equipment, developing more advanced and efficient cleaning technologies that take advantage of the benefits offered by lithium-ion power sources.
How has lithium affected your product range?
At Nilfisk, we have been using lithium batteries for some years and adapting professional floorcare cleaning machines in line with our customers’ expectations, but also in line with the advancement of the technology. In 2017 we collaborated with VARTA to develop a lithium-ion battery that would fit into our Nilfisk range of machines, avoiding a standard generic battery option that invariably needs additional equipment to monitor the battery. Nilfisk’s custom lithium-ion battery range is designed to fit across the cleaning range, and offers the lightest option in the market with the greatest power capacity.
The ongoing results of market research with our own customers helped drive our commitment to lithium. Our research highlighted what the common issues were with traditional lead acid batteries, and over 96% of those surveyed experienced at least one or more of the issues outlined here: long charge times, limited run time, ongoing battery failure, human error of operatives forgetting to charge batteries when needed, and finally investing in battery replacement and maintenance over the machine’s life was significant. The Nilfisk lithium-ion battery combats many of these findings and presents an easy to manage and maintenance free battery module.
We have a robust range of professional and industrial cleaning solutions that showcase the lithium offering including vacuums, scrubber dryers and sweepers, and this will continue to grow. You will find more information on our range of lithium-ion cleaning solutions here: Nilfisk Lithium- Ion Range. During 2023 we have extended our floorcare models including SC500 Li-on, SC2000 Li-on , SC50 Robot, the CS7010 Combination Machine and our best-selling SC351 Li-on also got an upgrade. Before the end of the year, you will see the launch of the New SC650 Li-on Scrubber Dryer – keep a look out for this!
To kick off the new year, we would like to offer Tomorrow’s Cleaning readers savings on a range of lithium-ion products – please check out the promotion here: lithium-ion Cleaning Equipment Promo. Valid until 20 January 2024.
What is the Nilfisk Lithium Battery?
Nilfisk developed its own premium lithium battery which has a modular proposition unlike others in the market, which opts for a single battery package. We are increasing runtime capacity whilst reducing downtime when batteries need a fix. The modular battery system means that you simply exchange
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or remove the faulty module, allowing the machine to continue working. If an all-in-one battery package fails, it stops, resulting in downtime.
It features smart battery technology and enhanced safety and cooling systems. Its connected smart battery enables analytics and diagnostics on some of the scrubber dryers. Our batteries are modular so can be used across other cleaning machines in the range. There is also an added benefit of retrofitting with a select range of scrubber dryers. We know that battery safety is an important factor for our customers, as well as the battery modularisation and retrofit option now making the Nilfisk lithium offering a great choice for many.
Why is lithium battery appealing to the cleaning industry?
The cleaning industry has seen many benefits from the arrival of lithium-ion – it isn’t a new concept, but their arrival held the secret to many shortcomings of the sealed lead-acid battery. It has many advantages available to the industry, not least the opportunity to maximise productivity, reduce long term costs and improve efficiencies. In Nilfisk’s case, the five-year warranty offering provides confidence, security and maintenance free solutions.
Lithium batteries have enabled the success of professional cordless cleaning equipment, eliminating the need for power cords, allowing greater mobility and flexibility during cleaning operations but more importantly enhancing safety. Improving cleaning performance and maximising productivity has soared, mainly driven by the extended run time and opportunity charging. The ability to charge cleaning equipment faster than traditional battery technologies without affecting battery lifetime reduces its downtime, leaving cleaning operatives able to resume tasks, contributing to higher productivity.
Should lithium-ion continue to be supported in the cleaning industry?
For customers out there looking to strive towards a more sustainable cleaning programme then lithium-ion batteries play a big part, and in most cases outweigh the environmental impact of their production and disposal. The overall impact can be positive when considering the role these batteries play in reducing reliance on fossil fuels and enabling the transition to cleaner energy sources.
How is Nilfisk preparing for new battery technologies?
Lithium-ion technology is set to be around for a long time yet, as a new generation of battery replacement options continue to be researched and developed. There are many contenders working hard to overcome some of the limitations of lithium batteries but, while we wait, Nilfisk can offer full assurances that existing and new product platforms are designed in a way that will fit new battery technologies easily – futureproofing of our entire professional cleaning equipment range.
If you have any questions for Nilfisk, please contact us on
marketing.uk@
nilfisk.com, call 01768 868 995, or visit the website below.
www.nilfisk.com
twitter.com/TomoCleaning
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