The electric lift truck is usually the best choice for indoor applications within warehouses and manufacturing environments. This is mainly due to 2 reasons with the first being that they produce zero emissions. This is an extremely vital factor to take into consideration for indoor work places. Out of the IC or internal combustion models, just the propane-fueled models are able to be utilized inside and these models still need extremely good ventilation. Gas and diesel powered models can not be utilized indoors under any circumstances.
Fuel cost is the other primary benefit of electric lift trucks. These models have lower cost per hour compared to any of the other internal combustion or IC units. One of the main disadvantages to the electric forklifts is their higher initial cost. New electric lift trucks could vary from 20% to 40% more than internal combustion models which are similarly rated.
However, electric forklifts offer many benefits like quiet operation. This is a huge plus for indoor applications. In addition, no need for fuel storage mean no room needs to be allotted for tanks of flammable and dangerous fuels. Since electric forklifts have less moving components as opposed to IC models, and they are normally utilized inside and within cleaner environments, they tend to have a longer lifespan overall.
The electric forklifts biggest downside is the batteries downtime. The large and really heavy, lead acid batteries are somewhat like those now found inside cars. These batteries are very large and extremely powerful. Normally, batteries offer an adequate amount of power for one standard 8-hour shift, and this means 5 or 6 hours of nonstop utilization.
Charging a lift truck battery will take roughly 8 hours. An extra 8 hours of cooling time is required before it can be used after the charging process is done. Because of this long method of slow charging speed and additional cooling time, if you need lift trucks for 2 or 3 shift operations, you will need to purchase additional batteries so you could be charging the nest battery always. These additional batteries would add around $1000 to $2000 to purchase.
There are a few new fast charge electric forklifts on the market. These specialized batteries have revolutionized the electric lift truck business. Their charging could be completed in the course of lunch and coffee breaks, allowing them to return to work much faster.