What is Vanguard's 48V electrification stack?

Vanguard's 48V electrification stack is a single-source platform of commercial lithium-ion battery packs, electric motors, motor controllers and a proprietary battery management system, designed to simplify how equipment manufacturers add electric power to their products.

Why does Vanguard call its approach single-source?

Vanguard supplies the battery, motor, controller and battery management system as one bundled system rather than requiring manufacturers to source and integrate each component separately, which is intended to reduce integration work and speed up development.

What types of equipment can use Vanguard's electrification stack?

Vanguard's stack is built for construction, agriculture, industrial, material handling, utility and low-speed vehicle applications.

How does Vanguard help manufacturers switch from lead-acid to lithium-ion batteries?

Vanguard's Fi3.5 battery is available in a 24V configuration alongside the standard 48V version, allowing manufacturers to fit lithium-ion power into equipment platforms that were originally built around 24V lead-acid batteries.

What did Vanguard show at iVT Expo 2026?

Vanguard exhibited its full 48V electrification stack at iVT Expo 2026 in Chicago, including its battery, motor and motor controller lineup, as part of its single-source integration pitch to equipment manufacturers.

Who leads Vanguard's electrification strategy?

David Frank, senior vice president and president of electrification at Briggs & Stratton, Vanguard's parent company, represented Vanguard's electrification strategy at iVT Expo 2026.

Why does system integration matter for electrifying equipment?

According to Vanguard, manufacturers' main challenge is no longer finding a battery but making all the electric components work together reliably, which is the problem its single-source stack is designed to address.

What battery capacities does Vanguard's Fi and Si series offer?

The Si1.5 is a swappable 1.5kWh pack. The fixed Fi series includes the 3.5kWh Fi3.5, available in 24V and 48V, the 5kWh Fi5.0, and the 7kWh Fi7.0, available in long and tall configurations that can be paralleled for heavier loads.

What motors and motor controllers are included in Vanguard's electrification stack?

The stack includes the MVG1500, MVG3500 and MVG5000 motors, paired with the MC2000, MC4000 and MC8000 motor controllers, which provide flexible power options across different equipment sizes.

Vanguard’s 48V electrification stack bets on integration over battery specs

Q: Which companies are part of Vanguard's Battery Technology Partner network?

Vanguard's integration partner network includes Terzo Power Solutions, IFP Motion Solutions, Applied Engineering Systems and, as of January 2026, OPS Controls, which specialises in turnkey electrical systems for mobile machinery and vehicles. These partners help deliver application-specific integration work for smaller and mid-sized OEMs.

Category: Batteries, Battery Management Systems, Components & Technology, Construction, Market Trends, Material Handling, Materials & Manufacturing, Motors, News, Off-Highway

August 20, 2026

Vanguard's Fi Series commercial lithium-ion battery packs, part of the company's 48V electrification stack

Vanguard’s Fi3.5, Fi5.0 and Fi7.0 packs form the fixed-battery core of the 48V electrification stack

(Image courtesy of Vanguard)

Vanguard exhibited its full 48V electrification stack at iVT Expo 2026 in Chicago this week, pairing commercial battery packs with motors, motor controllers and a proprietary battery management system as a single-source offering for off-highway OEMs. For engineers and procurement teams evaluating electrification suppliers, the stack’s structure says more about Vanguard’s strategy than the show appearance itself.

Inside the 48V electrification stack

The featured battery lineup comprises four pack families. The Si1.5 is a swappable 48V, 1.5kWh unit built for quick power exchange between applications, with a 75-minute charge time when paired with Vanguard’s 1425W charger. The Fi3.5, Fi5.0 and Fi7.0 are fixed packs rated at 3.5kWh, 5kWh and 7kWh respectively, with the Fi3.5 available in both 24V and 48V configurations and the Fi7.0 offered in long and tall footprints that can be paralleled for heavier loads.

The release states the battery systems deliver standard CANbus communication, and separate Vanguard product literature describes the fixed packs as using a diecast aluminium enclosure. These components form the technical basis for the integration claims Vanguard is making at iVT Expo, and reflect a lineup the company has continued to build out across recent shows.

The electrification stack and the lead-acid transition

The 24V configuration of the Fi3.5 exists specifically to let OEMs swap lithium-ion into equipment platforms originally engineered around lead-acid batteries. That is a procurement-relevant detail. It potentially lowers the switching cost for manufacturers who have not yet committed to a full electrification redesign.

Vanguard’s motors, the MVG1500, MVG3500 and MVG5000, and its motor controllers, the MC2000, MC4000 and MC8000, extend that same logic to the drivetrain, in the company’s framing. Bundling battery, motor, controller and BMS through a single-source platform is the “total system” pitch David Frank, Briggs & Stratton‘s senior vice president and president of electrification, made at the Vanguard booth. His argument is that the constraint for OEMs now is systems integration across components, not sourcing a battery in isolation.

A growing technology partner network

Separate Vanguard announcements describe a network of integration partners around the stack, including Terzo Power Solutions, IFP Motion Solutions, Applied Engineering Systems and, as of January 2026, OPS Controls, which specialises in turnkey electrical systems for mobile machinery and vehicles. For smaller and mid-sized OEMs, that partner network may be important in delivering the application-specific integration work.

Vanguard states that its batteries carry an eight-year commercial limited warranty, subject to the warranty terms, and are backed by the Briggs & Stratton dealer network. The company states the packs are designed, engineered and assembled in the United States.

Vanguard’s partner network and 24V bridge configuration are the pieces most likely to determine how quickly OEMs running lead-acid systems in construction, agriculture, material handling and utility equipment make the lithium-ion switch. That pace, more than the show circuit itself, is what will shape how far the stack’s single-source pitch extends into the market.

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