Efficiency Measurements of Lift Trucks

Southern California Edison (SCE) developed a procedure for evaluating the efficiency of lift trucks and their associated systems after investigating available data and procedures in the industry. The search for information included manufacturers, utilities, and government agencies. To validate the procedure, fifteen trucks were selected for evaluation. Four advanced technology electric trucks, nine mature technology trucks, and for comparison, two engine-driven trucks were subjected to the test procedure and the results analyzed. The process proved to be invaluable for refining the procedure, and the resulting data was sufficient to draw some conclusions and make recommendations for the selection of the most efficient equipment.