BITA stats show LPG forklifts outsold diesel forklifts in the UK in June-July.

Industry statistics reveal that liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) forklifts are increasing in popularity in the UK.

According to the British Industrial Truck Association (BITA)'s Retail Deliveries for 2010 report, LPG forklift sales lagged behind diesel forklifts for the first five months this year but the trend changed in June.

Sales of LPG-fuelled counterbalance forklifts jumped 188% over the previous month's sales. About 342 LPG forklifts were sold in June, compared to 282 diesel forklifts. In July, 240 LPG forklifts were sold, compared to 230 diesel forklifts.

The BITA statistics are released monthly, providing an overview of the UK forklift market and the number of products sold, breaking down marketshare by fuel type. For the January-July 2010 period, the figures show that LPG forklifts account for 30.2% of all counterbalance forklifts sold in the UK.

Calor forklift specialist Jim Moyes says all of the major forklift manufacturers now offer LPG models in their product ranges. "The benefits of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) in the forklift market have been widely recognised over recent years," Moyes says.

"LPG avoids the lengthy charging periods associated with electric trucks and, as a cleaner burning fuel than diesel, LPG results in less potential for oil contamination and reduced overall engine wear," he explains.

Calor claims to be the UK's leading LPG supplier. The advances it is making in the forklift market include larger capacity fixed fuel tanks to reduce downtime, the Magnatract cylinder technology that eliminates risk interruptions in fuel supply, and safety test "date stamps" that are placed on every Calor forklift cylinder.