07.05.2025

Converted telehandler goes on trial

Telehandler manufacturer Manitou and French international rental group Kiloutou are working with Bouygues Construction Matériel on the first real life trial of their ‘retrofit telehandler’, a used diesel telehandler that has been converted to battery electric power. This is the start of the second stage in the partnership that they initiated in early 2023.

The first machine is currently working on Europe's largest hospital construction site in Nantes, with the active participation of Equans France, another subsidiary of the Bouygues group. It is the first time such a machines has gone to work on real work on a real construction site and will enable the three partners to evaluate the viability of what they believe is a sustainable and circular solution.

From this site, the machine will move on to four more months of testing at two other sites to assess various applications and site conditions, while gather valuable feedback from different operators and site managers in order to evaluate the machine’s in terms of safety, battery life, ergonomics, and charging times etc….

Feedback gathered so far show strong satisfaction performance and with the charging method, as well as cab comfort, sufficient battery life for the application and the fact that an hours opportunity charging can input 25 percent to the battery pack, which can operate for more than three hours without interruption.

Manitou chief executive Michel Denis said: “This testing phase, focused on user needs and expectations, is very important to validate this electrification kit. Initial feedback from the construction site is very encouraging, with performance largely comparable to a combustion engine, combined with a significant reduction in noise and zero carbon emissions. We still have a few months of testing to solidify our confidence, but the project is truly promising. We share the same conviction with Kiloutou, and we confidently envision the potential of retrofitting, in line with our commitment to making the circular economy a cornerstone of our CSR strategy.”

Kiloutou president Olivier Colleau added: “For several years, Kiloutou has been committed to contributing to the acceleration of the environmental transition. This retrofitting project, carried out with our partner Manitou, fully aligns with our roadmap to reduce our CO2 emissions, particularly indirect emissions, by approximately 25% by 2030. The full scale test in Nantes will help advance the project, with a view to potentially considering a wider-scale deployment, if the test results continue to prove conclusive.”