26 WESTERN PALLET
From internal combustion to electric
According to Kassow, electric power is “tipping the scales” in North America, accounting for 70% of the annual industry lift truck sales. “CARB (California Air Resourced Board) has absolutely advanced the conversation,” he said. “It's a factor in decision making, certainly in California, but it's also being adopted by a number of other states, whether it's the identical protocol or similar.”
In general, Warren echoed, operations in industries such as wood products that have long relied on internal combustion engine (ICE) power for their forklift fleets are increasingly considering the shift to electric-powered equipment.
“While the shift from diesel to electric forklifts is on the more distant horizon for businesses with tight margins like wood pallet manufacturers or repair and recycling companies,” Warren said, “many are still likely to be considering a shift to electric equipment at some point in the future.” He noted tha CARB has introduced regulations for the state that would require a transition to zero-emission forklifts by 2038, and the Texas Emissions Reduction Plan (TERP) requires a tax surcharge to be paid on the purchase, lease or rental of heavy-duty diesel equipment.
Lithium-ion powered forklifts are strong candidates for the future of these operations because they can deliver power similar to internal combustion. Unlike lead-acid batteries, Lithium-ion powered units maintain consistent power delivery with no performance degradation as the battery charge is depleted and they recharge quickly.
For example, the Hyster® J40XNL and J50- 60XNL models, which are sit-down counter-
balanced lift trucks built around a factory-integrated lithium-ion battery, are strong zero-emission alternatives for applications both indoors and out. The sealed, integrated lithium-ion battery on these trucks can fully charge in less than 1 hour, requires zero maintenance and gives off zero emissions in operation and no off-gassing during charging.
Kassow noted that other carbon-neutral technologies are also being explored, including hydrogen power and others. “Lithium-ion is very much a part of the conversation,” he said. “It's not always the right fit for every application, but customers are asking about it.”
He pointed out, however, that infrastructure challenges may slow the rate of adoption. “So California, for example, which has very aggressive initiatives with CARB, is also running into a challenge,” he said. “If you have an older facility, you need to update that facility and the cost of doing that can be expensive. Also, the demand is relatively high at this point for electricians and power companies to update the grid. So there's a bit of a lag or lead time needed to complete updates.”
Look at total cost of ownership versus purchase price
When purchasing a forklift, consider your total cost of ownership versus initial price. “The power source of a forklift can have a major effect on the useful life of the equipment,” Warren noted. “An average, moderately used ICE truck has an economic life for the first owner of about 10,000-12,000 hours, whereas similarly maintained lithium-ion trucks could surpass this mark, potentially reaching 20,000 hours.”
“Purchase price is often a driving factor for customers,” Kassow said. “But with Toyota, we pride ourselves on designing and building a premium product. We're unapologetic about doing that. That being said, the total cost of ownership of our product is documented to be significantly lower than that of all the other marketplace competitors. So although you may pay more at the inception, when you look at the lifespan of the forklift and the total cost of maintaining it and owning it, we think that we bring industry leading, lower cost of ownership and then ultimately, a higher secondary market value.”
Warren observed that electric drivetrains also have fewer components and less complexity than internal combustion and, therefore, fewer serviceable parts that require periodic maintenance. One paper and packaging plant cited by Warren saved $1.5 million by switching from IC to lithium-ion powered forklifts at just one facility.“ This is another area where telemetry data can be valuable because it can offer operations a more concrete understanding of their equipment utilization, which can be used to estimate their potential fuel and service cost savings from switching to electric forklifts,” he added.
The Hyster J40XNL lift truck is an integrated lithium-ion powered solution built for applications that demand high efficiency, charging flexibility, zero maintenance and smart sustainability. Source: Hyster