Generally, electric forklifts are the most ideal option for indoor use within manufacturing and warehousing applications for 2 key reasons: First off they produce zero emissions. This is a really essential factor to take into consideration for indoor work places. Among the IC or internal combustion models, just the propane-fueled units are able to be utilized inside and these units still need extremely good ventilation. Diesel and gas powered units are not able to be utilized indoors under any circumstances.
The main benefit of electric forklifts is fuel expenses. As opposed to internal combustion or IC models, these have lower expenses per hour. Amongst the main drawbacks to the electric forklifts is their higher initial cost. New electric lift trucks could range from 20% to 40% more than IC units which are similarly rated.
However, electric forklifts provide numerous benefits including quiet operation. This is a big plus for indoor applications. In addition, no need for fuel storage mean no room has to be allotted for tanks of fuels that are flammable and dangerous. As electric lift trucks have less parts that move than IC units, and they are typically used indoors and in cleaner environments, they tend to have a longer lifespan overall.
The battery downtime is the biggest disadvantage of an electric forklift. These models function with heavy, large, lead-acid batteries, similar to those found in your automobile. These batteries are really large and extremely powerful. Normally, batteries provide sufficient power for one standard 8-hour shift, and this means 5 or 6 hours of nonstop utilization.
Originally, charging a lift truck battery takes around 8 hours. After the charging process is done, an extra 8 hours of cooling time is required before it can be used. Because of this long method of slow charging speed and additional cooling time, if you require forklifts for 2 or 3 shift operations, you would have to buy additional batteries so you could always be charging the next battery. These additional batteries would add approximately $1000 to $2000 to the acquisition price.
On the market today, there are some new fast charge electric forklifts. These fast charge batteries have revolutionized the business of electric lift trucks. Their charging could be completed during the course of lunch and coffee breaks, allowing them to get back to work much sooner.