Many have witnessed Vanair’s new EPEQTM Electrified Power Equipment lineup at recent trade shows. But if you’ve yet to SEE IT, you’re in luck. WE chatted with Chip Jones, Vanair’s strategic accounts manager, to learn more about the lineup, and we’re here to report back.
MWS: ELECTRIFICATION OF VEHICLES HAS BEEN A HOT TOPIC FOR SEVERAL YEARS NOW. BUT WHAT MADE VANAIR® DECIDE TO DEVELOP ELECTRIC MOBILE POWER SOLUTIONS SUCH AS AIR COMPRESSORS, GENERATORS, ETCETERA?
JONES: Vanair® has a long history of being the innovator in Mobile Power Solutions®, so as the industry moves to electrification it was a logical next step. The technology has finally caught up to the demands, which allowed our team to develop what we feel is worthy equipment of the Vanair name. We didn’t want to simply build a compressor with limited air output and limited runtime—we know how end users use our equipment, and we’ve geared the EPEQ™ Electrified Power Equipment™ lineup to customer needs with up to 185 CFM of Clean, Quiet, Power.™
MWS: HOW DOES THE VANAIR ELECTRIC LINEUP DIFFER FROM VANAIR’S LINEUP OF CONVENTIONAL MOBILE POWER SOLUTIONS?
JONES: The main difference between the Electrified and the conventional products is that we replaced all combustion engines with Lithium-Ion Phosphate (LiFePO4) batteries; otherwise, the EPEQ Electrified Power Equipment product group follows closely to our current lineup in terms of markets and customers that we have worked with for 50 years. For example, on our electric air compressor lineup, we have sized compressors for 5 CFM to 185 CFM, knowing what our traditional markets need. A fleet running small vans that needs a small amount of air occasionally can use our EPEQ Air5 Oil-free compressor, whereas our traditional utility customers are looking for 185 CFM of airflow. Our traditional equipment and fleet service customers will do great with our EPEQ Air20 or Air45 compressors.
We’ve also expanded our lineup to follow our core products—but in an electrified capacity. We now offer mobile electric vehicle charging through our EPEQ line, which lends itself to our electrification progress, but also ties into our history of vehicle starting via our Goodall® product line. We released our lithium powered welder which lends itself to our Air N Arc® ALL-IN-ONE Power System® product history. Vanair has become the industry leader for these markets, so we knew that when we released the EPEQ Electrified Power Equipment product category that it had to reflect our core values and expectations that our customers have come to expect from us.
MWS: WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF ELECTRIC MOBILE POWER SOLUTIONS THAT CONVENTIONAL MOBILE POWER SOLUTIONS DON’T HAVE?
JONES: There are many benefits to electric mobile power solutions when compared to traditional power sources. With the EPEQ systems we have cut out combustion engines, so when installed in a van or enclosed body there’s a nearly 60% noise reduction and no exhaust to contend with. The maintenance required is greatly reduced by removing the combustion engine, as well, and of course there are idle mitigation and fuel savings benefits. There will always be a need for more traditional combustion, PTO, and hydraulic driven components, and we have positioned ourselves to offer solutions no matter the need.
MWS: WHAT TYPE OF WORK TRUCK FLEET WOULD BEST BENEFIT FROM VANAIR’S ELECTRIC LINE OF WORK TRUCK ACCESSORIES?
JONES: The biggest benefits of the EPEQ Electrified Power Equipment products will be for fleets currently running vans or enclosed bodies due to the Clean, Quiet, Power that the lineup brings to the market. Electric vehicles will also be a great fit for our electrified products. Vanair offers the safest Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) batteries with patented technologies. We can power traditional PTO-driven components including our air compressors and hydraulic drive packages via our EPEQ system, rather than having a traditional PTO driven by the chassis engine.
MWS: WHAT’S ON THE HORIZON FOR THE ELECTRIC LINE? CAN WE EXPECT TO SEE ADDITIONAL PRODUCTS SOON?
JONES: We’re just getting started in our EPEQ Electrified Power Equipment offerings! We wanted to release our standard “off the shelf” options, which are currently available, and get the patents processed for our new technologies. We have several innovative and industry-changing projects in the works beyond what has already been released—stay tuned!
MWS: ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS?
JONES: Vanair is celebrating our 50th Anniversary in 2022, and the EPEQ Electrified Power Equipment product group really demonstrates our intention to continue to be the leader in innovation. The EPEQ lineup reflects years of development and testing. The end users of these products will be most amazed at the ease of use and well-planned technology that has gone into its development. Components are modular to fit any need and, most importantly, have been developed for the specific needs of work truck customers. Efficiency across the board is key when working with battery technologies, and our engineers have made usage and duty cycle a top priority for our products. We will be demonstrating our products across the country, and people will be amazed at what we’ve accomplished with these new products.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Chip Jones is the strategic accounts manager for Vanair. Find out more about Vanair and its EPEQTM Electrified Power Equipment™, visit www.epeq.com.
