Can an Electric Forklift Handle a 24/7 Operation?

Twelve months. Around-the-clock operation. Zero downtime.

That's the bar a high-output injection molding facility in Texas set when it decided to test Big Joe integrated lithium-ion forklifts against its aging propane fleet. The facility runs 24/7, so there was no room for equipment that couldn't keep pace. What they found over the next year is worth a look for any operation still weighing the switch from propane or diesel.

The Numbers

Over twelve months, one Big Joe unit logged 4,528 hours of operation, an average of 13.2 hours a day. Thirty-seven of those days hit 20 or more hours. The truck was in use 342 days out of the year, including a 192-day stretch without a single day off.

That's the kind of utilization operations managers usually associate with propane trucks. The Big Joe unit matched it.

Where the Savings Show Up

Big Joe Pulse telematics, standard on every Class 1 truck, tracked the fine details: working hours, idle time, charging behavior, and energy use. That visibility turned into real numbers.

• Total energy cost for the year: $927, at roughly $0.20 per operational hour
• Fuel savings compared to an equivalent propane fleet: over $5,200 per truck, per year
• Idle costs eliminated compared to propane: $1,300, since a lithium truck doesn't burn fuel while it sits
• Regenerative braking added up to 1.75 hours of run time per day, extending total run time by 6.1%
• A 15-minute opportunity charge added 8% back to battery state of charge, enough to keep the truck moving through a shift without a full charging break

What It Means for Emissions

Because the truck produces no local emissions, the facility eliminated indoor exhaust entirely. Over a twelve-month period, converting one unit from propane to Big Joe lithium-ion cut an estimated 18,890 lb. of CO2e, roughly the equivalent of taking 1.75 passenger cars off the road for a year.

The Takeaway

High-hour, round-the-clock operations are exactly the kind of environment that used to make fleet managers hesitate on electrification. This case study shows a Big Joe integrated lithium-ion truck holding up to a full 24/7 schedule, with the telematics data to back it up and real cost savings to show for it.

If your operation is running propane or diesel trucks on a similar schedule, the data says there's a case for taking a closer look.

Contact us to schedule a demo.