It is true that electric lift trucks are not suitable for every application. Throughout the past decade, however, there have been a number of changes in the lift truck industry and the material handling work environment that have been beneficial for the electric lift truck and advanced its opportunities. The purpose of this white paper is to review those changes and the impact they might have in considering the use of electric lift trucks today.

Electric lift trucks are environmentally friendly as they are reliant on batteries and produce no exhaust emissions. This improves air quality for employees and customers. Plus, there is no possibility of damage to your work product from engine exhaust, which can occur when using Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) trucks. With these qualities, as well as their use of cushion tires, electric trucks are very well suited for indoor use in warehouse applications.

Considering the fact that they have fewer moving parts and no engine or exhaust noise, electric lift trucks produce one quarter of the noise of ICE lift trucks. The lower noise level and lower vibration levels also help to reduce operator fatigue, which may help improve productivity and safety. Electric lift trucks offer considerable cost advantages over the life of the unit and can perform as well as ICE lift trucks in many cases. New battery types and charger technologies can eliminate the need for battery replacement, thereby minimizing storage space requirements in most multishift applications while providing significant advantages for the environment and workers’ health and safety.