A lithium tugger swaps its battery instead of standing on a charger, which is the whole point when a machine has to work across back to back shifts. Every unit on this page runs a lithium iron phosphate pack that recharges far faster than the AGM equivalent, reports its state of charge to a phone over Bluetooth, and lifts off the machine so a fresh pack goes on in seconds.
The line runs from the compact 1061 Lithium at 1,500 lb through the 1061-HD Lithium at 2,000 lb and the 1065 Lithium at 5,000 lb on casters, up to the AC Tugger 25K Plus Lithium at 25,000 lb. All four are pedestrian operated, all four hitch to the carts you already own, and all are built in the USA by Electro Kinetic Technologies.
Running a single shift and parking the machine overnight? The AGM versions cost less and charge while nobody is there, so start at electric tuggers instead. Spare packs and the charging station are sold separately.
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Lithium costs more up front than AGM, so the honest answer is that it pays for itself on hours, not on preference. If your tugger runs one shift a day and sits on a charger overnight, an AGM machine does the same work for less money. If the machine has to keep moving through a second or a third shift, the swappable pack is what makes that possible, because an operator changes the pack in seconds instead of parking the tugger for four hours.
The other case is a big site. When the charging point is a long walk from where the work happens, a dead pack costs you the walk twice. The battery management system on these units warns the operator with a light and a tone before the pack runs down, so the swap happens at a sensible moment rather than in the middle of a delivery.
EK Tech uses lithium iron phosphate cells, not the chemistry found in consumer electronics. They carry UN38.3 certification, so they travel globally with no special packaging. They hold their rated capacity whatever the rate of discharge, they charge around six times faster than lead acid, and with the management system calling for a recharge at the 80 percent discharge point they can last many times longer than an AGM or gel pack. Disposal impact is low.
Every pack reports over Bluetooth to a phone app, so a supervisor can see the state of charge across a fleet without walking the floor.
Pull ratings on this page are for loads on casters over a smooth level floor. Real pull depends on the casters under your carts, the floor surface and any ramps on the route, so treat the number as a starting point rather than a promise. Give us the weight of the heaviest cart you actually move, the floor it rolls on and the grade of any ramp, and we will confirm the model with the factory before you order.
Hitching is the other half of the job. The Pony Express hitch and hook system is exchangeable across the line, so one tugger can serve carts of several shapes, and EK Tech builds a custom hitch when a cart needs one. Browse tugger hitches and couplers or send us photos of your carts and we will spec it with the machine.
21-day in-facility trial · Refundable $250 deposit · You pay freight only
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