The Elise 900 is billed as the world’s only battery-powered skid steer loader and it is now available in the UK.

The Elise 900 comes in two versions, varying only in battery size. With a larger 400Ah battery in can lift 1400 kg ad run for eight hours; with a smaller 240Ah battery, lift capacity is 900 kg and run time six hours.

It is made in Slovakia by Kovaco Electric Company.

It can be operated either the conventional way, with the driver sitting in the cab manipulating two joysticks, or by remote control.

A two-joystick remote controller is available as an option but Kovaco suggests using a standard smart phone as the remote controller and dashboard. The Kovaco Electric mobile phone application is available to download from the internet.

This means a smart phone can also be used as the dashboard when operating inside the cab. The display shows the speed at which the hydraulics and forward motion are set at (4 speeds), bucket self-levelling operations, battery usage and life as well as the two joystick control function when in remote mode.

The Elise 900 has a proprietary self-levelling platform providing four hydraulic speeds that works in conjunction with a series of gyro-sensors. Maximum tilt angle is 47 degrees.