Diesel wins on purchase price and refuelling speed. Electric wins on energy cost per hour, maintenance and the ability to work indoors without ventilation. Over five years, the energy and maintenance gap usually exceeds the price difference.
| Electric | ||
|---|---|---|
| Purchase price | Lower | Higher |
| Energy cost / hour | Higher | Lower |
| Refuelling | 2 minutes | Battery change or opportunity charging |
| Maintenance | Engine, filters, oil | Motor, controller, battery |
| Indoor use | Needs ventilation | Zero emissions |
| Noise | High | Low |
| Lift capacity | Up to 10 t+ | Commonly to 3.5 t |
| Best for | Yards, heavy loads, rough ground | Warehouses, food, pharma, cold store |
A diesel truck burns fuel every hour it runs. An electric truck draws power and recovers energy on braking. On a two-shift operation the annual energy difference is usually large enough to outweigh the initial price gap.
Diesel engines produce exhaust gases. Any building where the truck operates needs forced ventilation, and in food, pharmaceutical or cold-store environments diesel is normally ruled out entirely by regulation, not by cost.
A diesel truck has an engine, filters, belts and oil. An electric truck has a motor and a controller with very few wearing parts. Battery care becomes the main maintenance task — and lithium packs have reduced even that.
TSG 81—2022 — Safety Technical Regulation for Special Purpose Motor Vehicles in Plants, State Administration for Market Regulation (China)GB/T 26560 — Industrial Trucks — Vocabulary, National Technical Committee for Industrial Truck StandardisationGB/T 23794-2023 — Enterprise Credit Evaluation Indicators, National Technical Committee for Social Credit StandardisationISO 3691 series — Industrial trucks — Safety requirements and verification, ISOEN 1175:2020 — Safety of industrial trucks — Electrical requirements, CENSend us your aisle width, lift height and pallet type — we will tell you which model works and which does not.
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