A forklift driver moves packages at a logistics center in Qingdao, East China's Shandong Province). File photo: VCG

Chinese electric forklifts are riding a powerful export wave, the Global Times learned from manufacturers and exporters. Analysts attributed the export boom to surging and accelerating global demand for cost-effective, low-carbon logistics equipment inside factories.

A representative at Zhejiang Goodsense Forklift Co, a Taizhou-based manufacturer and exporters of intelligent logistics systems, including electric forklifts, told the Global Times on Sunday that their intelligent production lines are running at full speed. 

"Once the various forklifts and logistics equipment come off the line, they will be shipped via dedicated logistics routes to 127 countries and regions in the world," the representative said.

The company's product portfolio covers more than 600 specifications, including a full range of forklifts, warehouse handling equipment, baggage tractors, aircraft tow tractors, bulk cargo loaders, and emergency support vehicles, the representative said.

Forklifts can help speed up loading and unloading, thus improving the overall efficiency of factories' internal logistics.

Some producers of electric forklifts are also seeing surging demand worldwide, with orders already booked and production scheduled through the fourth quarter, CCTV News reported.

At another Zhejiang-based company's shipping area, 80 containers carrying nearly 400 forklifts leave for ports each day. By the end of this month, shipments are expected to climb further, reaching 100 containers per day, per the report.

This export momentum can be seen from China's growing exports of forklifts in the first seven months of this year, which surpassed 380,000 units, rising 22 percent year-on-year. The total sales of forklifts exceeded 1 million during the same period, up 17.7 percent year-on-year, according to data cited by CCTV News.

This surge is being driven by a combination of strong cost performance, energy efficiency, and rising demand for low-carbon solutions overseas, Hu Qimu, a professor at the Maritime Silk Road Institute of Huaqiao University, told the Global Times on Sunday.

"The export boom comes as the world is grappling with soaring energy costs. Chinese electric forklifts help foreign operators cut daily energy bills while meeting carbon-reduction requirements, creating strong real world market appeal," Hu said, adding that machinery and electrical products have long constituted a major part of China's exports. The export mix is being further optimized, with the share of smart‑ and green‑featured equipment continuing to climb.

China already accounts for more than 35 percent of the global electric forklift market, making it the world's largest single market for electric forklifts, according to industry statistics.

Chinese analysts said that China's forklift industry has completed its shift from a fuel-powered market to one dominated by electric models. With control over key segments including batteries, motors, and complete vehicle manufacturing, Chinese companies are delivering strong products to global markets while also maintaining lower costs, faster delivery times, and larger production capacity. This gives them a level of comprehensive competitiveness that is difficult for other countries to match. 

The representative of Zhejiang Goodsense Forklift Co said that the company's intelligent battery-swapping technology is able to complete a forklift battery swap in just three minutes, making battery swapping as convenient as refueling. "All of our products can be offered in a 'battery-swapping version'."

According to an industry report from Interact Analysis, China's lithium-ion forklift shipments are projected to explode from 26,436 units in 2018 to more than 1 million annually by 2034 - a more than fortyfold increase.