The cost of operating a forklift is always something that many customers care about when investing in a forklift. “Is the selling price of forklift trucks commensurate with its use value?” or “Is the total cost of ownership (investment cost + operating cost + maintenance, repair, etc.) always be considered when customers are investing in forklifts.
In addition, concerns related to forklift selection come with costs such as: “In the long run, which type of truck is more beneficial between a diesel forklift and an electric forklift?”
1. What are the costs of operating a forklift?
To operate a forklift, we need to determine and calculate the following costs:
Operating fuel costs
This is the issue that most people care about. Because it plays an important role in the total operating costs.
Factors affecting operating fuel costs such as: Fuel cost, engine type and engine capacity of the forklift, the use time of the forklift (the longer the forklift is used, the more it consumed fuel)…
Repair, maintenance costs
With a newly invested forklift, in the first 2 years, periodic maintenance and repair of damage which is caused by factory defects is covered by the warranty policy.
After the warranty period expires, the costs related to maintenance, repair,etc… need to be calculated in detail, including: cost for technical personnel, cost of consumables, spare parts, cost of productivity loss due to wear and tear of machinery, cost of truck rental during repair…
Operating costs are always something that many customers care about when investing in forklifts
Other costs
In addition, when operating a forklift, there are other costs such as operating personnel costs, operating safety costs, truck breakdown repair costs, forklift accidents, etc.
However, to compare operating costs between diesel forklifts and electric forklifts, the costs in this section are considered to be the same, so we only consider two main types of costs such as: fuel costs and maintenance, repair costs.
2. Operating fuel costs comparison
We already know the difference in fuel / operating energy of 02 types of diesel forklifts and electric forklifts, that is, one side uses diesel, the other uses electricity.
Although the initial investment cost of an electric forklift is higher, considering the cost of fuel and operating energy, everyone assumes that the cost of an electric forklift will be less than a diesel forklift, in fact how?
Using a common basis for calculations, that is:
– Forklift capacity: 03 tons
– Usage period: 03 years
– Operating time/day: 8 hours
According to information from manufacturers and experience in operating electric forklifts, in 1 hour of operation, electric forklifts can consume about 5 electricity numbers, in 8 hours it is 40 electricity numbers.
Diesel forklifts have higher fuel costs than electric forklifts
Meanwhile, the operating fuel cost of a diesel forklift is ~03 liters of oil/working hour, equivalent to ~24 liters of oil per working day. With the current oil price ~ 24,500 VND/liter, the cost of operating fuel for diesel forklifts is ~ 588,000 VND / 8 hours of operation (1 day).
We can see that the fuel cost of a diesel forklift is much higher than the fuel costs of an electric forklift, however, we all know that the initial investment cost of an electric forklift is significantly higher than a diesel forklift.
3. Repair, maintenance costs comparison
Information from manufacturers and experience from forklift operators indicates that the maintenance, servicing and repair costs of electric forklifts are also cheaper and simpler than diesel forklifts, refer the below information:
Maintenance and repair costs of electric forklifts include: hydraulic oil change, transmission oil change, gear oil change…, distilled water (for lead-acid batteries), replacement or repair of the battery (if any) and other expenses.
Maintenance and repair costs of diesel forklifts include: changing filters, changing engine oil, changing hydraulic oil, gear oil and other costs.
4. Continuous operating time comparison
It is easy to see that diesel forklifts have a higher continuous operation efficiency than electric forklifts because customers just need to add fuel then can continue to operate, while electric forklifts need time to recharge.
5. Depreciation between diesel forklift and electric forklift comparison
Depreciation of forklifts or depreciation of fixed assets are subject to the provisions of the law. Specifically, according to the provisions of Appendix 01 of Circular 45/2013/TT-BTC, forklifts have a minimum depreciation period of 6 years and a maximum of 10 years, regardless of diesel forklifts or electric forklifts.
However, because of the peculiarities of the operating conditions of diesel forklifts and electric forklifts, there is a difference in depreciation.
Depreciation costs are also an expense to consider in the operating cost of forklifts
After using for about 6-7 years, diesel forklifts require more frequent maintenance and replacement of worn and damaged parts to be able to operate effectively.
With electric forklifts, after about 4-5 years, or about 1200-1400 times of charge, the battery will reach its lifespan. Customers should save the budget to replace the battery for stable working performance.
6. Conclusion
According to the above information, combined with the practical experience of forklift operators, during the first 3 years, the cost of ownership (investment cost + operating cost) of a diesel forklift or electric forklift is almost the same.
However, in the long run, the cost of ownership for a diesel forklift is much higher, due to the large difference in operating costs.
In order to choose the suitable forklift for your business needs, many factors need to be considered. For more information on choosing a diesel forklift or an electric forklift, you can refer to the below article:
https://yale.com.vn/en/news/electric-forklifts-versus-internal-combustion-engine-forklifts–which-is-better
Please contact Yale Forklifts Vietnam via Hotline: 0896.461.728 for the most detailed advice on forklifts in particular and handling equipment in general.
