Electric lift trucks have outnumbered internal combustion (IC) lift trucks in North American unit sales every year since at least 2019, with the Industrial Truck Association (ITA) recording 144,861 electric units vs 77,588 IC units in 2019, and 135,163 electric units vs 61,161 IC units in 2020 [S2].
From the same Industrial Truck Association (ITA) dataset, IC forklift purchases fell from 77,588 in 2019 to 61,161 in 2020 (about a 21% drop) while electric purchases fell from 144,861 to 135,163 (about a 6.7% drop), yielding electric-to-IC ratios of roughly 1.87:1 in 2019 and 2.21:1 in 2020 [S2]. For procurement teams weighing electric pallet trucks against propane and diesel classes, the volume answer is no longer in dispute.
What the ITA unit counts actually show
The ITA figures cited by Flux Power cover North American factory shipments, not end-user registrations, and break the market into two power-source buckets: electric (everything from 24 V walkies to 80 V cushion and pneumatic tire counterbalance trucks) and IC (gasoline, LPG/propane, and diesel) [S2]. In both reporting years, electric shipments exceeded IC shipments by a margin wide enough that even a generous error bar on industry estimates would not close the gap.
Two important caveats apply. First, the dataset stops at 2020 in the available material, so it does not capture 2021-2026 dynamics directly. Second, "electric" in the ITA tally includes lead-acid as well as lithium-ion builds, so the headline crossover happened on the back of conventional batteries, not Li-ion. The lithium-ion share of the electric bucket is the main reason the electric lead has held through subsequent macro shocks, because Li-ion cuts both peak charging infrastructure and operator downtime versus flooded lead-acid [S2].
Why the crossover is structural, not a one-off
Three drivers keep the electric share expanding once the lead is established. First, indoor air quality: warehouses, food plants, and pharmaceutical sites have moved to limit or eliminate LPG and diesel exhaust in occupied aisles, with some jurisdictions restricting IC equipment inside facilities altogether [S1][S6]. Second, total cost of ownership: an IC forklift typically accumulates around 12,000 operating hours before major overhaul, while an electric unit with Li-ion chemistry can run past that horizon with battery swaps, and the absence of engine oil, fuel filters, and spark service cuts scheduled maintenance items [S3]. Third, energy cost: electricity per shift-hour is consistently below LPG or diesel on a delivered-energy basis, and Li-ion holds a flat voltage across the discharge curve where lead-acid sags, so trucks do not slow down at hour seven [S2].
For 4-5 tonne cushion-tire operations on a single shift, the practical break-even between IC and electric now sits inside one equipment lease cycle, before any utility incentive or carbon credit is applied [S1]. That arithmetic is the reason the electric pallet truck class is replacing walkies and rider-pallet IC conversions in distribution centers, not just appearing in new greenfield builds.
Lead-acid vs lithium-ion inside the electric bucket
Inside the electric category, the chemistry split matters more than the headline electric-vs-IC comparison. Lead-acid packs the bulk of the installed base because they cost less up front, but they deliver only 1,000-1,500 cycles versus 2,000-3,000 cycles for Li-ion, and they lose capacity during charge, discharge, and even idle storage [S2]. Lithium-ion holds a flat voltage across the discharge cycle, which translates into as much as 50% energy savings versus a comparable lead-acid pack on the same duty profile, and removes the equalize-charge, watering, and acid-room infrastructure [S2].
The trade is capital cost. Li-ion packs run a multiple of lead-acid on a per-kWh basis, and cold-storage operators below about -20°C must specify heated Li-ion packs or revert to lead-acid with its tolerance profile. For 80 V heavy pneumatic-tire trucks on multi-shift duty, Li-ion is now the default; for 24 V walkie pallet jacks on one shift, lead-acid is still cost-defensible.
Where IC forklifts still win
IC forklifts are not a relic. They remain the right tool for outdoor heavy-lift applications, rough-terrain sites, and continuous 24/7 operations where refueling in 3 minutes beats a 30-60 minute opportunity charge, particularly on 5-7 tonne pneumatic-tire classes [S1]. They also handle port-and-terminal duty, lumber yards, and cold-climate sites where battery capacity derates aggressively. The IC lifecycle of roughly 12,000 hours is also a known quantity: fleets with strong in-house engine shops can run propane trucks well past the point where an equivalent electric unit would need a battery refurbishment [S3].
South California Edison, for example, has been electrifying its own service fleet and had about 135 electric forklifts in its internal fleet (roughly a third of the total) by early 2020, with the diesel and propane units retained for heavy outdoor work like moving large spools of wire [S4]. That is the realistic split most large operators converge on: electric indoors and on paved yards, IC outdoors and on extreme duty.
Comparison: IC vs electric on decision criteria
On four procurement criteria, the two technologies line up clearly. Energy cost per shift-hour: electric wins, with the Li-ion advantage compounding at the meter [S2]. Scheduled maintenance burden: electric wins, with no engine oil, fuel filters, or spark service, and with Li-ion further eliminating battery watering and equalize charges [S3][S5]. Indoor air-quality compliance: electric wins by default, since zero tailpipe emissions satisfy most facility ventilation and OSHA air-quality expectations [S1][S5]. Refuel/recharge turnaround: IC wins, with a 3-minute LPG tank swap versus a 30-60 minute Li-ion opportunity charge (though Li-ion opportunity charging across breaks closes the gap in practice) [S2]. The decision is therefore rarely "which is better" and almost always "which is better for this duty cycle, this shift pattern, and this indoor/outdoor split".
Regulatory tailwinds already on the books
France, the UK, Germany, and Canada have been cited as markets planning to end sales of new petrol and diesel road vehicles by 2030, and that same regulatory vector is pushing industrial equipment toward electrification in the same window [S2]. US states, California foremost, are evaluating bans on gas-powered vehicles in road transport, and parallel restrictions on IC-powered equipment inside manufacturing facilities are already in force at the local level in several jurisdictions [S2]. For multi-site operators, that turns the IC vs electric choice from an accounting question into a compliance one.
Trackable signals for the next 12 months
Two nodes will tell the rest of the story. First, the post-2020 ITA unit-shipment data, when published, should show whether the 2020 COVID demand dip was a pause or a step-down, and whether Li-ion has crossed 50% of the electric bucket on new orders. Second, the lighting equipment and electric lamps and flow meter buildouts that follow lithium-ion forklift fleets inside distribution-center retrofits, which usually lag electrification by one to two quarters and confirm the new-build pace on the ground. [S2]
Background reading: Compensator Check Button on Automatic Levels: Function, Test Procedure, Failure Signs.