In recent years the world of forklifts has seen something of a revolution. Where previously, forklifts running on diesel engines were clearly the most popular option for large and small businesses alike, recent years have seen a shift towards electric forklifts and loaders. Doosan, in particular, has made great leaps forward as a forklift manufacturer, creating electric forklifts in a wide variety of sizes and power outputs. Here is everything you need to know about how electric forklifts work, the changes they could make to your business, and what it could mean for a wide variety of industries in the long run.
How do Doosan electric forklifts work?
Electric forklifts work in broadly similar ways to diesel forklifts. Where diesel forklifts will have an engine running on diesel to power the forklift, the power unit in an electric forklift runs on a battery to provide electrical power to the motors.
When it comes to refuelling, it’s simple to get power back into your forklift. Just plug it in, generally overnight, and when people arrive for work the next morning it will be ready to get to work for the full day ahead. Although this process might seem long and less convenient than simply filling up a fuel tank, you need to consider the fact that the process takes place overnight, so with good planning, there can be zero interruption to an effective workday.
How can they benefit the financial side of my business?
One of the biggest financial benefits of using an electric forklift is that they can be far more financially efficient than their diesel counterparts. If you consider the cost of fuel in comparison to electricity, it costs more to run a forklift for an hour on diesel fuel than it does to recharge the batteries for your electric forklift. This is a difference that can quickly overturn the initial investment into the electric forklifts and become a source of much lower costs for years to come.
In addition to this, it is much easier to budget for electricity costs than it is for fuel. Electricity is both cheaper and far less volatile in pricing than diesel is, which can hugely vary and swing based on global events. This means that making predictions for your company’s finances becomes a lot easier, with less of a need to factor in leeway for the costs of fuel. You can more accurately model your company’s financial future, and make much better plans for the year ahead since you’ll have a much better idea of what costs are coming.
How are they more sustainable?
Doosan electric forklifts don’t just help you to become more financially viable but can boost the environmental sustainability of your business too. This is for quite obvious reasons, as it’s a major step away from your company going through fossil fuels at a potentially alarming rate. Although your fleet may start being only partially electric, even this is a step away from using diesel so consistently, and as your company gradually converts to having a fully electric fleet of vehicles your carbon footprint from forklifts will be virtually gone.
You won’t have to worry too much about the electricity you use being environmentally responsible. The UK is continuously shifting away from using fossil fuels to power the country (with coal going almost unused in recent years), and as renewable energy keeps being adopted by UK power suppliers you can rest assured that your forklifts are using little to no fossil fuels in their day to day work.
Which business could benefit? Which industries?
One industry that could see significant benefits is the shipping and haulage industry. A lot of warehouse work is based around using forklifts to move goods from one location to another, and by making forklifts more efficient, affordable and comfortable for workers (as electric forklifts are much more ergonomically designed) you can make your business work much more effectively and in a way that is highly cost-efficient. Any warehouse work that involves a significant amount of moving goods around will see the major long term benefits that can come from using electric forklifts with a much better profit margin and a more effective and green workplace.
Additionally, construction could see a major benefit of using electric forklifts instead of diesel alternatives. In a business where air quality is already far less than optimal due to a range of particles and dust in the air, it can be good for the health of construction workers to not be around yet another pollutant that would kick up fumes into the air.
So what’s the verdict?
Ultimately, using Doosan’s electric forklifts has a great selection of benefits over sticking with traditional diesel-powered forklift options. Whilst the initial cost of investment could be higher, the long term gains you achieve from the lower operating costs and greater levels of sustainability will stand your business in good stead for the future. By acting now and taking the leap to electric forklifts, you’re taking the first steps to becoming a more profitable and environmentally responsible company for decades to come. If you’re interested in Doosan electric forklifts, there has never been a better time to invest in the future of your company’s operations.
To find out more about how Doosan’s electric range can benefit your business, get in touch today.