Currently, China domestic electric forklift industry is witnessing a prosperous development trend. Data shows that in the first half of 2025, the total sales volume of forklifts in China reached 739,334 units, among which electric forklifts accounted for 74.4% with sales volume exceeding 550,000 units. It is expected that the annual sales volume of electric forklifts will increase by more than 15% year-on-year. Relying on advantages in cost and environmental protection, electric forklifts are accelerating the replacement of internal combustion forklifts and have become the mainstream choice in the market.
Fruitful achievements have been made in terms of technological innovation. A domestic forklift enterprise has achieved remarkable results in its Key Technologies and Industrialization of High-performance High-voltage Electric Forklifts project. It has developed a full range of 2-48t high-performance counterbalanced high-voltage lithium-ion forklift models, whose overall technology has reached the international leading level, realizing the full-working-condition replacement of internal combustion forklifts and their industrial application. In addition, innovative products of other enterprises have also shined in international award selections. For instance, automated guided vehicles feature a minimalist interactive design and can be used without complex deployment; high-voltage lithium-ion forklifts adopt advanced technologies, boasting strong power, high speed and zero emissions.
Notable progress has also been made in market expansion. Since the start of 2025, a company in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province has been in a busy production state, with an average of two containers of electric forklifts shipped to overseas markets every hour. Its shipment volume in June even broke previous records, and its products are very popular in markets such as Europe, America and Southeast Asia. A company in Anji, Zhejiang Province produces over 1,000 forklifts of various types per day. Due to the surge in demand for fuel-to-electricity transformation from downstream enterprises, it has shifted all its production capacity to electric forklifts, and the proportion of production scheduled for export is higher than that for domestic sales.
Driven by the dual impetus of technological innovation and market expansion, China domestic electric forklift industry is continuously increasing its share in the global market competition and is expected to achieve greater breakthroughs and development in the future.