Cold chain storage facilities around the globe usually maintain long-term low temperature settings between -18℃ and -30℃ to keep perishable goods in proper storage conditions, which brings unique challenges to all types of on-site material handling equipment. Conventional power handling tools often face issues like reduced power output, shorter continuous working duration and frequent component fault alarms after long time exposure to the constant low temperature working scenario, which may interrupt the normal operation rhythm of the whole storage area. To collect reliable first-hand operational data of new energy material handling equipment under this specific working condition, we carried out a continuous field application observation program targeting BYD lithium-ion forklifts inside multiple standard cold storage working environments for nearly 100 working days.

During the whole observation period, the operating team recorded full-cycle data of the forklifts under different working scenarios, including full-load cargo moving, frequent door passing between normal temperature buffer zone and low temperature storage zone, and continuous shift operation without extra heat preservation treatment. The statistics collected in the observation process show that the lithium-ion power system of the tested forklifts maintains relatively stable power output in the long-term low temperature environment, and the lifting and moving power performance does not show obvious attenuation compared with its performance under normal temperature working conditions. For most conventional 8-hour daily shift arrangements for cold storage workers, the tested forklifts can finish all scheduled handling tasks without extra mid-shift charging arrangement.

The observation also tracks the daily maintenance and fault record of the tested equipment. Different from some other power forklift products that need extra preheating for 20 to 30 minutes before starting operation in cold storage areas, the observed BYD lithium-ion forklifts can enter normal working state within a very short preparation period after startup, which helps reduce the waiting time of on-site operation teams. The wear rate of core moving parts of the forklifts in low temperature environment is maintained at the normal level set for room temperature working conditions, and no unusual damage to the shell and control panel caused by frequent temperature difference change is found during the whole observation cycle.

At the end of the observation program, the comprehensive operational data shows that the BYD lithium-ion forklifts can well adapt to the daily operation demands of common cold storage working scenarios, bringing a feasible new choice for low temperature logistics material handling equipment configuration. For operation teams that need to arrange longer continuous working shifts under extreme low temperature working conditions, it is still suggested to carry out matching pre-test according to their specific operation flow and environment parameters, so as to get the most suitable equipment use scheme.