Forklift manufacturer Jungheinrich have launched a new electric-powered pallet truck.

The pedestrian controlled EME 114 is extremely compact (450mm front section)  so can be easily manoeuvred in tight spaces.

It is powered by two maintenance-free, 12 volt gel batteries and can transport pallets and loads weighing well over a tonne. It is capable of travelling at five km/h and can climb gradients of up to eight percent unladen or five percent laden.

In developing the new truck, Jungheinrich’s engineers also developed a tailored energy management system. The EME 114 comes with a built-in charger that can be plugged into any 13amp socket as standard.

A new TV advert will show bikers with flashing neon signs attached to their bikes.  The signs show the rider’s name and describe personality traits such as ’shy retiring type’ or ‘new dad’.  The voiceover at the end asks drivers to look out for motorcyclists next time they’re out driving.

Road Safety Minister Paul Clark recently launched the new £3.5 million campaign. It marks a radical departure for THINK! after research showed drivers are more likely to notice motorcyclists on the roads if they personally know a biker.

Three friends – Stuart Colvin, Steve Hare and Steve Golding – have driven a Forklift from John O’ Groats to Lands End in order to raise money for charity. To date they have raised more than £15,000 for Cancer Research.

The truck, a Jungheinrich 4s Series diesel-powered counterbalanced hydrostatic model, left John O’Groats on February 25th and reached Land’s End just four days later – despite encountering severe weather in the Scottish Highlands. Stuart, Steve and Steve took turns to operate the truck in four hour ‘shifts’.

The challenge was undertaken in memory of their friend Tim Frankham, who died of a brain tumor in May 2009.

Stuart Colvin commented: “Over the years people have walked – in some cases naked – run, skateboarded and bussed their way from John O’Groats to Land’s End so we wanted to come up with a different way of making the journey in memory of Tim. Tim was an inspiration to many with his courage and positive outlook. As part of his treatment, Tim received a new Chemotherapy drug which extended his life by a year and we aim to raise at least the amount it cost to provide this treatment.”

If you would like to donate to ‘Team Tim’ go to http://www.justgiving.com/teamtim2010 for more information.