As we turn over to a new year, the accelerated uptake of lithium battery technology in the materials handling market, and the ongoing push towards the electrification of forklift fleets, continue to shape the news at Forkliftaction. Here is a roundup of key news for the materials handling battery market from November through January. 

In January:

Jungheinrich officially launches its AntOn entry-level range of lithium-ion materials handling equipment to the Asia Pacific market following its debut on the European market where “strong sales” were recorded.

Port Newark Container Terminal (PNCT), one of the largest container terminals on the US East Coast, orders 20 Noell straddle carriers, equipped with hybrid drives.

Concentric, expands its data centre infrastructure capabilities with the acquisition of UPS devices provider Critical Components Infrastructure (CCI).

Annual forklift shipments are now forecast to exceed 3,600,000 units by 2034 with Interact Analysis attributing the sharp upward revision in part to the accelerated use of Li-ion technology and the drive towards electrification.

In December

Forkliftaction’s year-in-review report brings together the key developments that shaped the materials handling market in 2025, including a rundown of all the latest battery-related products.

Industrial forklift battery manufacturer Bulldog Battery Corporation promotes James Brown to the position of chief operating officer, effective from December 1.

Kalmar partners with charging solutions manufacturers Kempower and Sinexcel to launch a new range of DC charging solutions which will include the megawatt charging system that will be implemented at DP World London.

Clark Material Handling Company introduces its S25-35XE Renegade Lithium Series, a range of electric forklifts available in 5,000, 6,000 and 7,000 lbs. (2.3, 2.7 and 3.75T) capacities, powered by Clark’s Fusion Lithium battery.

India’s largest producer of aluminium, Vedanta Aluminium, more than doubles its electric forklift fleet to make what is reported to be the world’s largest lithium-ion forklift fleet of 142 vehicles. 

Yale Lift Truck Technologies launches its own lithium-ion batteries with compatible chargers that are designed for selected Yale forklifts, pallet trucks, stackers and other warehouse equipment. 

In November:

China’s Taichung Group (TZCO) unveils what it says is the world’s largest-capacity lithium-ion forklift, a 65T electric forklift suitable for use in port terminals, steelworks and large-scale infrastructure projects.

Bobcat releases its first 3-wheel electric forklift, the B16-20NT Series, which will be powered by its newly introduced lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) batteries. 

Konecranes launches its new compact electric reachstacker range at TOC Asia, after having debuted it to a select audience in Shanghai. 

UgoWork ranks 133rd on the Deloitte Technology Fast 500 list and 39th on Canada’s Technology Fast 50 program.

HD Hyundai XiteSolutions receives its biggest order to date in Latin America for 230 electric forklifts from Venezuela’s largest food and beverage company, Empresas Polar.

Symbotic will roll out new battery technology from UK-based Nyobolt for its SymBot autonomous mobile robots. Symbotic says, “the technology… delivers unparalleled cycle life: at least 10 times that of traditional lithium-ion technology”.

Macrovey enters a partnership to use CaPow’s Power-in-Motion energy transfer platform. This follows CaPow’s partnership earlier in June 2025, with Hyundai Cradle, Hyundai Motor Group’s innovation arm. 

Concentric’s autonomous forklift battery management system PowerHIVE reaches the milestone of 250,000 battery swaps across the United States. “The first 100,000 swaps took 20 months,” reports John Winter, president & CEO of Concentric. “The next 150,000 happened in seven…”

Eletrovaya establishes a new subsidiary in Japan. The company owns two operating sites in Canada and has acquired a 52-acre site in New York state for a planned gigafactory.

Keep coming back, we will continue to update you on new materials handling battery developments throughout January as they happen.

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