German manufacturer Mona Motors, has launched an all new, all electric 2,700kg/6.3m telehandler, the Mona Nova, aimed at the agricultural market.
The young company believes that the greatest benefits of such machines will be for those farms that generate their own power, either solar or wind, gaining the maximum savings over running a diesel equivalent.
The new Mona Nova
Mona says that the Mona Nova has been designed from the ground up as an electric machine and as such uses a 54kW drive system plus a separate 26kW drive for the hydraulics, with power coming from an 80 volt, 46 kWh LiFePO4 battery that can either be charged at a wall-box or via its standard onboard charger.
We have yet to see a final specification, but features include a fully integrated telematics system and ‘Mona Connect’ app, allowing the farmer to check the battery’s charge level and adjust charging to match the farm’s energy use and its own power generation. Software updates can be installed over the air without a service visit. Air conditioning and a heated seat are a couple of nice additions. The company’s website quotes a list price of €95,081- including VAT.
A statement from Mona said: “Electric drive can be economically attractive where annual operating hours are high. A conventional telehandler can consume about eight litres of diesel per operating hour, or around 6,000 litres a year at 750 operating hours, while under comparable conditions the Nova would average about 12.5kWh per operating hour, though any saving depends on diesel and electricity prices.”
A 233kWh energy storage/ system can recharge the telehandler Company background
Mona Motors is based in Bad-Walsee, north of Ravensburg in Baden-Württemberg, southern Germany and was established in late 2023 by Christoph Neyer and Mona Céline Lindenmeyer as a spin out from agricultural equipment distributor Neyer Landtechnik, which has been owned by Christoph Neyer since 2018 when he took over from his father as the sixth generation of family owner/managers at the 190 year old company.
Neyer has a technical background and also worked with global management consultants Bain & Co for a couple of years. Since taking over the company, he says that his main passion was to create a manufacturing company, which became a reality in 2023, with Mona Motors, starting with small electric wheeled loaders. It also produces specialist battery systems.
The company is also unusual in that it employs a significant number of highly educated and skilled Indian origin engineers and advanced technicians who have studied at major institutions in both India and Germany.
Vertikal Comment
We had never heard of this company until this week but it does appear to have gained a decent following among farmers and specialist companies across Germany. Its marketing is also quite dynamic and innovative.
Looking in from the outside, it appears to be a really good young company, full of ideas and not held back by excessive corporatism or baggage.
The fact that it has achieved so much in such a short space of time, indicates that it is well funded and dynamic. Certainly, one to watch.
It also highlights how the telehandler market might well be changing. Until now, it was notoriously difficult for outsiders to break into, as even giants like Caterpillar, Volvo and Case discovered. Yet now we see Chinese companies beginning to take some business, along with start ups like this. We only need to look to the car market to see how rapidly things can change these days.
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