Early results from UK national survey indicates future power option is top of the agenda
Battery technology has emerged as the top technical challenge for the future by forklift truck operators, dealers and the wider industry according to early results from a new national survey being undertaken by FLT manufacturer TCM.
Interest in this area has been further stimulated by the recent government announcement that it intends to legislate to prevent manufacture of diesel and petrol engines by 2040.
“Interest in this area has shown a clear increase not only led by the 2040 deadline but by fleet operators looking for materials handling equipment that offers a lower maintenance benefit”, explained TCM brand manager Ashley-Kate McCann. “Around 60% of trucks are currently electric so the issue is twofold; how to improve battery performance in the existing electric cohort and how to find battery solutions for those applications that currently don’t have a viable, commercially-attractive electric option due to their operating environment and function. This is a key area of development focus for us and this debate is really welcome”, she added.
The National Forklift Survey is being carried for TCM and is still on-going until the end of the year. There is time to participate and truck operators are encouraged to share their views via the tcm.eu website. The conclusive results of the survey will be widely shared later this year.
