Electric Forklifts Surge Ahead: Electric Motors Defining 21st Century Material Handling

As organizations around the world adopt smart, sustainable logistics, electric forklifts are replacing gas powered and diesel models at an unprecedented rate. Electric forklifts are emission free, efficient, and safe to operate. Electric forklifts are now adopted in warehouses, factories, ports, and distribution centers on a global scale.     

The logistics ecosystem is being transformed, and at the center of this transformation is the electric motor system with traction motor(s) and hydraulic pump motor.

Traction Motors: Smooth, Efficient and Responsive Operation

Electric forklifts use either AC induction motors or permanent magnet synchronous motors (PMSMs). Electric traction motors are engineered for the industrial task, and provide:

High Torque at Low Speeds: Critical for moving heavy loads and precise motion.

Fast Response: Allows for fast moving action in small warehouse spaces.

Quiet and Clean Operation: Ideal for indoor use and restricted noise environments.

Energy Efficiency: Electric motors consume significantly less power than combustion engines.

Modern traction motors also employ regenerative braking capability allowing users to recover energy through the deceleration process to increase the life of the battery and reduce consumption.

Hydraulic Pump Motors: Stable Power for Lifting and Tilting

In electric forklifts, hydraulic powers the lifting, tilting, and side-shifting functions, via hydraulic pump motor(s). The notable features of high performance pump motors are:

Stable Pressure: Provides a consistent hydraulic output, performance of the hydraulic system is reliable at peak loading.

Low Thermal Rise: State of the art cooling design for extended operation under heavy loads.

Pump compatibility: Works with a variety of hydraulic pumps (gear, vane etc.).

Compact Size: Optimized for size and weight, fits into vehicle chassis without compromise.

Combine Intelligent Control to control electric drive systems for smart operations

Current market electric fork trucks include intelligent controllers and a vehicle communications standard such as CAN bus that allow for information sharing between each device (motor, battery, vehicle control systems). Using vector control (FOC) or V/F frequency control electric motors provide precision speed/torque output and diagnostics, telemetry, and efficiency metrics.

The Future: Market Growth driven by Eco-Friendly Mandates

As emissions regulations tighten and organizations recognize every dollar counts when operational costs continue to rise, the market demand for electric forklifts will continue grow. The market for electric forklift trucks will accelerate adoption through lower costs of lithium batteries and constant effort to increase efficiency of electric motors. Thus, motor manufacturers must continue to develop robust, scalable and intelligent electric drive solutions that satisfy requirements for making operations more automated and energy optimized.