Hyundai turning to propane for forklifts

Illinois-based Power Solutions International Inc. (PSI) has launched a Tier 4 diesel engine replacement, embarking on a 4.3-liter propane engine program with Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. Ltd., whose 7A series 60/70L propane forklift trucks support Hyundai’s production in South Korea. Hyundai’s forklift trucks are sold globally.

“The forklift market has been one of PSI’s fastest-growing segments in recent years, as OEMs continue to shift to cost-competitive, emission-compliant liquid propane engines,” says Jeremy Lessaris, PSI’s director of marketing, in a press release. “As a result, PSI’s forklift engine sales nearly tripled in the last two years.”

According to the Propane Education & Research Council (PERC), propane engines currently represent between 80 and 90 percent of the internal combustion forklift market. PSI says its 4.3-liter propane engine delivers 118 hp and 240 foot-pounds of torque at 2,600 rpm.

Photo: Hyundai