The electric forklift is usually the most ideal alternative for indoor use in manufacturing and warehousing settings. This is mostly because of 2 reasons with the first being that they create zero emissions. This is an extremely important factor to take into account for indoor work places. Amongst the Internal Combustion or IC units, just the propane-fueled models can be utilized indoors and these models still need really good ventilation. Gas and diesel powered units are not able to be utilized inside under any circumstances.
Fuel cost is the other primary benefit of electric forklifts. These models have lower cost per hour as opposed to any of the other IC or internal combustion units. One of the main disadvantages to the electric forklifts is their higher initial expense. Brand new electric lift trucks can vary from 20% to 40% more compared to internal combustion models that are rated the same.
However, electric lift trucks offer many benefits including quiet operation. This is a huge plus for indoor applications. Moreover, no fuel storage requirements mean no room needs to be allotted for tanks of fuels that are dangerous and flammable. Since electric forklifts have less moving parts as opposed to internal combustion units, and they are usually utilized inside and within cleaner environments, they tend to have a longer overall lifespan.
The battery downtime is the biggest disadvantage of an electric forklift. These units run with heavy, big, lead-acid batteries, like those found inside your car. These batteries are very large and very powerful. Usually, batteries provide sufficient power for one standard 8-hour shift, and this means 5 or 6 hours of continuous use.
Charging a forklift battery would take around 8 hours. An additional 8 hours of cooling time is required before it could be utilized after the charging process is completed. Because of this long method of extra cooling time and slow charging speed, if you need lift trucks for 2 or 3 shift operations, you must purchase extra batteries so you can always be charging the next battery. These extra batteries will add about $1000 to $2000 to purchase.
There are several new fast charge electric forklifts on the market. These specialized batteries have revolutionized the electric lift truck industry. Their charging could be completed in the course of coffee and lunch breaks, allowing them to return to work a lot sooner.