KION Group, the parent company of Linde and STILL, has released a specialized version of its ETV electric pallet jack designed for deep-freeze logistics and cold storage warehouses. Standard electric forklifts face two critical failures in sub-zero environments: condensation forming on electronic sensors causes short circuits, and the electrolyte in lead-acid batteries freezes or loses capacity, forcing operators to swap batteries every 4 hours.
The new "Arctic Line" pallet jack features a complete galvanic isolation of the control handle and sensors. The printed circuit boards (PCBs) are coated in a military-grade silicone conformal coating and housed in a nitrogen-purged, heated compartment within the chassis. This prevents the rapid temperature changes that occur when moving from a -30°C freezer to a 20°C loading dock from causing condensation on the electronics.
Furthermore, the hydraulic system utilizes a specialized synthetic fluid with a pour point of -50°C. In standard trucks, hydraulic oil thickens in the cold, causing the lift motor to overheat and the lift speed to drop. The Arctic Line maintains full lift speed even at -35°C. The traction battery is equipped with an active heating mat that keeps the battery core at an optimal 25°C, ensuring the truck delivers full power throughout the entire shift without the need for mid-shift battery changes. By engineering the truck from the ground up for extreme cold, KION is eliminating the downtime and electronic failures that plague standard equipment in the frozen food industry.
