Yale Lift Truck Technologies

Yale® ERP-VTL/VFL integrated lithium-ion forklifts

The ERP-VTL/VFL series stands out as a forward-thinking solution in lift truck design, integrating lithium-ion power from the ground up rather than as an afterthought. The approach eliminates emissions and reduces energy costs along with enhancing operator ergonomics, stability, and overall productivity. By optimizing the form factor for lithium-ion technology, this series delivers a seamless, factory-backed alternative to aftermarket retrofits—offering efficiency, reliability, and a superior user experience.”

E+E Leader Judge

The 4,000-pound capacity three-wheel ERP040VTL and four-wheel ERP040VFL lift trucks from Yale Lift Truck Technologies are designed around a fully-integrated lithium-ion battery pack, offering ergonomic benefits along with fast charging and no battery maintenance. The truck’s ergonomic design and power features can help increase productivity by up to 5% based on VDI 2198, a standard for comparing technical details of industrial trucks. The three- and four-wheel configurations make these trucks suitable for a wide variety of indoor and outdoor operations in 3PL and warehousing, retail and e-commerce, and food and beverage distribution.

The physical design of the truck represents a major departure from traditional sit-down counterbalanced forklifts. Rather than a battery box replacement, in which standard counterbalanced lift trucks have a lithium-ion battery pack retrofit into the existing, standard lift truck design, the ERP-VTL/VFL series was designed from the ground up around the slim form factor of the lithium-ion battery pack. This ground-up approach results in a design with meaningful benefits to operators compared to competitive trucks, including:

Lower center of gravity for enhanced drive quality when turning
More spacious operator compartment for easy ingress and egress
Open cab design for seated comfort and convenience
Ample floor space for freedom to position feet during operation

In addition to those ergonomic benefits, factory availability of lithium-ion lift truck power offers warehouses a simpler option compared to a retrofit, which requires jumping through the hoops of identifying, purchasing and installing all necessary aftermarket components for a battery box replacement. The ERP-VTL and VFL lift trucks offer a hassle-free way to reap the benefits of lithium-ion power, including:

Fast charging, capable of fully charging in 45 minutes or less
Opportunity charging, which enables operators to charge batteries during breaks to power through all-day operation
Zero tailpipe emissions
No off-gassing during battery charging and no battery maintenance
No need to buy and store extra batteries to keep trucks moving while depleted ones charge
Lower energy costs, with users moving from a battery box lead-acid solution to integrated lithium-ion power seeing up to 5-10% energy savings

Recognizes physical technologies and hardware designed to improve sustainability and efficiency in corporate, building, or campus environments.

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Yale Lift Truck Technologies

"The ERP-VTL/VFL series stands out as a forward-thinking solution in lift truck design, integrating lithium-ion power from the ground up rather than as an afterthought. By optimizing the form factor for lithium-ion technology, this series delivers a seamless, factory-backed alternative to aftermarket retrofits—offering efficiency, reliability, and a superior user experience."

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