Generally, electric lift trucks are the most ideal alternative for indoor use within warehouses and manufacturing applications for 2 major reasons: First off they produce zero emissions. This is a really important factor to consider for indoor work places. Among the Internal Combustion or IC models, only the propane-fueled models could be utilized inside and these units still require really good ventilation. Models that work on diesel and gas are not able to be utilized indoors under any circumstances.
The primary advantage of electric forklifts is fuel costs. Compared to internal combustion or IC models, these have less expenses per hour. Among the main disadvantages to utilizing the electric forklifts is their higher initial cost. Brand new electric forklifts can vary from 20% to 40% more than IC units that are rated the same.
However, electric lift trucks provide numerous advantages like quiet operation. This is a huge plus for indoor operations. Moreover, no fuel storage requirements 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 models, and they are normally used indoors and in cleaner settings, they tend to have a longer overall lifespan.
The battery downtime is the biggest downside of an electric lift truck. These models run with heavy, large, lead-acid batteries, like the ones found inside your automobile. These batteries are really strong and extremely big. Normally, batteries provide a sufficient amount of power for one standard 8-hour shift, and this means 5 or 6 hours of continuous use.
Initially, charging a forklift battery takes about 8 hours. After the charging process is done, an extra 8 hours of cooling time is required before it could be used. Because of this long process of extra cooling time and slow charging speed, if you need forklifts for 2 or 3 shift operations, you should buy 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 lift trucks on the market. These specialized batteries have changed the electric lift truck business. Their charging could be done in the course of coffee and lunch breaks, allowing them to return to work much faster.