03.02.2023

Manitou and Kiloutou to electrify used telehandlers

Manitou and French, international rental group Kiloutou have signed a partnership agreement to convert used diesel telehandlers to battery electric power.

The first phase of the project will begin this year at Manitou’s Ancenis facility where it will install a battery electric retrofit kit to a “high reach” Kiloutou telehandler. The machine will then ship to Kiloutou’s test centre in Lille where a full test programme will be carried out to evaluate it both for technical and economic feasibility.
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A retrofitted Kiloutou telehandler

Assuming that the test programme is positive, Manitou will provide retrofit electrification kits to Kiloutou for an exclusive 12 month period from the start of 2024.

The kits will essentially use a lithium-ion battery pack to power a large electric motor which will drive the pumps in place of the diesel engine. Kiloutou expects that most of the units to be retrofitted during 2024 will have an average age of five years, they will then go back into the rental company’s French rental fleet.
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Manitou chief executive Michel Denis said: “We are currently rolling out our choice of low emission machines in our Oxygen range. We were also looking for an alternative to our internal combustion machines that are already in operation, to take the next step in this direction. Kiloutou is particularly open to this kind of solution, so we will be working together to create retrofit kits. The goal is to extend our products’ useful life and at the same time shrink our carbon footprint.”
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Michel Denis Manitou (L) with François Renault of Kiloutou

Kiloutou group fleet and sustainability director François Renault added: “At Kiloutou, we firmly believe that decarbonising the construction and civil engineering sector will take a team effort. This project with Manitou is that principle in practice and shows that we are committed to the same goals. The possibility of giving machines in our fleet a second life, and lowering their emissions, is a key lever in our drive to reduce our indirect emissions. We are working particularly hard these days to fast-track this circular-economy solution.”