Forklift fuel choices

The two main options for powering your forklift are electric — powered solely by an on-board battery — or internal combustion (IC), which use a traditional engine that runs on one of several types of fuel.

Electric
Electric forklifts are powered by large, heavy lead-acid batteries — the same kind found in your car, but considerably bigger and more powerful. The batteries typically provide enough power for one standard eight-hour shift, which translates into 5 or 6 hours of constant usage.

There are two primary advantages to electric-powered forklifts. One is that they produce zero emissions — if you are going to be using your lift indoors, this is a very important consideration. Of the internal combustion models, only propane-fueled lifts can be used indoors, and they require very good ventilation. Gas and diesel-powered models can’t be used inside at all.

The other primary advantage is fuel cost. Electric lifts have a lower cost per hour of operation than any of the internal combustion models. This helps to offset one of their disadvantages — their higher initial cost. New electric forklifts can cost 20% to 40% more than similarly rated IC forklifts.

Additional advantages of electric forklifts include their quieter operation — a big plus indoors — and no fuel storage requirements. Because they have fewer moving parts and are often used in cleaner environments than IC trucks, they also tend to have a longer life span.

The biggest downside of electric lift trucks is the battery downtime. Charging a forklift battery takes 8 hours, plus 8 hours of cooling time before it can be used. Due to this slow charging speed, if you need forklifts for two or three-shift operations, you will have to buy extra batteries so you can always be charging the next one.

Other disadvantages include the need for a battery charging station. The chargers should be located in a dry, ventilated, and temperature-controlled location. If you have multiple batteries, you will also need special cranes to change the batteries. Electric forklifts are also not suited for outdoor use — while you can use them on a well-paved parking lot, they can’t be used in the rain.

	Internal Combustion	Electric
Maximum available capacity	35,000 lbs. or more	10,000-15,000 lbs.
Power source	Gasoline, diesel fuel, liquid propane gas, or compressed natural gas engine	Battery
Costs	Lower purchase price Higher operating costs	Higher purchase price Lower operating costs
Best used	Outdoors (Propane: Indoors or Outdoors)	Indoors
Typical Applications	Lumber yards, construction, loading docks	Indoor warehouses, manufacturing
Refueling time	5-15 minutes	16 hours to recharge a battery; 20-45 minutes to change batteries

Internal combustion
Internal combustion engines run on a variety of fuels: gasoline, diesel fuel, liquid propane gas (LPG), or compressed natural gas (CNG). The main benefit of IC forklifts is their ability to be refueled on the fly: simply fill it up at a gas pump or load a new LPG canister on and your forklift is ready to continue working in no time. Their price points are the inverse of electric: they are cheaper to buy initially, but cost more per hour to run.

Only IC forklifts are capable of handling the largest loads — if you require greater than 15,000 lbs capacity, you definitely need an internal combustion engine. IC forklifts also stand up to certain types of misuse better than electric lifts — specifically, using a forklift to push or tow loads, instead of lifting and driving — and usually have better acceleration and top speeds.

Of the types of IC engines, fuel costs generally are highest for gasoline and lowest for diesel, with LPG somewhere in the middle. Fuel costs vary considerably from state to state, so you should investigate this cost in your area before deciding which option is best for you.

With some IC equipment, you will have a significant extra expense for refueling equipment — gasoline and diesel fuel require you to have storage tanks and pumps. LPG requires only space for spare tank storage, which is usually managed by a propane vendor. The choice between gas, diesel, and propane is often made based on existing vehicles and equipment.

For indoor/outdoor use, duel fuel systems are available that let you switch between LPG and gasoline.

Other fuel options
The wave of the future in forklift power is fuel cells. Hydrogen fuel cells have the advantages of electric power — zero emissions and quiet operation — plus the ability to be refueled as quickly as diesel or gasoline engines, with no recharging time. Experimental fuel cell forklifts are already in use, and will start to be available more widely in coming years.