Generally, electric forklifts are the best choice for indoor use in manufacturing and warehousing operations for 2 major reasons: First off they produce zero emissions. This is an extremely vital factor to take into account for indoor work places. Amongst the IC or internal combustion models, only the propane-fueled models could be used inside and these models still require extremely good ventilation. Units which work on gas and diesel are not able to be used inside under any circumstances.
The primary benefit of electric forklifts is fuel expenses. Compared to internal combustion or IC models, these have lower expenses per hour. One of the main drawbacks to the electric forklifts is their higher initial cost. Brand new electric forklifts could range from 20% to 40% more compared to internal combustion units that are rated the same.
However, electric lift trucks provide numerous benefits like quiet operation. This is a big plus for indoor operations. Additionally, no need for fuel storage mean no room needs to be allotted for tanks of fuels that are both flammable and dangerous. As electric forklifts have less moving components compared to internal combustion units, and they are normally utilized in cleaner environments and inside, they tend to have a longer overall lifespan.
The electric forklifts biggest disadvantage is the batteries downtime. The big and very heavy, lead acid batteries are somewhat similar to those now found in automobiles. These batteries are very powerful and very large. Usually, batteries offer enough power for one standard 8-hour shift, and this translates into 5 or 6 hours of nonstop use.
Charging a lift truck battery will take approximately 8 hours. An extra 8 hours of cooling time is required before it could be utilized after the charging process is completed. Because of this long method of additional cooling time and slow charging speed, if you need forklifts for 2 or 3 shift operations, you must buy additional batteries so you can be charging the nest battery always. These extra batteries would add around $1000 to $2000 to buy.
There are some new fast charge electric lift trucks available on the market. These specialized batteries have changed the electric lift truck business. Their charging could be done during the course of coffee and lunch breaks, enabling them to return to work a lot faster.