Although the frames and chassis of the two forklifts are basically similar, the most important difference is the power source. But why is the price difference of forklifts so large?
First of all, the procurement cost of spare parts is high.
Diesel forklifts use engines and gearboxes as power sources, while battery forklifts use motors, gearboxes, batteries and controllers as basic power mechanisms.
The engines of domestic diesel forklifts are basically domestic 490 or 495, and the diesel ones are Zhejiang Xinchai or Quanchai, which are not expensive, and the gearboxes and other parts are also equipped by domestic manufacturers. The combination of engine and gearbox is only more than 10,000 yuan; the controller of battery forklift is basically imported, and the price is tens of thousands. In addition to the dual-motor structure of electric forklift (drive motor and hydraulic motor), the cost of this part alone exceeds the entire power structure of diesel forklift; then there is the battery: the domestic 80V500A battery generally costs about 16,000-20,000 yuan, plus the cost of the controller, the battery and control cost alone will be 30,000-40,000 yuan; plus the circuit board of electric forklift is much more expensive than that of diesel forklift; so it is normal that the cost of battery forklift accessories is 40,000-50,000 yuan higher than that of diesel forklift.
Second, the production cost is high.
As we all know, the greater the output of the same product, the more the procurement cost of a single component can be reduced! From the 2015 forklift sales statistics, it can be seen that among the 327,000 forklifts sold last year, the proportion of diesel forklifts is declining, and the sales volume of electric forklifts is increasing and reaching 120,000 units, but the 206,000 diesel vehicles still occupy a large market share.
At present, there are more than 40 domestic forklift manufacturers with a scale of more than 1,000 forklifts per year. For a production factory, the average daily output of two or three units does not reflect the low-price advantage of mass production; large quantity discounts, this is a simple truth. The daily expenses, personnel costs, equipment losses, etc. of the factory also need to be further included in the final ex-factory price of the product, resulting in a further increase in the price of battery forklifts, and it is difficult to achieve a low price.
Third, the sales cost is high.
There are dozens of domestic battery forklift manufacturers, but there are more than 3,000 sales companies of all sizes; on average, each company can only sell about 1 electric forklift per month; and this is still the average, and many sales companies can only sell two or three electric forklifts in a whole year. Compared with those diesel forklift dealers who sell hundreds of diesel forklifts every year, it is really a small matter. In order to ensure a certain profit, the ultra-low sales volume has become the only choice to increase the price. Many times, dealers sell a diesel forklift worth more than 50,000 yuan, and their gross profit margin may be as low as 1,000 yuan, or even 500 yuan in profit to achieve the sales target. However, no one is willing to sell an electric forklift worth more than 100,000 yuan and only make 1,000 yuan. After all, 100,000 yuan deposited in the bank will earn 400 to 500 yuan in interest every month. Therefore, the large profit margin of the dealer's single product further increases the final transaction price of the battery forklift.
Fourth, after-sales maintenance costs.
If the warranty cost of a diesel forklift in the first year is 1,500 yuan, then no one is willing to repair an electric forklift for less than 3,000 yuan per unit. After all, burning a component at random costs hundreds or thousands.
However, as the country's requirements for environmental protection continue to increase, the market demand for diesel forklifts will gradually decrease in the future. On the contrary, the market demand for electric forklifts with environmental protection characteristics will inevitably increase year by year. Although it is more expensive in the short term, its maintenance cost is lower than that of a diesel forklift, and its maintenance cycle is two to three times that of a diesel forklift. The time required for maintenance is also much less than that of a diesel forklift, which can greatly save maintenance labor costs and effectively shorten the forklift downtime, which is beneficial to improving the forklift's working efficiency and improving economic benefits. Therefore, overall, electric forklifts are more economical.
