Electric trucks: Managing the juice

摘要

Fans of electric and internal combustion (IC) lift trucks often find themselves on opposite sides of a Red Sox/Yankees-style rivalry, with outspoken champions and staunch critics residing in each camp. While this column is not likely to result in many converts either way, it should be noted that electric lift trucks have continued to gain significant market share over recent years. With this in mind, Modern recently spoke with representatives from the NAACO Materials Handling Group for their thoughts on what edge, if any, electric lift trucks might have. David McNeill, manager of product strategy for Class I electric lift trucks for NMHG, says the number of electric lift trucks in service began surpassing its IC counterpart about 15 years ago. "At that time, it was about 50/50," says McNeill. "Now 61% of lift trucks are electric."