Energy transition and charging infrastructure

The question I get most often is which power source is best: diesel, gas, lead-acid, lithium-ion or hydrogen. The honest answer is that the question comes too early. A battery that technically fits the deployment profile perfectly can still be the wrong choice when there is no room to charge it at the right moment. Electrification shifts the question from the machine to the infrastructure around it.

Below are the questions I get asked most often about this, followed by all articles on the topic.

Is switching to electric forklifts worthwhile for my business?

That doesn't start with the machine, it starts with the deployment profile: how many hours a day the equipment runs, whether there is room to charge in between, and how much grid capacity the site has available. Electric is far from always the obvious choice, despite the picture often painted.

Only once deployment, charging opportunity and grid connection line up does the switch become worthwhile in practice. See why the energy transition in material handling is more complex than many people think.

How much charging capacity do my electric trucks need?

Not by simply multiplying the number of machines by a charger's power rating. What matters is peak power: how many machines charge at the same time and at what moment. Ten machines charging in a spread pattern need far less connection capacity than ten machines all going on charge at five o'clock together.

In many warehouses the trucks go on charge at the end of the shift, exactly when the peak is greatest. Read why your next logistics bottleneck isn't a forklift, it's your power supply.

How do I prevent charging infrastructure from becoming a bottleneck?

By spreading charging moments instead of concentrating them all at the end of the shift, and by treating the grid connection as a design question rather than something you arrange at the end of a project. New automation, heat pumps, extra chargers and now customers' electric trucks as well all draw power from the same connection.

In large parts of the Netherlands extra grid capacity is scarce and a heavier connection can take years. See charging electric trucks at your warehouse for how that customer demand factors into the design.

What does the switch cost, and when does it pay off?

Look beyond the purchase price of the machine. Charging infrastructure, any grid reinforcement, battery replacement and energy costs over the useful life together determine whether electric works out cheaper than diesel or gas. That calculation varies sharply by site, mainly because of available grid capacity and the fleet's deployment profile.

A solid calculation therefore belongs in the business case, not as an afterthought. Want to know first where your energy question stands today? The free Warehouse Performance Check gives an initial indication.

How do I set up my energy supply for future growth?

By designing the charging infrastructure with a larger fleet, extra automation and possibly charging for customers' electric trucks already in mind, instead of sizing it exactly to today's situation. Applying for grid capacity takes time, so that margin needs to be built in upfront.

That calls for the same lens as with equipment: not just looking at what's needed today, but at what the operation will demand in a few years. See also forklift, reach truck and MHE advice for how fleet size and electrification connect.