During the more than 60 years of turmoil in China’s forklift industry, forklift companies have achieved rapid development of the industry through technology absorption and innovation. At the same time, with the maturity of China’s lithium battery industry chain, the expansion of China’s forklift lithium batteries is inevitable.

Lithium-ionization of forklifts

Lithium battery forklifts replace lead-acid and internal combustion forklifts, which have significant application advantages and economic benefits.

In terms of application, compared with lead-acid forklifts, lithium battery forklifts have shorter charging time, longer battery life, and easier maintenance.
Charging – Lithium battery forklifts can be fully charged in just 1-2 hours. Lead-acid forklifts need to be charged for 8 hours to achieve full power. Maintenance – Lithium batteries usually have a stable service life of 5-8 years. Lithium battery forklifts require little maintenance. Lead-acid forklifts are maintained weekly or semi-monthly, and the battery pack is replaced every 3 years. Comfortable use – Lithium-ion forklifts run with low noise, are environmentally friendly, have no exhaust emissions, and don’t have to worry about whether they meet the increasingly stringent emission standards.

Economically: Taking a 3-ton counterbalanced forklift as an example, in the case of 2,000 hours of use per year, the annual comprehensive operating cost of lithium battery forklifts is 50,000 less than that of internal combustion forklifts. Therefore, the situation of forklift lithium electrification is inevitable.

Export competitiveness

The export of forklift lithium batteries drives my country’s forklift industry to move from rapid popularization to high-quality development.
“Time”: After the global supply chain is challenged in 2021, the setback of the supply chain of overseas companies has given China an excellent window period for exporting overseas forklifts.
“Geographical advantages”: After the global supply chain is challenged in 2021, the setback of the supply chain of overseas companies has given China an excellent window period for exporting overseas forklifts.
“Renhe”: Chinese forklift companies are actively deploying overseas, and have established relatively mature sales channels in key countries and regions, laying a solid foundation for their products to go overseas.

Space for international development

According to the Interact Analysis 2022 survey, the delivery cycle of Chinese forklift trucks is significantly shorter than that of overseas companies, usually within 1-9 months, while European and American companies generally need 6-12 months for delivery. Chinese forklift companies have grasped the advantages of latecomers, and are expected to achieve product quality and cost-effective corner overtaking through forklift lithium batteries.

In the future, under the wave of lithium-ion forklifts, the trend of domestic lithium-ion forklifts replacing lead-acid battery forklifts in the European and American markets is expected to accelerate; emerging markets such as Southeast Asia are also expected to replicate domestic lithium-ion forklifts to replace internal combustion forklifts and accelerate the trend of lithium-ion forklifts.