Normally, electric forklifts are the most ideal alternative for indoor use within manufacturing and warehousing operations for 2 key reasons: First off they create zero emissions. This is a very essential factor to consider for indoor work places. Out of the Internal Combustion or IC models, only the propane-fueled units are able to be used indoors and these models still need extremely good ventilation. Diesel and gas powered units can not be used inside under any circumstances.
The main advantage of electric forklifts is fuel costs. Compared to internal combustion or IC units, these have less costs per hour. Amongst the main drawbacks to the electric forklifts is their higher initial expense. Brand new electric lift trucks could vary from 20 percent to 40% more than IC units which are rated the same.
However, electric lift trucks provide numerous benefits including quiet operation. This is a huge plus for indoor applications. Additionally, no fuel storage requirements mean no room has to be allotted for tanks of dangerous and flammable fuels. Since electric forklifts have less moving components than IC units, and they are normally used in cleaner environments and indoors, they tend to have a longer lifespan overall.
The battery downtime is the biggest disadvantage of an electric forklift. These models run with heavy, big, lead-acid batteries, similar to those found inside your automobile. These batteries are really strong and extremely big. Normally, batteries provide sufficient power for one standard 8-hour shift, and this translates into 5 or 6 hours of continuous use.
Charging a forklift battery would take roughly 8 hours. An additional 8 hours of cooling time is required before it can be used after the charging process is completed. Due to this long method of slow charging speed and extra cooling time, if you need lift trucks for 2 or 3 shift operations, you should purchase additional batteries so you can be charging the nest battery always. These additional batteries would add roughly $1000 to $2000 to the acquisition price.
There are some new fast charge electric lift trucks on the market. These specialized batteries have revolutionized the electric forklift business. Their charging can be done during the course of coffee and lunch breaks, enabling them to return to work a lot sooner.