The CS7000 sweeper-scrubber from Nilfisk-Advance, Plymouth, Minn., can use a variety of hybrid drives — LP gas/electric or diesel/electric — for power. There’s also an all-electric version. And it uses electric motors to eliminate most of the hydraulics commonly used on traditional ride-on cleaning equipment.
The hybrid version uses liquid propane or a diesel engine to drive a high-capacity ac-brushless alternator which is hooked to a 36-V battery pack. The batteries’ primary purposes are to provide supplemental peak load sharing and to keep the machine working for a short time in case the engine fails. The 36-V power drives the ac motors for steering and propulsion, while dc motors propel the sweepers and scrubbers. All the motors are IP55 wash-down rated. Engine speed adjusts to deliver all the power needed to support various machine operating modes. The hybrid machines use 50% less fuel and emit fewer CO2 emissions.
The all-electric version, dubbed ePower, uses the same electric drives and delivers 5.4 hr of run time on a single charge, which is about 65% more run time than competing electric cleaners. It relies on conventional lead-acid batteries.
The vehicles use a cylindrical sweeper with a separate disc scrubber. This lets the cleaner sweep and scrub in one pass without putting cleaning solution into the debris hopper, keeping swept up debris dry. An optional dust-suppression feature reduces airborne dust by 85% compared to motorized side brooms. And a nanofiber filter resists clogging.
The cleaner-scrubber can be used for industrial buildings such as warehouses, factories, and shipping facilities, and in outside areas such as park grounds and parking lots.