The electric forklift is generally the best option for indoor applications within warehouses and manufacturing environments. 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. Out of the Internal Combustion or IC models, only the propane-fueled units can be used indoors and these units still need really good ventilation. Units that work on gas and diesel are not able to be used indoors under any circumstances.
The primary advantage of electric forklifts is fuel costs. Compared to IC or internal combustion units, these have lower expenses per hour. Amongst the main drawbacks to utilizing the electric forklifts is their higher initial cost. New electric forklifts could range from 20% to 40% more than internal combustion units that are similarly rated.
However, electric forklifts offer numerous advantages including quiet operation. This is a big plus for indoor applications. Furthermore, no fuel storage requirements mean no room needs to be allotted for tanks of flammable and dangerous fuels. As electric forklifts have less components that move than IC units, and they are typically utilized inside and in cleaner settings, they tend to have a longer overall lifespan.
The battery downtime is the biggest downside of an electric forklift. These units function with heavy, big, lead-acid batteries, similar to those found inside your automobile. These batteries are extremely large and extremely strong. Typically, batteries provide sufficient power for one regular 8-hour shift, and this means 5 or 6 hours of continuous use.
Initially, charging a lift truck battery takes about 8 hours. After the charging process is done, an additional 8 hours of cooling time is needed before it can be utilized. Due to this long process of slow charging speed and extra cooling time, 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 would add around $1000 to $2000 to purchase.
There are some new fast charge electric forklifts available 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 a lot sooner.