EPSILON – part of an innovative vehicle concept for the City of London
The City of London has committed to significantly increasing safety for its pedestrians and cyclists in 2016. In addition to the construction of new cycle paths and pedestrian crossings, new options for the municipal vehicle fleet are also being implemented for the first time.
Prototyp presentation in London
Back in February, London-based municipal service provider J B Riney presented a corresponding prototype during a live demonstration at London's Aldgate gyratory. The basic vehicle is a Mercedes Econic 8x4, supplemented by a Charlton tipper body and an M135L clamshell grabber crane from EPSILON. The vehicle was developed and delivered by body manufacturer, Charltons (part of the Thompsons UK group) – a long-standing partner of PALFINGER's UK dealer, T H White.
The safety concept of Mercedes Econic
In particular, its comprehensive safety concept makes the Mercedes Econic the ideal basic vehicle for use in urban areas. The generous panoramic windscreen, the low frame and the fully glazed folding doors ensure a particularly generous field of vision, even in narrow street canyons. In addition, the unusually low position of the driver's seat allows the driver to make eye contact with pedestrians and cyclists in potentially hazardous areas. The range cameras all around the vehicle further improve the driver's view.
EPSILON and Econic – an accomplished combination for municipal use
To ensure optimum safety conditions during both driving and loading, the customer chose to mount a PALFINGER EPSILON M135L crane with double telescope. The crane's superb reach of over 8 metres reduces the amount of manoeuvring with the truck, and therefore the on-site space requirements, to an absolute minimum. With the help of PALFINGER's HPLS (High Power Lifting System), the already substantial lifting capacity of the crane can be temporarily increased by up to 20%. Furthermore, the crane is equipped with a second control stand that ensures the driver always has good visibility, even in restricted spaces. If work is taking place in a larger area, the driver also has the option of controlling the crane remotely. The state-of-the-art Paltronic 50 control enables particularly sensitive operation, as it continuously analyses the data from the crane's own pressure and position sensors, thereby providing optimum support to the crane operator.
At the vehicle presentation in Aldgate, London, Michael Welbank, Chairman of the Planning and Transportation Committee at the City London Corporation, told the assembled audience: "We are taking the issue of safety on our roads very seriously, which is why we have opted to use this new vehicle body. We welcome anything that increases the driver's field of vision and therefore contributes to the prevention of accidents."
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