There’s been plenty of movement in the materials handling battery market in recent months with a number of key forklift manufacturers looking to extend their battery offer and a wave of strategic partnerships, product launches, and major fleet upgrades towards emissions-free equipment. Forkliftaction rounds up the key developments from July through September.

In September:

Scania Group launches its Scania Industrial Batteries business, which is dedicated to off-road and industrial applications, including the materials handling sector. This follows Scania’s April 2025 acquisition of the industrial division of green battery technology developer Northvolt Systems.

PotisEdge partners with Lion Power to supply its advanced intelligent battery management systems for materials handling equipment across North America. The agreement will leverage Lion Power’s award-winning Autonomous Power Management system and enhance the competitiveness of both companies in the power battery market.

UgoWork launches battery assembly operations in the United States for some of its forklift batteries. The company confirms its next-gen lithium-ion batteries for Class I, II and III forklifts for the US domestic market will now be assembled in the US from domestic and foreign components.

STILL introduces a new lithium-ion battery that has been developed in response to customers not fully utilising existing battery capacity. The battery enables users to pay only for the energy they need, rather than for surplus capacity.

BSL Battery (BSLBatt) establishes its presence in Japan with the opening of BSL Battery Japan. The company explains Japan was selected because of its support for a 2050 carbon neutrality goal and the growing demand for lithium-ion solutions within the country’s manufacturing and logistics sectors.

Greentech India Material Handling, a distributor of BYD Forklifts, introduces the first 8T lithium-ion BYD forklift into India, describing this as a “game-changer” for heavy-duty, zero-emission operations.

Sany Robotics delivers 40 electric forklifts to the Abu Samra Border logistics project in Qatar. The forklifts are equipped with IP67-rated core systems with liquid cooling, making them suitable for a range of applications including ports, factories, chemical plants, and cold-chain logistics.

The European Materials Handling Federation (FEM) raises concerns about the European Commission’s Omnibus IV Regulation proposal aimed at digitalising instructions and safety information. FEM says the proposal is contradictory around the requirements for stationary battery energy storage systems and printed instructions.

Global lube oil additive company BRB achieves its goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from its operations to zero, with the replacement of all its forklifts with electric models making a valuable contribution.

Battery solutions provider, maxwell+spark, secures EUR9 million (USD10.6 million) in growth funding from Alantra’s Energy Transition Fund, Klima. The investment will fuel the company’s expansion across Europe and the United States.

Third-party logistics provider, Knowles Logistics, takes a major step forward in its sustainability journey with the electrification of 87% of its 103-strong forklift fleet after introducing 90 new CAT and Toyota electric forklifts.

Doosan Bobcat launches its eForce Lab, a dedicated battery pack research and development (R&D) centre. The new facility will serve as a hub for developing and testing core battery pack technologies.

In August:

Toyota Material Handling (TMH) expands its energy solutions with the release of its new 5/35 lithium-ion battery series, which are IP69-rated and are available in 24V, 36V and 48V options. The batteries feature integrated thermal management for operation in temperatures from 22 degrees (-5.6 C) to 122 degrees (50 C). In August, the company also introduced three new electric stackers.

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Raymond Corporation releases its first lithium-ion batteries available in 24V, 36V and 48V options. The batteries are deployed with a drop-in design for Raymond forklifts, they hold an ingress protection rating of 69 and are powered by lithium-ion phosphate. The company also released three new electric walkie stackers in August.

Australia Post opens its new parcel delivery centre (PDC) in Sydney, which will utilise a new fleet of 12 pieces of electric forklifts and materials handling equipment, including electric forklifts. The facility, which is targeting an accredited 5-star green star rating, features a 398kW solar system with 81kWh battery storage and EV car charging stations.

HC Forklifts UK introduces the Breeze entry-level range of electric and materials handling equipment to the UK market. The forklifts feature next-gen lithium-ion batteries and plug-and-go charging.

Sany Group launches its fully electric SRSC5035E, 50T reachstacker, purpose-built for the containerised energy storage sector. The forklift is equipped with a 512kWh swappable battery, with ultra-low energy consumption of 1.8kWh per container and energy regeneration of 0.4kWh recovered per descent. 

In July:

EP Brasil introduces the EFL302B3 lithium-ion 3T forklift onto the Brazilian market. The company claims the forklift is “the most affordable lithium” powered forklift on the Brazilian market.

Hutchison Ports ECT Rotterdam (ECT) orders 42 Li-ion AGVs and automated charging stations from Konecranes, as the terminal continues its transition to fully electric operations.

Manitou Group and Hangcha Group announce a joint venture for the manufacturing and distribution of lithium-ion batteries. A statement from Manitou explains the venture will operate “with complete independence”. 

Geek+ becomes the first publicly traded, autonomous mobile robot (AMR) company with an initial public offering (IPO) on the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX).

Kalmar introduces its second generation lithium-ion battery technology. Developed to meet increased demand for sustainable cargo handling solutions, the new battery features advanced cell chemistry to extend its life cycle.

Hyster unveils its new heavy-duty electric empty container handler, the J6-7XD-EC3/4 series. Powered by lithium-ion batteries, the forklift has a lifting capacity of 6,000kg to 7,000kg with the ability to stack three or four high.

Clark Material Handling Company launches its new factory-direct Fusion Lithium battery options, alongside the new Clark Smart Telematics system. The new Fusion Lithium batteries are now offered as a factory-installed option.

Kalmar delivers the first electric reach stacker to Belgium, received by the DFDS Ferry Terminal and Logistics Office in Ghent. This follows Kalmar’s approval from Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) for its near and long-term emissions reduction targets.

EnerSys achieves Underwriter Laboratories (UL) approval for its NexSys+ outdoor battery chargers. In May the company received UL2580 Rev3 certification for the 80-volt NexSys® iON lithium-ion batteries.

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