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HUA-X battery project reference / Chicago, Illinois, United States

Heated Lithium Packs Reduce Battery Changes in a Chicago Cold Store

A Chicago cold-chain centre equipped 22 forklifts with heated lithium packs and opportunity charging, removing routine battery swaps from its three-shift operation.

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A parked forklift with a visible battery enclosure inside a cold-storage warehouse.
Illustrative project scene.

Battery changes interrupted a three-shift workflow

A Chicago cold-chain centre operated forklifts in a −25°C store. Its previous 48 V, 625 Ah lead-acid batteries lost about 40% of capacity under the cold operating conditions. Trucks had to leave the store for a battery change, with each journey taking eight minutes and total disruption reaching 40 minutes per truck per day.

The project focused on keeping trucks in service across shifts while using existing meal and handover breaks for charging.

Heating and opportunity charging worked together

The 22 trucks received 400 Ah lithium packs with integrated heating for their 48 V forklift platform. In the project's −25°C assessment, the batteries delivered 92% of rated capacity.

Fifteen-kilowatt chargers were used during meal and shift-change breaks. A twenty-minute charging stop restored 18% in the recorded operating cycle. The fleet no longer needed its routine battery-exchange process, and the former change room became spare-parts storage.

Results over fourteen months

After fourteen months, average battery state of health across the fleet was 96.8%. The project recorded 21% lower electricity consumption and annual electricity-cost savings of US$11,400.

The operational benefit came from the combination of a battery suited to the cold environment and charging windows already present in the work schedule. The installation changed the workflow as well as the energy-storage technology.

Project FAQ

Questions about this project reference

Configuration, application and operating conditions for this project.

What enabled the batteries to serve the −25°C cold store?
This project used a configuration with integrated heating and assessed it in the cold-store duty. The measured result was 92% of rated capacity at −25°C. That outcome belongs to the heated configuration and its operating arrangement; it should not be applied to an unheated lithium pack with a similar energy rating.
Was a twenty-minute stop enough to fully charge a forklift?
No. The recorded stop restored 18% in the project's operating cycle. Meal and handover breaks supplied useful increments of energy through the day, replacing the former battery-exchange routine. Their effectiveness depended on energy consumed between breaks, charger access and the battery's charging conditions.
What did fourteen months of operation show?
After fourteen months, average battery state of health across the twenty-two trucks was 96.8%. The fleet also recorded a 21% reduction in electricity use. These are results for that observation period and operating schedule; they do not establish the batteries' complete service life.

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