The electric forklift is normally the most ideal option for indoor applications in manufacturing and warehousing settings. This is mainly because of 2 reasons with the first being that they produce zero emissions. This is an extremely vital factor to consider for indoor work places. Amongst the IC or internal combustion models, just the propane-fueled models are able to be used indoors and these models still need really good ventilation. Models that run on gas and diesel could not be utilized indoors under any circumstances.
The primary benefit of electric lift trucks is fuel expenses. Compared to IC or internal combustion units, these have less expenses per hour. Among the main drawbacks to the electric forklifts is their higher initial cost. Brand new electric lift trucks could vary from 20% to 40% more than internal combustion models which are rated the same.
Electric forklifts on the other hand, provide many benefits like quiet operations, that can be a huge plus for indoor settings. Moreover, no requirement for fuel storage mean no room needs to be allotted for tanks of flammable and dangerous fuels. As electric forklifts have less moving parts than IC models, and they are typically used in cleaner environments and indoors, they tend to have a longer overall lifespan.
The battery downtime is the biggest disadvantage of an electric forklift. These units function with heavy, large, lead-acid batteries, like those found inside your car. These batteries are extremely large and extremely powerful. Typically, batteries offer an adequate amount of power for one regular 8-hour shift, and this translates into 5 or 6 hours of continuous utilization.
Charging a forklift battery will take around 8 hours. An additional 8 hours of cooling time is needed before it could be used after the charging process is completed. Because of this long method of additional cooling time and slow charging speed, if you require lift trucks for 2 or 3 shift operations, you will need to buy extra batteries so you can always be charging the next battery. These extra batteries will add about $1000 to $2000 to purchase.
On the market today, there are a few new fast charge electric forklifts. These fast charge batteries have changed the industry of electric lift trucks. Their charging could be done in the course of lunch and coffee breaks, enabling them to return to work much faster.