Talk is cheap when it comes to selling relatively new motive power sources like lithium-ion, now revolutionizing people’s willingness to take on such electric forklifts, but can potential buyers obtain reliable figures from within their own operations before committing to purchase lithiumion batteries which can be 3-4 times the cost of the old stalwart of lead-acid batteries? Yes, they can, as AKW Global Logistics found when it used BYD-designed software to simulate its current diesel truck operations with lithium-powered trucks supplied on a trial basis. That is some comfort, given the wide initial cost gap in Li batteries and lead-acid.
Linde Materials Handling also offers a software tool (calculator) that shows the cost effectiveness of Li by recommending the optimum combination of battery size and charger for each application as well as how much money will be saved by switching to Li trucks.
This concern about high initial costs of Li-ion batteries being a turn-off is unwarranted because the total cost of ownership is lower. The cost exercise is not dependant on big orders and what’s more Lars Brzoska, Jungheinrich’s sales and marketing director, predicts that by 2022 at the latest the initial Liion cost will match that of leadacid.
If correct there seems little point in continuing with lead-acid. In a recent survey conducted by Jungheinrich UK it was found that 49% of current users of diesel or LPG forklifts are thinking of replacing them with batterypowered alternatives while a further 22% were not sure. While much of the switch over from polluting diesel and LPG has been spurred by environmental legislation, advances in battery and charger technology have also played a significant role, because the once oft-touted advantage of diesel and LPG over electric, a punchier power performance in all weathers, no longer necessarily applies.
Other relative motive power newcomers like hydrogen fuel cells and iron-phosphate, both squeaky clean at point of use, will also continue to make life difficult for diesel and LPG providers as concern grows, buttressed by new health research findings, over the urgency to phase out diesel use, in particular, owing to serious health risks.
Meanwhile, users of diesel and LPG forklifts are about to find life getting tougher as emission standards under the new Euro Stage V will be a lot stricter. As from January 1st 2019 new diesel and LPG forklifts sold in the EU will have to comply with the toughest emission standards for non-road vehicles. These standards will almost certainly be adopted by Britain post Brexit. LPG will not be affected in terms of lower particle emissions but to eliminate nitrous oxides a 3-way catalytic converter will be necessary, but these are relatively inexpensive. The biggest impact of these new emission standards will fall on the diesel models, which undoubtedly will raise their prices.
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