Plant & Works Engineering April 2022

W i th more and more forklift truck users opting for electric-power over IC-engine driven machines when the time comes to replace or upgrade their materials handling equipment fleet, the coming years are expected to bring a clear shift away from diesel and LPG towards electric forklifts. Indeed, Toyota Material Handling, expect the UK market for electric counterbalanced forklift trucks to grow by as much as 10% in the next five years. According to the most reliable estimates, the forklift market has historically been split roughly 60-40 between LPG- or diesel-powered internal combustion engine (IC) trucks and battery-driven electric models – with diesel being the most dominant fuel. But the coming years are anticipated to bring a clear shift away from diesel and LPG towards electric forklifts. At Toyota Material Handling, for example, we expect the UK market for electric counterbalanced forklift trucks to grow by as much as 10% in the next five years as more and more truck users opt for electric-power over IC-engine driven machines when the time comes to replace or upgrade their fleets. The rise of the electric lift truck can be attributed to a number of different factors - including heightened environmental concerns, rising fuel prices and greater awareness of staff welfare. Advances in battery technology, such as the further development of lithium-Ion and to a lesser extent (for now) hydrogen fuel cells, are also leading to greater interest in electric power, while the wide-ranging changes to intralogistics processes brought about by the seemingly relentless increase in internet shopping tend to favour electric trucks too. Of course, environmental issues have been on the corporate agenda for many years but recent talk of the introduction of a ‘carbon emissions tax’ has seen a sharp increase in the truck users that include like-for-like carbon emissions comparisons as part of their forklift fleet purchasing process. IC-engine trucks rarely come top of the class in such tests, which will not be a surprise to many given that electric-powered trucks have always been perceived to have the edge over the IC-engine alternative in all matters ‘green’. Recent technological developments But it would be wrong to conclude that the electric truck market is only growing because diesel sales are in decline: recent developments in technology mean the electric lift truck is now a highly sophisticated product that offers real business benefits to the broadest range of users. And, furthermore, today’s battery-driven forklifts are capable of 44 | Plant & Works Engineering www.pwemag.co.uk April 2022 Handling & Safety Matters Focus on: Moving, Lifting & Forklifts Paul Bowers, Toyota Material Handling’s counterbalance specialist, considers some of the factors driving the rise of the electric-powered forklift market. Charging ahead