Comparison of the Efficiency and Energy Consumption of an Electric Wheel Loader and a Diesel Loader

The study focuses on the efficiency of diesel and electric forklifts in an industrial plant. Diesel forklifts have a fuel consumption of 8–17 l/h, and the average during loading is 12.4 l/h. The electric forklift operates for 7–8 hours, charges up to 70% in 45 minutes, with an hourly electricity consumption of 31 kWh. It is recommended to optimize the operating modes of diesel forklifts, reducing downtime. Operating time at rated power and minimum load shows significant inactivity. An electric forklift is more efficient in terms of efficiency (0.77 in motion and 0.87 in hydraulic operation) compared to a diesel one (0.25 and 0.28). This highlights the benefits of electrical systems in using energy efficiently, helping to save resources. A comparison of performance when loading sand shows that the electric loader is slightly more productive, despite the charging time, which is important when choosing equipment.