Lead Acid Batteries for Heavy-Duty Vehicles: More Than Just a Start

Industrial strength lead acid batteries have established a 40-year record of reliability as the preferred power source for underground mining vehicles. Building on that success, Lead Industries Association (LIA) and its members have moved the lead-based power packs into the airports of the world. The new and growing market: battery-powered ground support vehicles, which maneuver and service airliners both on the tarmac and at the gate.

Now LIA is sponsoring another new development that is expected to open a third major market for heavy duty electric vehicles - the use of battery-powered yard tractors to handle semi-trailers in dockside, warehouse, piggyback and terminal settings. Working evaluations of an LIA-sponsored prototype indicate that the electric vehicles can operate at significantly lower cost than that of conventional yard tractors.