Iseki lawn tractors to integrate Forsee Power’s Zen 8 Slim battery system

Forsee Power, the French designer and manufacturer of smart battery systems, has announced that Iseki – Japan’s major agricultural machinery manufacturing company – has chosen to equip its first electric lawn tractor with Forsee Power’s battery systems. The SXGE2 mower will integrate Forsee’s Zen 8 Slim, a versatile and ultra-slim battery pack that was specifically developed to service the off-highway market.

The SXGE2 was introduced last December and will make its debut this year in Europe, where environmental regulations are driving fast electrification of machinery. The SXGE2 design is based on the Iseki’s diesel-engine version SXG216 tractor.

Each Iseki mower will integrate a single Zen 8 Slim battery pack, vertically positioned, and located in the motor block at the front of the vehicle. The battery pack embeds 8 kWh, Forsee Power notes, “allowing operations for landscapers who can enjoy low vibration and low noise with performance equivalent to that of a diesel engine.”

Iseki, in addition to selling its own branded products in Japan and Europe, notes that it also supplies Agco’s Massey Ferguson with branded products on an OEM basis.

Some specifics on the Forsee Power Zen 8 Slim battery:

• The batteries are 128mm thin and can be integrated in both vertical and horizontal positions (an asset to electrify vehicles designed for thermal engine powertrain).
• Zen 8 Slim is modular and scalable – it’s possible to install up to 32 modules total in series and parallel, supporting combinations ranging from 48V/8kWh up to 800V/250kWh (with future upgrades up to 800V/1.2MWh).
• It includes 48V and 72V modules as well as a 48V pack with its own integrated BMS.
• It offer an energy density of 251 Wh/ L, to ensure all-day operations with a single charge.
• It’s a long-life product with 5,000 cycles, IP67 for air and water resistance.

Forsee Power battery systems are designed by Forsee Power and manufactured in Europe, Asia-Pacific and soon in North America. In 2022, the company announced that it is establishing its North American headquarters and a battery systems gigafactory in Columbus, Ohio – the company reports that its aim is to achieve production capacity of 3 GWh in the United States by 2027.