In the era of electrification, diesel forklifts will not completely fade out of the stage, but their market share will gradually be compressed.
The advantages of electric forklifts are driving the decline in the market share of diesel forklifts.
- Significant environmental advantages: Electric forklifts are powered by electricity and produce almost no exhaust emissions during operation, effectively reducing environmental pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. With increasingly stringent environmental requirements, this has become the most prominent advantage of electric forklifts. Many cities and regions have introduced policies to encourage the elimination of old diesel forklifts and their replacement with new energy forklifts. For example, in 2023, Hangzhou introduced a subsidy scheme for the elimination and renewal of National II and below diesel forklifts, with similar policies implemented in Zhejiang, Jiangsu, and other regions.
- Lower operating costs: Although the purchase cost of electric forklifts may be higher than that of diesel forklifts, their maintenance and energy consumption costs are lower during use. Taking a 3-ton counterbalance forklift as an example, a lithium battery forklift consumes 6 kWh of electricity per hour. Calculated at a power cost of 1 yuan per kWh, the hourly operating cost is 6 yuan. In contrast, a National II diesel forklift consumes 4 liters of diesel per hour. At 7 yuan per liter, the hourly cost is 28 yuan, excluding maintenance costs for the diesel forklift.
- Superior operational performance: Electric forklifts feature low noise, minimal vibration, simple operation, and smooth operation, providing operators with a more comfortable working environment and improving work efficiency. Additionally, electric forklifts offer higher control precision, giving them an advantage in scenarios requiring high operational accuracy, such as the precise stacking of goods in warehouses.
