A fresh batch of battery-electric forklift reveals from Hyundai completes the brand’s heavy forklift range, allowing Hyundai dealers to confidently offer a high-voltage electric counterbalance forklift in 4-to-18 tonne capacities, extending electric forklift availability into applications traditionally reserved for big, diesel-powered trucks.
Hyundai launched its B-X line with 4-9 tonne models back in 2025, but the latest additions, comprising the 100B-X, 120B-X, and 130B-X LC600 models come together with the 16-tonne (about 18 short ton) class 160B-X and 180B-X (shown, above, and shipping to customers now) to complete the range, and bring high-voltage battery electric forklifts solutions to applications requiring higher lifting capacities and intensive outdoor and indoor operation.
“Completing the B-X range means that electrification is no longer limited to the lower-capacity forklift segments,” explains Raymond Galavazi, Senior Product Manager at Hyundai Material Handling. “Customers across a wide range of industries can now consider high-voltage electric trucks from 4-18 tonnes, also for demanding outdoor applications where high capacity and intensive operation are required.”
Handle with care
The 160B-X packs a massive 618V high-voltage lithium-ion battery and electrical system that probably pulls double-duty as part of the truck’s counterweight (Hyundai doesn’t say so, but come on), while delivering more than 7 hours of continuous operation on a single charge.
And, because moving 16 tons tonnes of anything around a jobsite makes keeping people alive a constant challenge, Hyundai has loaded up the B-X with intelligent safety tech that includes camera-based pedestrian detection, delicate load sensing, Blue Spot and Red Zone lighting, autonomous parking, and operator-presence protection that shuts down travel and mast functions whenever the driver leaves the seat.
Hyundai is light on capacity and specs, but promises, “rapid charging capability,” which leads me to believe this is intended to be less of a warehouse EV and more of a hefty-style, heavy-duty electric workhorse.
To that end, Hyundai says its big B-X trucks were developed, “specifically for sectors where diesel forklifts remain widely used, including ports, shipbuilding, timber processing, metal production, construction materials, manufacturing and logistics operations.” In such applications, equipment is expected to operate outdoors throughout the year, often in rain, in cold temperatures, and in dusty environments – all environments where EVs have been able to outperform diesel.
SOURCE | IMAGES: Hyundai.
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