The calculation in this paper is based on the regular factory conditions of 3-ton counterbalanced forklift, 8-hour operation in a single shift, and 250 working days per year. All costs are only for reference in the calculation under this working condition. Different operating hours, oil and electricity prices, operating environments, and equipment maintenance levels will cause final cost fluctuations, which do not represent the unified result in all scenarios. There is no absolute commitment in this paper, and it is only for the use of enterprise procurement accounting budgets.
I. Introduction
When many factories purchase handling equipment, they only compare the purchase price of the bare car of the vehicle, which is easy to ignore the operating expenses for several years. The procurement threshold of internal combustion fuel forklifts is lower, while BYD lithium-battery forklifts tend to form cost advantages in the whole life cycle of 5 years due to the low energy consumption and maintenance-free characteristics of blade lithium batteries. We split the four expenses of car purchase, energy consumption, maintenance and residual value one by one to visually compare the total cost of ownership of two models of the same tonnage.
Second, item 1: Initial procurement cost
3-Ton counterweight models with the same load:
Conventional diesel fuel forklifts: Bare car procurement costs are lower, and the upfront financial pressure is lower.
BYD lithium battery forklift: equipped with lithium iron phosphate blade batteries, the purchase price of new cars is higher than that of fuel models, and the upfront investment is higher.
From a one-time expenditure perspective, fuel forklifts offer a short-term price advantage.
III. Item 2: Five-year energy consumption costs (maximum cost gap)
operating conditions
Working 8 hours a day, 250 working days a year, for 5 consecutive years.
Fuel forklift energy consumption expenditure
The internal combustion engine continues to consume diesel, and the oil consumption is stable during the operation of the engine. According to the conventional factory loading and unloading conditions, the single-day fuel cost is relatively high. Under high-frequency operation for many years, the fuel expenditure will continue to accumulate, which is the largest fixed expenditure in operation.BYD lithium forklift energy consumption expenditure
The vehicle has no fuel consumption and only generates industrial electricity bills. BYD lithium-ion motors have higher energy conversion efficiency and no internal combustion engine energy loss. Support night valley charging, which can further reduce electricity expenses. Under the same operating hours, electricity costs are much lower than diesel costs.
In a factory floor that operates continuously for a long time, only the energy cost alone can widen the cost gap of lithium-ion models year by year.
IV. Item 3: Five-year maintenance costs
1. Fuel internal combustion forklift
The engine structure has many parts, and the maintenance items are complicated: the oil, machine filter, air filter, and hydraulic oil need to be replaced regularly, and the engine pipeline and exhaust system need to be overhauled.
Overall, within a five-year cycle, maintenance parts + repair hours will generate a continuously increasing expenditure.
2. BYD lithium battery forklift
The whole vehicle has no wear-prone parts such as internal combustion engine and gearbox, and the motor structure is stable. The blade lithium battery is a maintenance-free design, and does not need to add water or fluid. It only needs to check the wiring, hydraulic system and tires every day.
Item 4: Comparison of residual values of vehicles after five years
Fuel forklifts: After five years, the engine wears out seriously, and the second-hand recycling value is generally low.
BYD lithium battery forklift: lithium battery life is longer, the battery can also be used in stages, the second-hand residual value of the vehicle is higher than that of internal combustion forklifts of the same age, and the depreciation of equipment assets is less.
VI. Comprehensive five-year total cost summary
Short-term 1-2 years: Fuel forklifts have a lower purchase price and a more dominant total investment, making them suitable for low-frequency and occasional use in factories.
Long-term high-frequency operation for 3-5 years: As fuel costs and maintenance costs continue to increase, the operating costs of fuel forklifts continue to rise; the extra investment in BYD's lithium-ion forklifts in the early stage can be recovered year by year through electricity costs and maintenance costs. Most manufacturing plants with two or three shifts of continuous production have more economical overall costs within a five-year cycle.
In addition, lithium-ion forklifts have zero exhaust emissions and can be used directly in closed factories, food workshops, and warehouses without worrying about exhaust gas pollution, making it easier to meet factory safety production and environmental protection control requirements.
VII. Supplementary recommendations
If your factory has heavy daily loading and unloading tasks and uninterrupted production all year round, you can make an appointment to measure the working conditions of the factory, and we can issue a one-to-one personalized cost estimation plan based on your working hours, electricity prices, and site conditions.
