What is an electric tugger

What is an electric tugger

An electric tugger is any battery-powered device employed in the efficient handling of materials. The use of electric tuggers serves to increase productivity, reduce costs, and minimize workplace injuries. Electric tuggers possess high load capacity, modern power systems, and extensive logistic, manufacturing, healthcare, and retail applications.

Definition and Purpose

An electric tugger is a battery-powered transport device. Taking the ordinary electric tugger as an example, its towing capacity ranges from 500 kg to 25 tons.

The quantity that can be handled daily by a medium-sized warehouse is about 800 tons of goods. Conventional hand trucks can handle the efficiency of only about 30 tons per hour. Now, adding an electric tugger with the capacity to bear the load of up to 3 tons reduces transportation time for every trip from 15 to 5 minutes and increases the amount of goods to be handled per hour to over 100 tons, increasing the general efficiency by about 70%. It has a battery life of 6 to 12 hours. Learn more about the advantages here.

Generally, electric tuggers are fitted with anti-slip tires, intelligent braking systems, and emergency stop buttons. According to one study in the industry, electric tuggers in workplaces will see around a 40% reduction in the rate of accidents.

The initial cost of electric tuggers, however, runs from 20,000 to 100,000 yuan, depending on how big the towing capacity is. For a 3-ton load-carrying capacity tugger, it requires an estimated 5,000 yuan annually to maintain the battery and charge it, while saving more than 60% compared with using fuel. Save the company over 20,000 yuan month in and month out in labor costs. Data shows that the payback in investment for the equipment is within 12-18 months while serving for 5-10 years in service.

Power Source

In the design of electric tuggers, a set of lead-acid batteries costs between 1,000 and 5,000 yuan. Although much cheaper, it has relatively low energy density and its service life is up to an average of 3 to 5 years. While lithium batteries are expensive—per set of 5,000 to 20,000 yuan—they boast high energy density, with a cycle life of over 2,000 cycles. Discover how electric tugs save costs.

It would also explain that a standard tugger with a 24V 150Ah lead-acid battery works uninterruptedly for 6 to 8 hours, while advanced, superior-quality products equipped with 48V 300Ah lithium battery units work for over 12 uninterrupted hours, improving efficiency by around 30% in the logistical industry.

The charging efficiency of lead-acid batteries, which cost 2 to 5 yuan per charge, ranges between 60% and 80%, while lithium-ion batteries have a charging efficiency of more than 90%. Their average charge falls between 1 to 3 yuan, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by about 20%. Replacing with lithium-ion batteries saves energy costs by an average of 15%.

The BMS in the electric tugger monitors the battery voltage, current, and temperature in real time to prevent overcharge/over-discharge, prolonging its service life and enhancing its safety. A manufacturing enterprise using BMS technology reduced downtimes due to battery failure by 40%. Fast-charging models can charge up to 80% in 20 minutes.

Load Capacity

The small ones range from 500 kg to 1 ton for entry-level electric tuggers, while for the industrial grades, it ranges from 5 to 25 tons. A very fine example is that of a medium-sized warehouse tugger; its maximum towing capacity is 2 tons and increased efficiency by about 70%. Learn more about durability here.

In heavy-load industrial applications, some heavy-duty electric tuggers are designed to tow material carts exceeding 20 tons. In a large automotive factory that moves approximately 500 tons of parts daily, a 15-ton capacity electric tugger completes the task in just 4 hours, reduces work hours by about 2 hours, and lowers operational costs by approximately 20%.

Tuggers with 1.5 kW motors normally handle 1 to 3 tons of load, while tuggers with 3 kW or bigger motors can manage up to 10 tons. Using an electric tugger in high-intensity cargo handling could reduce the rate of accidents by 45%.

Smooth grounds ensure maximum load-carrying capability, but on ramps and rough surfaces, it usually decreases about 20% to 30%. High-class models are also fitted with traction control systems which automatically adjust driving force. Therefore, they are capable of towing a load of 3 tons upwards through 15-degree slopes.

Applications

Electric tuggers in logistics centers carry out high-frequency cargo transportation operations and are able to tow over 5 tons of goods with increased transportation efficiency by about 50%. For example, an international logistics company increased the amount of cargo it handles every day from 800 tons to 1,200 tons, reducing operation time by 30% by using electric tuggers.

Manufacturing: With a 3-ton capacity electric tugger, for instance, one electronic factory can make more than 200 trips daily. Travel time came down from 20 to 8 minutes. Savings approximated at about 5,000 hours per year. Along with productivity, it cut down material loss due to manual handling, saving almost 150,000 yuan yearly.

In the medical field, electric tuggers make it easier for nurses to move around hospital beds, increasing the number of beds moved per day from 10 to 40—a 300% increase in efficiency. In addition, the equipment is quiet-operating at less than 60 decibels—and allows the hospital to remain a peaceful place.

An international airport introduced 10 electric tuggers with a 10-ton load capacity, reducing baggage handling time from an average of 40 minutes to 25 minutes, saving over 2 million euros in annual operating costs. Explore how they improve ground operations here.

In the retail sector, a large supermarket chain using electric tuggers reduced stocking time by 50%, from 2 hours to 1 hour per session, saving over 300,000 yuan annually in labor costs.

Cost and Efficiency

The general selling price of electric tuggers ranges between 20,000 to 150,000 yuan. By loading 2 tons of low-end units, the price goes up to approximately 30,000 yuan, and by loading 10 tons of the high-end model equipped with lithium batteries and rapid charging, the maximum price is reached at 120,000 yuan. Discover the reasons here.

As for the operational cost, the single charge of a lead-acid battery costs 5 to 10 yuan, while lithium batteries cost 3 to 8 yuan per charge. Using 8 hours daily, the monthly electricity cost ranges from 300 to 500 yuan, saving operational costs by about 75% and reducing the average cost of transportation by 30%.

Besides cost efficiency, electric tuggers have overwhelming efficiency benefits. A 3-ton-capacity tugger can make 10 to 15 cargo transport trips per hour, while manual handling achieves only 30% efficiency compared to that. For example, one logistics company has deployed 5 electric tuggers and increased daily cargo handling from 1,500 tons to 2,000 tons, with a total efficiency increase of 33%. Moreover, electric tuggers only have a relatively low cost for maintenance of 1,000 to 3,000 yuan per year, as compared with more than 10,000 yuan for fuel-powered ones.

Lead-acid batteries for electric tuggers can support a usage cycle of 3 to 5 years, while lithium batteries support over 8 years. In a 3-year use cycle, the all-in cost for electric tuggers can be as much as 50% lower compared to similar fuel-powered equipment, with work efficiency improved by 20% to 40%.

The payback period for electric tuggers is generally 12 to 18 months, with some high-efficiency models realizing a return on investment of more than 200%.

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