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Feature Article: Whither the LSV? A
Concept in Search of a Wider Market

Talk of electric and hybrid/electric vehicles has reached something of a crescendo as gas prices galloped past the $4.00/gallon threshold.  The recent receding of this energy cost tidal wave, most agree, is but a prelude to the next price surge against the levees of our wallets and pocketbooks.  In the context of this and a slowing economy, Innovation Times would like to explore the future of what has been called the low-speed vehicle.  It is especially pertinent as the LSV is on the verge of a significant extension with regard to its functional definition, operational scope, and an expanded market. .

Feature Article: 2008 IUV Technology Conference Special Report

A secluded golf resort in Lincolnshire, Illinois served as the venue for this year’s IUV Technology Conference. Members of the industry gathered on September 16-17 to hear about the emerging new technologies in design and engineering for “a challenging world.”

Sponsors for this year’s conference included Curtis Instruments, a world-leading manufacturer of instrumentation and controls for off-road electric and hybrid vehicles; SICK, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of sensors, safety systems and automatic identification products for industrial applications; and Thomas Equipment, Inc., manufacturer and distributor of Skid Steer and Mini Skid Steer loaders for industrial and construction applications.

Feature Article: Introduction to Vehicle Management Systems

Powered industrial trucks are the workhorses of material handling operations and managing them effectively has its challenges. Lift truck accidents are the second leading cause of fatalities in the private sector (highway vehicles being the first), according to OSHA.† Also, operator labor represents the largest single cost component of material handling operations and a fleet of industrial vehicles is very expensive to acquire and maintain. Vehicle management can help control these and other safety, productivity and damage issues that are so common in fleets.

The fundamental starting place is vehicle access control, or restricting who can operate your trucks. Since it’s impossible for your industrial vehicle operators to keep dozens of keys in their pockets, inevitably keys are always left in trucks’ ignitions. That means anyone can operate the trucks at any time with little, if any, accountability.

Correction Notice: September/October 2008

Due to an editing error within the print edition of our September/October 2008 issue, one of the two illustrations within the Innovation Times column by Stephen Metzger (page 3) was inadvertently omitted. To view the full article and its correct illustrations, please visit: http://www.iuvmag.com/articles/2008_09_metzger_correction.pdf and refer to the corrected first chart. We apologize for any inconvenience.