Atlas Copco is one of the largest names in portable power and light towers worldwide, with a HiLight range built around trailer-mounted, multi-drop rental fleets. Litenza's LI-500 is engineered around a different constraint: a single person, no trailer, no crane. Here's how the published specs actually compare, model for model.
Atlas Copco's HiLight range — including the electric HiLight E4+ and diesel HiLight V5+ — is built for construction fleets and rental companies that move dozens of units by truck and set them up with a forklift or crane. That design gets real advantages: higher rated wind speeds, larger single-unit coverage, and a global service network. The trade-off is weight and setup complexity — these are trailer units, not something one person lifts into place.
The Litenza LI-500 is built around the opposite constraint: a 50-52kg unit (fitting only) that one person can deploy on a triple-wheel chassis with self-locking legs, with no trailer, forklift, or second operator required. It gives up some of the raw scale of Atlas Copco's largest units in exchange for portability and setup speed on sites that relocate lighting frequently.
| Specification | Litenza LI-500 | Atlas Copco HiLight E4+ | Atlas Copco HiLight V5+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Power source | Lithium battery pack, or AC 100–277V | Electric (mains / genset / grid feed, no onboard engine) | Diesel (Kubota Z482, 5kVA alternator) |
| Mast height (max) | 4.2 m or 5.3 m | 23 ft (~7.0 m) | 25 ft (~7.6 m) |
| Mast rotation | Lamp heads rotatable, adjustable beam angle | 0° (fixed) | 360° |
| Light output | Up to 65,000 lm (AC, 5.3m) / up to 35,000 lm (battery) | Avg. 12 lux over 40,000 sq ft | Avg. 20 lux over 53,820 sq ft |
| Weight | 50 kg (4.2m) / 52 kg (5.3m), fitting only | 608 lbs (~276 kg) | 1,544 lbs (~700 kg) |
| Deployment | Single person, no trailer or crane | Site trailer, forklift-pocketed lifting beam | Site trailer, forklift-pocketed lifting beam |
| Max wind speed | Level 8 (Beaufort), ∼46 mph, correctly set up | 80 mph | 80 mph |
| IP rating | IP65 | Not stated on published spec | Not stated on published spec |
| Runtime / autonomy | >20h standard, up to 100h Eco (battery) | Continuous (mains-fed, no tank) | ~145 hours on a 28-gallon tank |
| Sound pressure at 7m | Silent (no engine) | No engine — silent | 63 dB(A) |
| Fuel / emissions | None | None (still requires external power feed) | Diesel exhaust; engine servicing required |
Atlas Copco figures are drawn from its published HiLight Light Towers Full Range Brochure and regional product pages (see sources below). Litenza figures are from the LI-500 product specification sheet. Some Atlas Copco fields (e.g. IP rating) were not stated in the source material and are marked accordingly rather than assumed.
Two things stand out in Atlas Copco's favor. First, both HiLight models carry an 80 mph maximum wind rating — meaningfully higher than the LI-500's Level 8 (Beaufort) rating, which tops out around 46 mph. Second, the diesel V5+ covers more ground per unit (53,820 sq ft at 20 lux) than the LI-500 does at its brightest, and can run continuously for roughly 145 hours between refuels without touching a battery or mains connection at all — useful for remote sites with no grid access and no plan to swap battery packs.
The LI-500 gives up some of that raw scale for a fundamentally different deployment model. At 50-52kg it weighs a fraction of either HiLight model (608-1,544 lbs, or 276-700kg) and needs no trailer, forklift, or second operator to move and set up — see our Battery vs Diesel Light Towers guide for the operational implications of that difference. It also runs entirely fuel-free: no diesel supply chain, no engine servicing, and — unlike even the electric HiLight E4+, which still needs a mains, generator, or grid connection — the LI-500 can run fully off-grid on battery packs alone.
If your project already runs a rental fleet of trailer-towed towers, needs the highest available wind rating, or needs a single unit to run unattended for days on one diesel fill, Atlas Copco's HiLight range is built for that. If your site needs lighting that one person can carry, set up, and relocate without a trailer or crane — and you'd rather not manage a diesel supply chain at all — the LI-500 is built for that instead.
Both are portable light towers, but they're engineered for different deployment models. The LI-500 is a 50kg-class, single-person-operated unit on a triple-wheel base. Atlas Copco's HiLight E4+ and V5+ are trailer-mounted units weighing 276-700kg, designed for towing and multi-drop rental fleets.
Atlas Copco's published maximum wind speed is 80 mph for both the E4+ and V5+. Litenza's LI-500 carries a Level 8 (Beaufort scale) wind rating, roughly up to 46 mph, when set up correctly with legs fully deployed and locked.
No. The LI-500 runs on lithium battery packs or AC mains power with no onboard engine. The HiLight V5+ is diesel-powered with a 28-gallon tank and roughly 145 hours of autonomy; the HiLight E4+ is electric but still requires a mains, generator, or grid connection rather than carrying its own battery.
Atlas Copco's diesel HiLight V5+ is rated for roughly 53,820 sq ft of coverage at an average 20 lux. The Litenza LI-500 reaches up to 65,000 lumens on AC power (5.3m mast) from a unit less than a tenth of the V5+'s weight.
Sources: Atlas Copco HiLight product page, Atlas Copco HiLight Light Towers Full Range Brochure (Atlas Copco Power and Flow, 2024). Atlas Copco reserves the right to change specifications without notice; figures here reflect the source material at time of writing. Litenza specifications are independently published and are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or reviewed by Atlas Copco.
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