Kohler engine gives Cela powerful hybrid

At an event in June called Demo Days engine manufacturer, Kohler, demonstrated its commitment to investing in a diverse energy future, providing solutions that meet different customer needs and showcasing stories from some of the customers who have chosen Kohler for quality, performance, and economic and environmental sustainability.

Nino De Giglio, director of marketing communications and channel management at Kohler Engines said, “The growth that Kohler Engines has experienced in recent years is the result of tremendous work and close collaboration that has led our customers to becoming true partners, with whom to strengthen value propositions and gain access to different market segments, and to share resources such as expertise and infrastructure.

“Demo Days was designed precisely with this intent,” he said.

One such customer is aerial platform manufacturer Cela. Cela chose Kohler engines for reliability, power and efficiency – features that can give even better performance to its machines, enabling operators to work in a more efficient, optimised and environmentally friendly manner. The combination of Cela’s technological ability and the Kohler engines creates added value for Cela’s customers, ensuring that they receive leading-edge solutions.

Aldo Arcari, Cela plant manager said, “When we chose Kohler, the decision was driven by two main requirements: wanting to create the first large tracked platform that did not require an after-treatment system and wanting to create the first large tracked platform that had truly low emissions.

“This perfect match was conceived by Cela and Kohler, and it was expressed in the first hybrid engine we installed on our spiders, or 28 and 30m dual telescopic boom tracked platforms, called Spyder DT28 and DT30,”Arcari said.

The Spyder Hybrid is equipped with a compact 18kW Kohler diesel engine, hybridised with an electric engine that can draw energy from a powerful lithium-ion battery: it is K-HEM 1003, Stage V compliant and DPF-free, and can provide more than 30kW of peak power without the need for exhaust after-treatment systems. This way ordinary maintenance is simplified, downtime is minimised and engine life cycle is extended.

Not only does the electric boost of up to 15kW allow the average power output of endothermic operations to be lowered (downsizing), but when low endothermic power is required, Kohler-Cela’s Hybrid electric generation comes into play: the power unit allows the battery to be recharged, providing the operator with an optimised, contingency-free workday.

Cela Hybrid Spyder has a wide-range engine that is adequate for use in even the most demanding situations. It aims to be the key to upgrading existing, less versatile, and more polluting platforms. This prototype created jointly by Cela and Kohler is said to be a cutting-edge concept that will soon be industrialised.