The electric forklift is normally the best option for indoor use in manufacturing and warehousing environments. This is mostly due to 2 reasons with the first being that they create zero emissions. This is an extremely essential factor to take into consideration for indoor work places. Amongst the IC or internal combustion units, just the propane-fueled models could be utilized inside and these units still require really good ventilation. Units that run on diesel and gas can not be used inside under any circumstances.
Fuel cost is the other primary benefit of electric forklifts. These units have lower cost per hour compared to any of the other IC or internal combustion units. Among the main drawbacks to the electric forklifts is their higher initial cost. New electric lift trucks can vary from 20% to 40% more than internal combustion models that are similarly rated.
On the other hand, electric lift trucks offer numerous benefits like quiet operation. This is a big plus for indoor applications. Furthermore, no requirement for fuel storage mean no room needs to be allotted for tanks of fuels that are flammable and dangerous. As electric lift trucks have less components that move as opposed to internal combustion models, and they are typically used inside and in cleaner environments, they tend to have a longer lifespan overall.
The electric lift trucks biggest downside is the batteries downtime. The big and really heavy, lead acid batteries are somewhat like those now found inside cars. These batteries are extremely strong and extremely large. Normally, batteries provide enough power for one standard 8-hour shift, and this translates into 5 or 6 hours of continuous utilization.
Initially, charging a lift truck battery takes roughly 8 hours. After the charging process is completed, an additional 8 hours of cooling time is required before it could be utilized. Because of this long method of extra cooling time and slow charging speed, if you need forklifts for 2 or 3 shift operations, you must purchase extra batteries so you could be charging the nest battery always. These extra batteries would add roughly $1000 to $2000 to buy.
There are some new fast charge electric lift trucks available on the market. These specialized batteries have changed the electric forklift business. Their charging can be done in the course of lunch and coffee breaks, allowing them to get back to work a lot sooner.