Godrej & Boyce: Offers India’s 1st Lithium-Ion Battery-Powered Forklifts

Anil Lingayat - Executive VP & Business Head, Material Handling Business, Godrej & Boyce

We have introduced India’s first Lithium-Ion battery-powered forklifts. Lithium-ion battery-powered forklifts are a boon for the material handling sector, offering substantial benefits. Our lithium-ion battery-powered forklifts, featuring a fully indigenously developed battery management system, mark a significant milestone in the material handling sector. This innovation addresses the critical need for a self-reliant and secure Li-ion battery system, enhancing both operational efficiency and energy security in the industry.

The adoption of Li-ion technology in these forklifts offers transformative advantages, including over four times the battery life compared to traditional lead-acid batteries. Li-ion batteries provide up to 5,000 charge cycles, far surpassing the 1,200 cycles of lead-acid batteries, leading to substantial long-term cost savings. Li-ion batteries require only 2.5 hours to charge from 20% to 80%, compared to 6 hours for lead-acid batteries, while consuming 30% less energy.

This enables opportunity charging, results in zero emissions during charging, and reduces maintenance needs. Li-ion batteries also deliver up to 15% more run time for 2 and 3-tonne forklifts. Their modular design allows for scalability, making them versatile across various applications.

The company plans to extend this advanced technology to other material handling equipment, benefiting industries such as automotive, FMCG, consumer durables, retail (including e-commerce), pharmaceuticals, and other major manufacturing sectors. The company is targeting 100% localization of Li-Ion cells by the end of next year—a first in India. This is the first offering of its kind by an Indian manufacturer.

Our focus on integrating cutting-edge, technology-enabled solutions remains a key priority, addressing the complex challenges of modern supply chains. These innovations are crucial for enhancing operational efficiency and ensuring the sector’s continued evolution. Developed in collaboration with Log9 Materials, the new battery systems integrate lithium-ion cells with 30% localized production, supported by a proprietary Battery Management System (BMS), fully designed and manufactured in India.