UK Company Introduces Cleaner Diesel Forklift Engine

Under pressure from the European Union to reduce harmful emissions, the makers of forklifts and other industrial vehicles have been struggling to find a cleaner, more environmentally-friendly way to power their vehicles without breaking the bank.

Doosan Industrial Vehicle UK, a subsidiary of the South Korean conglomerate Doosan, has introduced the new G2 diesel engine. The cutting edge motor uses Diesel Oxidation Catalyst (DOC) exhaust treatment technology as well as an Exhaust Gas Recirculation system to cut emissions by up to 90%. They also don’t use expensive diesel particulate filters, which can drive up the cost of a forklift that can meet the EU’s tough emission standards.

Now Offered in Many Different Models

The cleaner G2 engines are being used in the new D20S-7, D25S-7, D30S-7, D33S-7 and D35C-7 model forklifts.

The new engines represent a real breakthrough in forklift engine technology, according to Tim Waples, the company’s UK director.

“New Euro Stages IIIB and IV regulations require the latest engines to achieve an enormous 90% reduction in emissions of gases and particulates compared to the power units they replace, a real challenge presented to engine manufacturers,” Waples said in a company news release announcing the new engines. “To meet this challenge, our in-house engine division invested millions of pounds developing an engine that changes the game in diesel combustion, without the operator ending up out of pocket.”

Award-Winning Design

Given its lower fuel consumption, longer maintenance intervals, and maintenance free after-treatment systems, it’s not surprising that the G2 engine already has won the 2014 FLTA Award for innovation.

The engine’s environmentally-friendly design also reduces the total cost of ownership over the life a forklift powered by it, so the payback period is faster than it is for any other engine in its class, according to Doosan.

The G2, which went on sale last month, is available in 2.4 liter and 3.4 liter versions. In tests at the UK’s Millbrook Proving Ground, in Bedfordshire, the smaller engine recorded some of the best fuel consumption figures ever seen in the forklift industry, according to the news release. Fuel consumption was reduced by more than 30% to as little as 2.09 liters per hour in standard mode and 1.67 liters per hour when the optional speed limiter is deployed.

“A Game-Changer”

Phil Stones, Millbrook’s head of emissions and fuel economy, said he was astonished by the engine’s results.

“Millbrook is very pleased to have assisted Doosan with this important program,” Stones said. “Building on Millbrook’s previous working relationship with  Doosan, our extensive tests onthe G2 engine in our Variable Temperature Chamber (VTEC), followed by rack tests, resulted in success for the program and the product.”

Waple said he expects the G2 to be a game-changer.

“The Doosan G2 engine represents a watershed moment in forklift diesel engine design,” he said. “It is a genuinely innovative approach to the challenge of maintaining performance while meeting exacting emissions standards, and will become the benchmark engine against which all other in the market are measured.”