Lead-acid and lithium-ion battery use in forklift applications is set rise as North America gradually shifts away from using fossil fuels and sales of electric motive applications quadruple, predict Market analyst Navigant Research.
Sales of advanced lead-acid, lithium-ion and fuel cell forklifts are expected to exceed 47,000 units by 2025, up from around 10,000 this year as manufacturers move from diesel and petrol to battery-power.
And in an energy storage climate which favours lithium-ion, there is good news for lead-acid in the application.
“The use of lead-acid batteries for Class 1, 2 and 3 forklift trucks often presents a lower first cost price point for materials-handling decision-makers,” said Navigant research associate Ian McClenny.
“However the emergence of lithium-ion and fuel cell technologies presents a lower total cost of ownership advantage, especially where forklifts are used for multiple shifts per day or for cold storage operations.”
However, the report highlighted advantages of lithium over lead-acid due to longer runtime, reduced charging and less space needed for storing spares.
